Algarve - Chick Pea & Tuna Summer Salad

From the many posts on events lately, you can probably guess cooking in the Algarve in summer is reduced to grilling and on the run eats that are fast, filling and leave lots of time for the beach. If you want a big meal you look for a restaurant with great food, a view or an esplanade; actually better if you can get all three.

With that said, now you understand why I’ve written so little about food and wine during the last couple of months. So, what have we been eating? Simple but delicious foods like this well known Algarvian salad, takes no time to prepare and is a great meal to take with you to the beach or a picnic.

Conquilhas!

There is something about these little wedge shell clams that makes them addictive, kind of like the peanut of the nut family. Eat one and suddenly you want the entire pot to yourself, but there’s something wonderfully sinister about sharing them, and feeling like your getting the lions share. If you’re a conquilha fan, you’ll know what I mean. If you’ve never had them, than you definitely need to try.

Simply cooked with good olive oil, garlic and cilantro, conquilhas are an Algarve summer favourite. I remember craving them when I lived abroad, and know folks that have conquilhas listed as a top priority when they visit. They’re extremely easy to make, the trick is to find very fresh ones that don’t have a lot of sand. The best tip I can suggest, when you see conquilhas at a fishmongers, tap the shell of an open one, if it closes than their good…if it doesn’t it’s dead, and you don’t want them.

Tarte de Natas - Portuguese Fresh Cream Cake

A while ago, a reader asked me about this recipe and I’ve been looking for one to tempt the pallet ever since. But the recipes I came across just didn’t inspire, they needed a little something, a bit more dazzle than cream, gelatin and cookies. So I decided to venture on my own, take some old, add a dash of new and… Voila!

Fresh cream cake, with double chocolate cookie crust and White Port drunken strawberries…now we’re talking! As this was an experiment, I wasn’t really sure how it would turn out, but with ingredients like these…how wrong could it go?

Caracóis - Portuguese Snails

The French call them Escargot, we call them Caracóis - they’re not the same type of snail, nor do we bathe them in butter like the French, but they’re equally delicious, and right now they’re available in restaurants across the country.

I’m pretty sure every culture around the globe has some sort of food that makes some folks cringe, and snails might just be one of those. But rest assured there’s a ‘process’ to get these slippery fellows ready for the pot. Here in the Algarve and likely around the country, snails undergo a ‘drying process’ which means keeping them in burlap bags with herbs for approximately 15 days, only then are they properly dry and ready to eat.

Pasteis de Bacalhau - Portuguese Codfish Cakes

For some reason, I have an image imprinted on my mind that Pasteis de Bacalhau are the perfect snack - appetizer, tapa, picknick food, and all around great fast bite. I’m also discovering, I don’t make them often enough.

With summer around the corner, I’m thinking this is going to be a recipe I’ll be making much more often. One batch of these little guys goes far; well depending on how many hungry bellies are hanging around. When I make them to have at home, they last for a couple of days and are great pulled apart and added to a salad or filling for a sandwich…but best of all they’re good hot or cold. But my favorite is hot out of the fryer and lightly dipped in a nice aioli. I know aioli is Italian and not Portuguese, but hey my forefathers navigated around the globe bringing back spices, herbs and all sorts of foreign influences…why not do the same today? Sometimes mixing things up can produce some delicious results!

Folar da Páscoa - Portuguese Easter Cake

Seems the Easter bunny has arrived and Easter is in full swing here in the Algarve. Actually truth be told, Easter eggs started popping up in shops everywhere, about two weeks ago. Can’t hold out on the Portuguese sweet tooth too long or possible chaos might ensue.

Like many European countries, Portugal has a strong Catholic belief that drives most of its cultural events. This time of year is of course passover, then in a few days, Easter. Churches will be filled for mass and various processions will be happening throughout local towns and villages, and like everywhere Easter is celebrated, Easter egg hunts will be organized and A LOT of chocolate will be devored. But in the Algarve, we have a little something special that challenges, even the likes of chocolate…we call it “Folar da Páscoa”. Read more