September 18th, 2009
A wiser love affair
I’ve been to Portugal four times in my life. During my first visit at 13 years old I fell in love with Tiago Almeida, a handsome mysterious boy from the beach. Now in my thirties, my last few trips to Portugal to work with Alentejo Adventures have lead me to a new love affair…. food. It’s a national sport in Alentejo and they do it so well.
With Miguel as our host he has taken us to some of his favourite restaurants. None of them expensive, some with sea views such as Choupana. Others with a cosy, rustic charm Tasca do Celso. All have friendly attentive staff and children are welcomed with open arms. I’ve eaten rich pork stew, fresh sea bream,and chunky sardines. I’ve cooked my own tender steak on a hot stone and washed it down with the most glorious wine. It seems that high quality produce and rich wholesome food is a given in this part of Portugal.
I’ve heard it said that if you’re going to run a restaurant make sure you get the bread and the coffee right. Why? Because it’s the first and the last thing the customer will remember. This type of attention to detail is instinctive. Appetisers of fresh bread, cheese and olives land on the table as soon as you take your seat and the final treat for your palette is always smooth, rich, strong coffee.
I did a bit of research and found this extract, it describes the Alentejo food culture and heritage beautifully and left me with a mouth watering hankering to get on plane and fly directly to Alentejo.
The Alentejo food culture
“Historically Alentejo is Portugal’s least developed and more rurual region. The inventive and frugal housewives have ingeniously used the staple ingredients bread, olive oil, and garlic to produce outstanding dishes. Açorda á alentejana is a creamy bread puree with coriander and poached eggs. Another dry soup is migas, crumbled bread and olive oil, cooked with cubes of beef, pork, and bacon. The most astonishing combination is pork and clams, with pork loin marinated in chili sauce—the flavors meld together beautifully”
Can I make it in time for dinner?