Broccoli Rice / Arroz de brócolos

Mixing rice and broccoli never struck me as a natural combination until I saw it as a side dish for meat dishes in Portuguese restaurants in Rio de Janeiro. Classic places like Nova Capela in Rio’s Lapa district serve it with a delicious roast kid. This is a simple and quick version which keeps the freshness of the broccoli by adding them just before the rice is cooked.

Courgette Salad/Salada de Corgetes

Courgettes are a relatively recent addition to the Portuguese pantry . This salad turns this rather bland vegetable into a flavourful dish with with the help of a bbq, good quality olive oil, garlic and parsley. This is a great salad to accompany grilled meat or fish and can be served hot or cold.

Courgette Salad

Chorizo Rolls / Pão com chouriço

A small round version of the popular pão com chouriço found in bakeries across Portugal… This is easy finger food, great for a party or picnic and delicious hot or cold. The richness of the taste will greatly depend on the quality of the chorizo.

Chorizo Rolls

Tomato Rice/Arroz de Tomato

This is a quintessential Portuguese side dish, accompanying grilled or fried fish and meat. Numerous variations render it dry (“seco”), wet (“a correr” or “malandrinho”), with peppers etc… Although not usually eaten on its own like a risotto it can easily become the centrepiece of a meal as in a cult road restaurant near Pombal which constantly distributed clay pots of just made tomato rice amongst its many tables as guests helped themselves to all kinds of bite sized fried delicacies such as bolos de bacalhau, rissois, croquetes and many more… This is a basic recipe which can either be served immediately (wet) or let dry slightly so it gains a slightly creamier texture.

Tomato Rice

Aubergine Pâté/Patê de Beringela

This is a simple and delicious pâté which is handy to make while you’re waiting for the bbq to get to the right temperature for grilling meat or fish. It’s relatively low maintenance and is a great addition to the summer table as a dip for bread or raw vegetables. The recipe can also be made in a hot oven but make sure you pierce the aubergine skin with a fork so they won’t burst.

Aubergine Pâté

Bean Stew/Feijão Guisado

There are numerous ways around this dish and they range from full feijoada (a rich bean and vegetable stew will lots of cured and fresh meats) to the simple boiled beans. This recipe is somewhere in between and is ideal as an accompaniment for grilled meats. You can adjust the chilli content to your taste though the dish is not supposed to be spicy. The dish should reach an almost creamy texture with a rich deep taste.

Bean Stew

Green Purée/Esparregado de Espinafres

This is traditional accompaniment for roast meats, particularly popular as the vegetable dish served with roast kid (cabrito). This recipe replaces the usual use of “nabiças” (the shoots of young turnip greens) for a mix of spinach and spring greens.

Migas

A bread based dish popular in Alentejo, this is a variation on the migas from Frey Papinhas in Castelo Branco . Alentejo cooking can transform the simplest ingredients into delicious dishes. As with all bread dishes, the quality of the final thing depends on the quality of the bread. This recipe calls for corn bread (broa) though it can be made with any solid traditional bread. Migas is a delicious accompaniment to grilled meats, and grilled or fried fish.

Migas

Grilled Pepper Salad/Salada de Pimento

A pepper salad made out of chargrilled green peppers is the traditional accompaniment to grilled sardines in Portugal. This is a simple version with a potentially relevant trick – wrap the peppers in cling film for 5-10 minutes after grilling to make pealing easier.

Charcoal-grilled Peppers