Fare thee well....

The end of August and the holidaymakers and tourists are slowly packing their bags and returning home. Life in the Algarve should start returning to normal in the next two days- less traffic on the roads, we can reclaim our beaches again and find a quiet spot to sit down on them.

I always feel Dias Medievais in Castro Marim marks the end of Summer. It is the last big event and the town will now become quieter again. Medieval carousing,cajoling, cavorting and catering have now finished. Plenty good fare was partaken of over the four days but now the carnival is over-
Like a drum our hearts were beating, but the joys of love are fleeting for Pierrot and Columbine.
For the full story of the four days in words and pictures with recipes from the medieval banquet visit issuu.com/ocozinheiro/docs

Veal free to use pork

I have recently noticed the word saltimbocca creeping onto the menus of some of our top notch local Algarve restaurants.
Is this a Portuguese /Italian fusion I ask myself ? Saltimbocca lends itself to experimentation, but the Roman original endures.
Previously not having been a saltimbocca afficianado, it has suddenly become my new must have recipe for a speedy stylish supper. I decided to introduce it into the Casa Rosada repertoire. I was curious to know if I could replace the classic veal with pork, without punters claiming I was being irreverent to the Roman original.With a little bit of research - eh voila, I found a recipe from Umbria for saltimbocca using pork. Saltimbocca di maiale al vinsanto.The Italian word saltimbocca means "jump in the mouth."The reason being the meat is cooked so quickly that with just a flash in the pan and a pirouette or two it will dance off your plate and into your mouth.


Saltimbocca do porco

3 slices of Bifanas do porco per person ( a thin cut of pork used in algarvian sandwiches )
3 thin slices of presunto serrano per person
3 leaves fresh sage
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp butter, 1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup white wine

Gently pound the pork slices with a mallet or rolling pin until thin.
Lay a piece of presunto over each slice.
Top with a sage leaf, and season with salt and pepper,
Roll the slices around the filling and secure each with a wooden toothpick.
Heat a çarge cast iron skillet over high heat until hot. Melt the butter until it is foaming. Add the oil add the pork rolls, turning them to brown on all sides. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until the pork is cooked. Remove to a warmed plate. Add the wine to the pan and de-glaze until the liquid has reduced by 1/3. Transfer to plates and our the de-glazed sauce over them.
Serve with sauteed potatoes and salad.

Tancrede´s catch...

Today we had a spontaneous lunch in the garden, courtesy of one of our guests who had shown an early interest in going on a fishing trip.

His research found Senor Eduardo, who organises these trips from Vila Real, but unfortunately, it being the height of the season all his trips were booked up. His referral found him Bruno in Tavira who has a fishing tackle shop, The Blue Marlin, on the harbour and organises fishing trips out of Cabanas.

Tancrede left Casa Rosada at 6.2oam this morning to be at the boat for 7.00am. After seven hours fishing he returned home with a cool bag full of his catch, which amassed Sargo, Mackerel and Carapau ( horse mackerel, a smaller variety).
Fish this fresh must be eaten as soon as possible in order to savour its freshness, so he set to filleting the fish while I prepared a simple Algarvian salad of Lettuce, Roma tomatoes, grated carrot and coriander. I then made a seasoned flour of dried oregano, salt pepper and fresh parsley. I dusted the fish with the flour and then pan fried them in olive oil and a little butter. We all sat down to a deliciously simple lunch washed down with a bottle of Sagres.
Many thanks Tancrede!!!
We now have all the details of three different excursions and hope future guests at Casa Rosada who are keen fishermen will follow his example.

Filetes de Linguado to the Spaniard

How can google translate come up with something so entertaining? The challenge is can you follow this recipe?

3 people / 1hr 15min

Ingredients
almond: 2oogr
oil: 2dl
estragao: 2 soup spoons
Jerez: 2dl
Linguado:1kg
White pepper in grain: q.b

Preparation
It arranges the linguados ones, amanhando them, escamando them, washing them in current water and cutting them in filetes. It puts the oven to heat the temperature not very high. Pirex in oil dips in grease one and makes use filetes in the container, in one layer( for such, it is necessary that Pirex either enough great). It tempers with salt and worn out pepper at the moment and waters with a little of oil. Polvilhe with plated almonds and waters of Jerez. It has led to the hot oven already and leaves to bake during about 40 minutes. of time in when it waters with the proper gravy. No longer end of the cozedura polvilhe filetes of linguado with the perforated estragao and leaves to select more in the oven per 15 minutes.
it serves immediately.

I love the idea of worn out pepper
and suggest imbibing some waters of Jerez while you fathom this out!!!

Mullet over

Team Casa Rosada have been hard at work in the kitchen today. Andrew has filleted the salmonetes ( red mullet) and I have prepped the vegetables and mixed the marinade. I have also made a dressing of sundried tomato, olives and basil for the tricolore salad that we are offering our guests as a starter. 6.59. and the guests aren´t home, from the beach, so I guess dinner will be scheduled for about 9.00. 7.01. The telephone rings - Portuguese want room for tonight, "Desculpe tudos quartos completo". Back to the worktop, tomatoes to be chopped, salad leaves to be prepped.

Filetes de salmonetes com alhos frances pequenos, batatas acafrao folhetes de salata mista
Fillets of red mullet with baby leeks saffron potatoes and mixed leaves
serves 4-6

This dish is very labour intensive both in its prep and in its cooking, but the flavour is phenomenal and its a stunner on the plate. little doubt in my mind why it has become a bit of a signature dish.Try and get your fishmonger to fillet the fish for you. Asking a Portuguese to fillet a red mullet is like trying to ............
We always end up filleting the b-----s ourselves.

1 red onion peeled and finely diced
1 clove of garlic peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
Finely grated zest plus the juice of 1 lemon
3-4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
12-18 fillets of red mullet, skin on
12-18 baby leeks, trimmed and blanched
12-18 charlotte or salad potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
Good pinch of saffron threads, ground
Baby spinach, pousse, or rocket leaves washed and dried well

Mix the onion, garlic mustard seeds, lemon zest and juice in abowl with the olive oil.
Mix well to combine.Place the mullet in a porcelain dish and pour over the marinade, making sure it is well covered and adding more olive oil if it isn´t. set aside for 30 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse. In a saucepan, boil the potatoes in plenty of salted water until tender.Drain well and set aside in a large bowl. Blanch the leeks and add them to the potatoes. Meanwhile steep the saffron in three tablespoons of hot water and set aside.
Heat a little olive oil in a large heavy based frying pan and cook the fish in batches for about 2-3 minutes, then turn and cook for a further 2 minutes until just cooked through. Set aside in a warm place. Wipe out the pan.
Working Quickly, heat a little olive oil in the pan, then add the poataoes and leeks, tossing them to heat through. Add the saffron and toss to coat well. Return to the bowl and the leaves of your choice. Add the remaining marinade to the pan heat through and add the salad leeks and potatoes. Season well with salt and pepper. Pile the salad leaves potatoes and leeks and top with two or three of the red mullet fillets.

8.10 guests return

9.00 Guests served Gin and tonics in the garden

9.15 Starter of Tricolore salad with sundried tomato basil and olives served

9.40 Mullet served

Our guests chose Planalto Vinho Branco seco Reserva 2007
a perfect choice to accompany this dish.

The day is done and all parties are happy

Prato do dia- dish of the day

The dish of the day at Casa Rosada is Sargo.Discussing the menu with our guests this morning they decided they would like a fish dish for their main course. I headed off to Vila Real market and Antonio Jorge, my fish man, proffered these two beautiful Sargo. Sargo is famous for being crafty. The story goes that it used to hide from fishermen in rocky crevices, but gradually realised that this made it an easy target for spear-guns and harpoon-guns and then it took to hiding among weeds instead. A crafty fish being served by a mischievous cook - Perfect!!!
I also purchased six salmonetes ( red mullet) for their dinner tomorrow, Sunday. Andrew will fillet the mullet for me tomorrow and I will be serving them as pan fried fillets with sauteed leeks and saffron potatoes.
For the Sargo I am going for a very mediterranean style dish, possibly Catalanian.

Oven baked Sargo with anchovy potatoes, olives and tomatoes
Serves 2

2 generous sized Sargo
8 medium to large new potatoes
4 tomatoes
10-12 anchovy fillets
6 large cloves of garlic
Large handful of fresh oregano
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon quartered
handful of stoned olives

Scrub the potatoes and slice each into three, then cook them in boiling water for 10 minutes.Preheat the oven to 220c/ gas mark 8. Drain the potatoes, they should be tender enough to take the point of a knife.Tip them into a roasting tin. Slice the tomatoes in 3 and mix them in with the potatoes.
Put the anchovies, garlic, oregano and olive oil in a processor and blitz. Scrape the paste into a bowl.Season generously with pepper and a little salt, because the anchovies will be salty already.
Pour two thirds of the paste over the potatoes and tomatoes and mix together well coating everything.Add the lemons to the vegetables.Bake the potatoes and tomatoes for 30 minutes until soft and getting a golden colour. Rub the fish inside and out with rest of the paste and lay them on top of the vegetables. Add the olives and bake for 15 minutes depending on the size of the fish.

Can you hear the drums Fernando?

As the town prepares itself for next weeks XII Edicao Dias Medievais, ( the twelfth year of The Medieval Festival ) the beating of drums can be heard around the streets as musicians practice for their big weekend. The town is already buzzing, as decorations, stages and other props are put in place. The big show kicks off on Thursday night, 26th when the Desfile Medieval (medieval parade) passes Casa Rosada . The house is fully booked, and will be providing guests with champagne on the balconies while the procession passes, followed by a medieval banquet in the garden. After dinner, guests will be given tickets to admit them to the castle for flag throwing, jousting and other medieval malarky. Afterwards they will return to the garden for more champagne and watch the fireworks over the garden.

"There will be something in the air that night,
the stars will be bright Fernando"

For full coverage of the whole story, the menu the banquet, recipes and pictures, "Dias medievais XII 2010", will be posted on http://issuu.com/ocozinheiro on Monday August 30th.

Ooh Ahh......just a Lidl bit

A pan -European shopping trolley.
All this and change from €20

A littlle knowledge is a dangerous thing. A small knowledge of Lidl can be advantageous both to your purse and palate. Is this an advertorial I hear you asking. Absolutely not, its not even one of those uninspired recent Guardian word of mouth product blogs that tarnishes the reputation of good journalism. People love Lidl the way they love Ryanair. Not surprisingly, because Lidl is the Ryanair of the retail industry. Its stores are no-frills, its deals legendary, its prices rock-bottom. The companies even share the same garish blue and yellow corporate livery!!! When I lived in Hackney I used to drive past Lidl on my way to work each morning. I never gave the large blue and yellow sign the time of day. Living the Algarve, something changed me. It is impossible to source your entire shopping list at one outlet, so a normal shopping trip involves visiting more than one supermarket. This is how I discovered Lidl. If you are a discerning shopper, and select only certain items, you can find quality on a budget at Lidl. The picture above and the till receipt prove my point.The word is out and LEEDiL is drawing middle class shopping trolleys towards it.This middle class is an anxious middle class, who are thinking twice about changing their loyalty from Waitrose. A recession undoubtably makes one take a keener interest in the price of food.We are slaves to brand names and frightened of Lidl´s pan-Europeanism.But we must abandon this culinary snobbery. Lidl proves that price is irrelevant to taste. They quite clearly have some very discerning buyers on board, and it works.

You should try Lidl. "Their chevre is excellent, and it is easy to park."

The Knife man cometh

You can hear his signature tune streets away. It is the third monday of the month and the week following the monthly market. The knife man cometh. I cant describe the whistle sound that heralds his arrival, but it is similar to pan pipes. This is tradition and something that is fast disappearing here in Portugal. We will soon be mourning its loss like so much other artesanal ( craft ). Jao is apontador de facas ( knife sharpener ). He travels around the local area on his bespoke bicycle/ steel grinder. His customised bike has a grinding stone on it and he peddles to make the stone wheel go round. He pulls up outside Casa Rosada, puts a stabilizer on his bike. I give him my knives wrapped up in a tea towel , he rests them on the neighbours windowsill, cf picture above climbs back on his bike, starts peddling and giving my blades a new lease of life - sorry Ricardo but all manner of things go on when you are away!!! Anyway - amazing, so simple and so reassuring that this kind of craftmanship is still alive - well for the time being.

Thought for today:

Sharp as a knife, bright as a button

PORTUGUESS? Do you know your nata from your dourada?

5 PORTUGUESE FOODIE FACTS



1.Bacalhau is a leathery slab of dried salt cod. Bacalhau is the essential ingredient of 365 recipes
one for each day of the year.

2.Pastel de nata is a custard tart, original speciality of Cafe de Belem in Lisbon

3. Portugal is the worlds number one for Sardines


4. Caldeirada is Portuguese fish stew. one of the best known and tastiest Portuguese dishes

5. Dourada is the name given to the gilt head or golden bream
from ouro- gold, dourado golden

. .. and it can all be tasted in one form or another at Casa Rosada