Clams Bolhao Pato

Clams Bolhao Pato is a typical Portuguese dish believed to have originated in the Estremadura area. It is said that it got it's name as a homage to a poet, Raimundo Antonio de Bulhao Pato, who mentioned the name of a cook in his writings.
Probably one of the most commonly found dishes among the Portuguese restaurants that features this shell fish.
It's within it's simplicity that resides it's beauty and goodness. Sometimes, less is more, no doubt. There are of course variations, as is normal in cooking, where imagination is the limit. Here is how to prepare this wonder.

Ingredients

1kg clams
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic sliced
2 table spoons white whine
Coriander (or parsley) freshly chopped
1 lemon
Salt
Pepper
Chilli pepper (optional)

Preparation
Leave the clams to soak in salted water for about 3 hours so that they may loose all sand that they may have. This is only necessary if they haven't been previously cleaned of the sand.
In a wide pan, place the olive oil and the garlic and let them heat up. Add the coriander and the whine. As soon as it starts to boil, add the clams, previously rinsed of the salt water. Season with salt and pepper and let cook in medium heat until the clams start to open. When this happens, up the heat so that the sauce may reduce a little. After all clams have opened place on a plate ans let them sit for 2 minutes so that the sauce may reduce a little more. Pour the sauce over the clams and afterwards, season with the lemon juice. You can decorate with lemon slices or quarters and add more freshly chopped coriander or parsley.
You may also, if you like add a chilli pepper or tabasco sauce while cooking, if you like things hot. Personally, I do that.

Hope you enjoy this easy dish. Send feedback.

Francesinha

This dish was born in Oporto in the sixties by an emigrant that returned from France. He decided to add a special touch to a French sandwich very popular throughout the cafes, the "croque-monsieur". He transformed this sandwich into something with soul that appealed to the tastes of the people from Oporto.Thus was born the francesinha which is one of the most popular dishes in this region appreciated by the rich and poor.


Here is a recipe for francesinha. If you haven’t tried it, get ready for a treat. It was actually considered one of the top ten sandwiches of the world and is a emblematic dish from Oporto. Best served with chips on the side and and a chilled beer. Bom apetite.

Ingredients (for 2 francesinhas):

4 slices of white bread

2 pieces of steak

2 fresh sausages

2 “linguiças” (a type of Portuguese sausage and optional)

2 slices of cheese

2 slices of ham

Sauce:

1 beer

1 glass of Port Wine

1 meat stock cube

2 bay leaves

1 decilitre of milk mixed with 1 soupspoon of corn flour

2 soupspoons of tomato sauce

1 soupspoon of olive oil

piri piri to taste

How to prepare:

Begin by making the sauce: mix all the ingredients together and heat on the stove until the volume has halved and you have a thick sauce, which should take around 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, sprinkle the steaks with salt and grill them.

Lightly toast the slices of bread.

On an oven proof dish, put the grilled steak onto the toast, then on top of the steak, the sausage, the linguiça sausage and the slice of ham. Then put another slice of toast on top, and on top of the toast the slice of cheese. Pour the hot sauce onto the franscesinha and then put it into a previously heated oven to melt the cheese. Serve immediately and with fried chips.

Fish stew - Caldeirada

This is a very popular dish in Portugal known as Caldeirada, being very common in the piscatorial areas where fish is abundant and fresh. It's also a traditional dish enjoyed by the fisherman. It basically consists of cooking various types of fish with potatoes, onions and peppers. This dish is usually served with whatever fish is available at the time and can be made up of various types of fish. But it's also possible to make this with just one type of fish giving you a different final result. Fish used are monkfish, conger, white grouper, hake, red snapper, ray, sardines... imagination is the limit. You can also add seafood to the stew and that'll give it that extra sea flavour.
So here is a basic recipe. Feel free to add your own variations and personal touch. I mean, that's what cooking is all about right? I can definitely see Jamie Oliver having this dish with a smile on his face.

Ingredients:
1 big onion
600g potatoes
1 pepper (green or red)
3 tomatoes
Olive oil
2kg of fish
1 chilli pepper

Preparation:
Peel the onion, slice it and place along the bottom of the pot. Peel the potatoes, cut into slices and place on top of the onions. Wash the pepper, clean of all seeds, cut into strips and place on top of the potatoes. Wash the tomatoes, cut into pieces and place on top of the veggies already in the pot. Drizzle with olive oil and, if you want, drizzle with some white wine too. Cover the pot and cook on a low flame for 10 to 15 minutes, shaking the pot every now and then. Do not stir as you will end up breaking up the everything.
In the meantime, clean the fish and season with salt. After the 10 to 15 minutes have passed, add the fish and the chilli pepper cut into pieces to the pot and cover to cook for another 10 minutes, so that the fish may cook. Shake the pot every now and then so that nothing sticks to the bottom and near the end, have a taste to see it it needs more salt. If you want to add seafood, like shrimp, or clams, add them about 5 minutes before the end. Right before serving sprinkle with some freshly chopped coriander or parsley.

You can serve this dish with a light white wine.

Enjoy.

Cod-fish cakes

Cod-fish cakes are one of the most popular dishes in Portugal. It's usually served as a starter, but is many times served, in common households as the main dish, accompanied by some white rice or rice with tomatoes and some veggies. Here is how you make them.

Ingredients

750g salted cod-fish (rehydrated as explained in the previous post)
1.2kg potatoes peeled
4 eggs
1 medium onion
parsley
pepper

Preparation
Boil the potatoes with the cod. After the potatoes are cooked, the cod should be as well, drain the water. Take the cod and "clean" it of all skin and bones, and place in a cloth, making a ball, and compress and crush until the cod is shredded.
After draining the potatoes, make sure that they are dry and mash them.
Mix the potatoes and the cod together with the onions and the parsley to make a paste. Season with the pepper. Incorporate the eggs next and mix everything until the eggs are completely undone.
Shape the cakes with two soup spoons (or just use your hands) and fry them in oil until they are golden brown.

Enjoy.