Serves 50
Caldo Verde
More than 500 years ago, Caldo Verde was just a lower class soup from the north of Portugal. Today, Caldo Verde is widely recognized as one of the portuguese finest traditional soups, across all social levels. According to CNN, it’s one of the best soups in the world.
Ingredients
onions - 1 kg
garlic cloves - 10
potatoes - 4 kg
portuguese cabbage - 2 to 3 kg
portuguese chouriço - 4
Cooking steps
1. Cut the chorizo in thin slices
2. Put at least 75 slices in the oven at 120C
3. Slice the onions
4. In a big pot add olive oil. When oil is hot, sauté the onions
5. When onions are light brown add water
6. Peel and chut potatoes in small chunks and add them to the pot
5. Season with salt. Cook over moderate heat for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.
6. Cut the cabbages in thin slices (as thin as you can get)
7. Grind the soup with a blender until the potatoes are completely pureed.
8. Boil the soup and add the cabbage, shredded.
9. Finish the soup with a slice of chorizo
Main course (serves 20)
Bacalhau à Brás
Bacalhau (cod) à Brás comes from Mr. Brás tavern, located in Bairro Alto, the man who led it to stardome. From Lisbon, Bacalhau à Brás conquered the world, reaching Macau, Asia. In Spain, this Portuguese delicacy appears on some menus as “Revuelto de bacalao à la Portuguesa” or as “Bacalao Dorado”. Although the origin is still uncertain, it’s a typical Lisbon dish, easy to make with a surprising taste and texture.
Ingredients
onions - 0.5 kg
garlic - 5-8 cloves
shredded soaked cod - 2 kg
shoestring potatoes - 2 kg
eggs - 20
parsley
black olives - 100 g
Cooking steps
1. In a pot cook the cod with minimum water, never letting it boil, for 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Strain the cod and reserve the water.
3. In a large pan over saute the chopped onions and minced garlic cloves in olive oil.
4. Add the cod when onions are light brown.
5. In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a part of the cooked water (let the water cool to at least 55C).
6. Add the eggs to the cod and mix. Low heat - don't make scramble eggs.
7. Add half of the shoestring potatoes to the pan and mix well. Let the potatoes soften a little bit in the egg custard.
7. Add the rest of the shoestring potatoes and olives.
8. Finish with parsley and a bit of olive oil.
Serves 25
Pasteis de Nata
Team 1 – Puff pastry and sugar syrup
Ingredients
SUGAR SYRUP:
sugar - 300g
Water - 150g
lemon peel - 4 slices
Cinnamon stick - 2
Cooking steps
1. In a pan mix all the ingredients and let it boil WITHOUT stirring. Let the syrup reach 107C.
2. After reaching 107C put the syrup aside and let it cool.
CUSTARD TARTS:
- Open the puff pastry into the mold and fill it with ¾ of cream
- Put in the oven for 8 to 12 minutes at 250C or more if your oven reaches even higher temperatures!
Team 2 – Egg custard
Ingredients
Corn starch - 30 g
Flour - 30 g
Milk - 500 ml
Egg yolks - 6
Egg - 1
Cooking steps
1. Dissolve the flour and starch with a bit of cold milk until you reach a cream without lumps. Mix the remaining milk and bring to boil (stirring ALWAYS).
2. After it starts boiling, let the cream boil for 2 minutes, ALWAYS stirring until thicken.
3. Add the sugar syrup to the cream slowly, mixing with the whisk to avoid lumps.
4. Let the cream cool for 10 minutes.
5. In a bowl mix the egg yolks and the egg.
6. After the 10 minutes have passed, add the mixed “eggs” into the cream and whisk (really well) with the whisker to incorporate everything.
Serves 100
Areias de Cascais
Areias de Cascais (rough translation is “Cascais sands”) are simple, yet delicious, small cookies from the village of Cascais. The recipe origin is lost in time, with early references from the 19th century.
Ingredients
Flour - 750g
Sugar - 250g
Butter - 500g
Lemons - 4
Cooking steps
1. Knead the butter with the sugar until you no longer feel the granules.
2. Add the flour and mix well.
3. Shape small balls and place them on a tray greased with butter and sprinkled with flour.
4. Bake at 180°C for 10 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven after they are cooked and pass them, still hot, through sugar.
