Arroz de Feijão com Bacalhau e Espinafres - Bean Rice with Codfish and Spinach

Grândola is a small town about one hour south from Lisbon, located in the beginning of the Alentejo region, and well known for the song that Zeca Afonso composed during the dictatorship. Near the highway on the way to Algarve, less than a mile before Grândola, you’ll find a the restaurant called “A Lanterna”. I went there for the first time in 2001 and since then every time it’s possible, I go back. I’ve taken dozens of people with me and they all thank me very much in the end. Alentejo is a region well known for it’s amazing traditional food and tremendously good wine and this restaurant offers a good sampling of the region. 

On their menu you can find a lot of the northern Alentejo traditional recipes, from the wonderful Migas and Açorda, to Carne de Porco à Alentejana, and the list goes on. I've tasted a few of them and my favorite dish is still the Arroz de Feijão com Bacalhau e Espinafres (translated crudely it's rice with beans, cod and spinach). I've never found it anywhere else and I have attempted to replicate it many times. No matter my method, it's never tasted like the original but everyone seems to like it.  

In addition to their amazing entrees, the starters they bring to the table immediately after you sit are also extraordinary and include the region's traditional bread. The portions are generous so there is always plenty to share with your company. The wine selection is superb and inexpensive. 

This recipe is my humble attempt and interpretation of the restaurant's dish.  I've never had the guts to ask them how it’s done, even if after all the times I’ve been there, so here goes.

Ingredients:

Red Beans (already cooked)

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Chili peppers

Onion

White wine

Garlic

Bayleaf

Tomato sauce

Rice

Spinach

Salted Codfish

Welcome to the flavors of Alentejo.

Arroz de Feijão is a side dish that you can find all over Portugal. It’s basically a big watery bean sauce that you cook the rice in. This recipe also adds spinach and slices of salted cod fish cooked in the sauce. It sounds simple but the result is much more than that. 

To make the rice, start the sauce by sautéing in olive oil some onions, garlic, bayleaf and add a bit of salt and pepper. A few minutes later, add a a little bit of tomato sauce and let it simmer. Add some white wine to make it saucier, and a bit of water if needed. You’ll need to make enough sauce to cook not only the beans but also the rice and the codfish. This is the tricky part because you don't want too much or too little liquid, so cook it slowly on a low temperature while keeping the lid on as much as possible.

Once the sauce has reached a good consistency -somewhat thick but liquidy enough for the rice- add the beans so that they can start melding with the flavor of the sauce. After a while add the salted codfish, already watered (soaked) and cut in small pieces. You should get the cod in small-medium pieces with your hands, removing all the fishbones you can. Let it boil for 10 minutes and add water or white wine if needed.

Add some water before you put the rice in. Depending on the type of rice (white, brown, etc) you’re using you’ll need more or less time to cook it. but try to add the spinach only once the rice is almost done. It doesn't need more than 10 minutes to be cooked. 

Garnish with cilantro and let it rest in the pan for about 5 minutes before serving.

Bom apetite!

The night’s selection:

The wine from Alentejo is strong and good, just like the hot sun that heats the region with temperatures over 90ºF during the summer. It’s perfect to go with full flavored food, just don’t forget to have some water, too.

For this dish we chose the white Pêra Manca from Quinta da Cartuxa, a white with a strong character that could easily be your best pal on any summer day. The varietals include the local Antão Vaz and Arinto. The blend is complex and fruity with a bouquet that is persistent and refreshing. 

It’s hard to think about Grândola without recalling José Afonso's “Grândola, Vila Morena” which was the song that symbolized the Carnation Revolution that ended after 40 long years of dictatorship and 20 years of a bloody war in Africa. The song was released in the 1971 album, “Cantigas do Maio” and it’s a symbol of the peaceful revolution that changed the life of the Portuguese.  This meal might not change your life but it will make your tummy smile. 

Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo

The rough translation for the name of this recipe would be Barrel Joe’s Style Codfish. This one is a rockstar amongst the hundreds of ways that the Portuguese cook cod and according to a reliable source it came from Porto, in the north of Portugal. My mother has made it since I can remember. According to her, it’s a recipe that can sit and wait to be done and needs plenty of oven time. This makes it a great option when you are serving a lot of people and there are always those who never arrive on time, kind of the opposite of a souffle.

It’s pleases the masses because it has mashed potatoes, and is prettier than normal codfish dishes, which is partially due to the garnish of mayonnaise (my mother’s recipe also adds mustard). This preparation of the codfish truly highlights its best flavors . This time we were cooking for 6 people, so as a true Portuguese I planned enough food for 10 hungry men. For 6 people one tray is enough, but it’s also a good idea to make extra and have food for the next couple of days. You can’t get enough of a good Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo.

Ingredients:

- Salted Codfish (from Norway, Canada or anyplace you can find)

- Onions

- Olive Oil

- Pepper

- Salt

- White wine

- Milk

- Flour

- Garlic 

- Bay leaf

- Mayonnaise

- Mustard

for the Mashed Potatoes:

- Potatoes 

- Milk

- Eggs

- Butter

- Salt

The Cod Code:

- Put the codfish in a large bowl and cover it with water the day before cooking. Try to change the water every 6 hours or so, depending on how thick the pieces of cod are. The soaking will help to rehydrate the fish and get rid of excess salt. Try to use only the central parts so that you have only the main big fishbone. You can save the smaller pieces for another recipe. We will share an appropriate one, soon.

- Cook the codfish in enough milk to cover all the fish, this will depend on the size of your pan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat and let simmer in the milk for half an hour.

- While the codfish is boiling you can get your potatoes cooking and ready for mashing.

- Put the flour and the beaten egg on plates and dredge the codfish before frying in olive oil. Fry on each side for approximately 1-2 minutes until a light crust develops. Set aside.

- Use the olive oil that you fried the codfish in to start cooking the onion. Add garlic, bay leaf, salt, white wine and let it simmer until the onion is cooked.

- Put the codfish in a baking pan (we used two 9x13" ones), cover it with the onion and olive oil mixture and put it in a 200ºC/400ºF oven to bake for about 15 minutes.

- Finish the mashed potatoes mixing, salt, milk, butter and beaten eggs.

- Take the codfish from the oven and cover it with the mashed potatoes adding the mayonnaise and the mustard in a creative way. You will need to know later if the onions and codfish are boiling, so leave a space in the middle of the potatoes so that you can still see it.

- Put the potato-topped codfish in the oven and check after approximately 30 minutes. After you see that the onions are boiling, you will only need to let it cook another 20 minutes before turning it off. It can wait in the oven for a while (just don’t forget about it) and the extra time will help to reduce the onion sauce that surrounds the codfish and improves the flavor of the whole thing. 

The nights selection:

This savory and filling meal requires a full flavored wine so we chose the 2009 Quinta de Cabriz. Blending the varietals of Touriga Nacional, Afrocheiro, and Tinta Roriz, this wine shows all the possible flavors of Dão, one the most interesting wine regions of Portugal. To go with all this, we strongly recommend listening to some tunes by Deolinda, one of the most talented modern Portuguese bands. Their melodies bring new life to traditionally inspired Portuguese music, and their songstress Ana Bacalhau shares her name with our main ingredient, it’s naturally a perfect accompaniment.