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. 

Empadão de Peru - Turkey Shepherd's Pie

This one became extremely popular after a wisdom tooth extraction and the orders to eat only soft foods for some days. In Portugal, an Empadão is normally made with a mix of ground beef and pork, but we adapted it to our taste and reduced the fat a bit with the substitution of ground turkey. We both LOVE mashed potatoes so any recipe that includes them always causes some smiles around here.

This is truly a comfort food, perfect for cold winter days, but we like it so much that it stays on the menu all year long. The only downside is that takes a while to prepare and will cause a bit of a mess in your kitchen, but the results and the leftovers are well worth it.

Ingredients for 4-6 portions:

For the meat sauce:

1 large Onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves 

2 bay leaves

¼ Pepper (we used an orange one) chopped 

Dried red pepper flakes, to taste

Tomato sauce (1 cup) divided

Bacon (we used two big slices, less than ½ pound/200g)

Ground Turkey (1 pound/450g)

Red Wine (at your preference)

Beer (at your preference)

Balsamic Vinegar- just a splash 

Salt

Pepper

For the mashed potatoes (Purée):

Potatoes

Milk

Butter

Egg

Salt

Cheese (We used Cheddar) for garnish

The Path to the Empadão Kingdom

Take a deep breath before starting the cutting of the onion, smash the garlic and add it and the onion to the pan with a little olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar. Add a bit of salt and dried red pepper, to your taste. Once the onions become translucent (4-5 minutes), add the chopped orange pepper, about ⅔ cup of the tomato sauce and a bit of red wine and let it simmer for a few more minutes.

While it’s simmering, cut the bacon and season the ground meat with salt and pepper (and/or red pepper). Add the bacon and a little more tomato sauce and reduce the heat to low for a while. Add the turkey and be sure to keep an eye on the texture of the sauce. 

If the mixture gets too dry add some wine and beer to soften the sauce. If it gets too liquidy let it boil with the lid off. Continue to stir the sauce occasionally, because the turkey is drier than the beef and pork it tends to collect into clusters. 

Pull them apart them with a fork if needed so that the meat is evenly distributed in the sauce. Let it boil and develop flavor for as long as time allows. Keep in mind that the sauce is going to the oven later and shouldn’t be too liquidy or too dry when you put it in the dish, look for the happy medium. 

The scent coming from the pan starts making everybody in the kitchen very happy and you should use that cue to start peeling the potatoes for the purée. The number of potatoes you need will depend upon the size of baking dish you’ll use. Remember that a good purée always seems to shrink in the pan, so get some extra potatoes peeled and if by chance you have too much you can always make potato pancakes the next morning.  

After the purée is done and the meat sauce is at the right point, transfer the meat to your baking dish and cover it with the purée. Bake it for 15 minutes at 350ºF then remove and add the cheese, grated or artistically cut. Return to the oven and bake for 20 more minutes. Let cool a bit before serving and Bom apetite!

The night’s selection: 

From Mendocino Brewery Company we chose one of their Select Collection, the IPA White Hawk. We found it at a good price and decided to give it a try. With a 7% alcohol volume, it pleases with the first intense punch of the hops and a bouquet that lingers for quite a while. Now we will be on the lookout for their Imperial IPA.

For the soundtrack to this recipe we choose the Corações de Atum 2011 double album “Romance Hardcore / Hardcore Romance”. This very unusual album features ear-catching lyrics by the peculiar almost candidate to the Portuguese Presidency Manuel João Vieira. The album includes two versions of songs like this one, with the first CD offering 12 songs appropriate for radio broadcast and the second CD including 9 songs with much more colorful language. It’s worthwhile to learn the language just to be able to translate the lyrics of this great Portuguese artist.