 Photo by Nuno Correia
Following a regional guide to Portuguese food and an introduction to the pantry The New Portuguese Table provides a glimpse of both traditional and new Portuguese food. While I found the number of salt cod recipes a bit heavy handed, I was equally tantalized by the variety of other recipes such as Sausage Tortilla, Steak 'On Horseback,' Redefined, and Shrimp with Piri-Piri Sauce (see recipe below). The Punched Potatoes, roasted golfball sized Yukon Gold potatoes drizzled with garlic oil, are not only oh-so-cute but a wonderful full flavored and sophisticated potato side dish that I can't wait to make again.
As Lynne Rosetto Kasper and Sally Swift said "This book begs the question…. Why have we ignored Portugal for so long?" Thanks David for introducing me to yet another amazing European food that is sure to become a regular visitor to my dinner plate.
Grilled Shrimp with Piri-Piri Saucecamaroes grelhados com piri piri
From The New Portuguese Table by David Leite. Clarkson Potter, 2009.
serves 4 to 6 Hit most any seaside joint in Portugal, and you'll find these grilled shrimp on the menu. Heck, you'll find them in many backyards and even in some swank city eateries. But I like them best on the beach, sitting under a huge Sagres umbrella-Sagres is a brand of Portuguese beer-with a hunk of bread and a cool drink to kill the fire.
Ingredients - 2 ½ pounds extra-large shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 1 cup piri-piri sauce (see below) or store bought hot sauce, plus more for serving
- 2 lemons, cut into wedges
- kosher salt
Instructions 1. Combine the shrimp and piri-piri sauce in a large sealable freezer bag and toss to coat. Place the bag in a shallow dish and marinate in the fridge, turning a few times, for at least several hours, or, preferably, overnight.
2. Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium.
3. Thread the shrimp and lemon wedges on skewers and season with salt. Grill the shrimp over indirect heat, turning several times, until just opaque, 5 to 6 minutes. For an extra spike of flavor, brush the skewers with fresh piri-piri sauce just before serving.
Piri-Piri Saucemolho de piri-piri
From The New Portuguese Table by David Leite. Clarkson Potter, 2009.
makes about 1 1/2 cups
Portuguese piri-piri sauce, which packs a gut punch of heat, is sprinkled into, smothered over, and smeared onto all types of dishes. Arguably, the most famous is Frango com Piri-Piri. So proud are the Portuguese of their potent sauce, it's been advertised as "Portuguese Viagra." At farmers' markets, old men in their bone hats sit behind tables covered with jars of neon-red homemade piri-piri sauce for sale. Some are nothing more than oil infused with the chile peppers, others contain a mixture of crushed fresh peppers and oil, and still others are a combination of oil, vinegar, peppers, and spices. This last version, the one given below, is what comes closest to store-bought piri-piri, and I think the added ingredients give a nice acidic smack to the sauce. The recipe can easily be halved. Now, while I admire your commitment to making this sauce from scratch, if you can't find peppers with the right punch, there's no shame in using a store-bought hot sauce, such as Frank's RedHot or Tabasco brand pepper sauce.
Piri-piri peppers are unavailable in North America, but the substitutions suggested below will give a similar wallop of heat. Whenever handling any types of chiles, wear latex gloves, and be assiduously careful not to rub your face, mouth, or eyes. If you do, it'll be a painful experience you're not soon likely to forget.
Ingredients 3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
6 to 8 fresh red chile peppers, such as cayenne, tabasco, pequin, or santaka, to taste, stemmed
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Pinch of kosher salt
Instructions:
1. Mix the garlic and vinegar in a small bowl and let steep for 20 minutes.
2. Drop the peppers (including their seeds) and the garlic mixture into a food processor and pulse to chop. While the motor is running, pour in the oil, sprinkle with the salt, and whir until smooth. Pour the sauce into a small glass jar with a tight-fitting lid and let steep in the fridge for at least several days, preferably 1 week.
3. Strain the mixture, if you wish, but I never do. The sauce will keep for about 1 month in the fridge. Shake well before using.
About The New Portuguese Table Nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and Spain, Portugal is today's hot-spot vacation destination, and world travelers are enthralled by the unique yet familiar cuisine of this country. The New Portuguese Table takes you on a culinary journey into the soul of this fascinating nation and looks at its 11 surprisingly different historical regions, as well as the island of Madeira and the Azores, and their food culture, typical dishes, and wines. This book also showcases Portugal's pantry of go-to ingredients, such as smoked sausages, peppers, cilantro, seafood, olive oil, garlic, beans, tomatoes, and bay leaves-all beloved by Americans and now combined in innovative ways.
Available at Amazon.com
Disclosure: Review copies of books discussed in this post may have been provided to Project Foodie by publicists and/or publishers.
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