Chef Leandro Carreira’s new cookbook proves Portugal is more than port and custard tarts.
Leandro Carreira is n’t one of those chefs who has always loved food from a untried age . In fact , growing up on the west coast of theAlgarve in Portugal , he does n’t have the fondest memories of his kinfolk boiling Pisces head , salt pig os , slowly cure meats , and work spread .
“ As youngster , we were like , ‘ Wow this stink , it smells so bad , ’ ” he remembers with a gag . “ But those technique of curing , marinating , and slow zymosis really helped dishes . Poor people were incredibly originative and number up with some of the best Lusitanian dishes ever . ”
Those retentivity of smelly fish broth and reusing remnant bread are translated into dishes like Açorda , a signature Portuguese soup , and one of more than 550 recipes in Carreria ’s monolithic undertaking , Portugal the Cookbook , debuting on May 4 .
Rice Pudding|Photo by Mário Ambrózio and Rafael Rodrigues at Raw Studio
“ I never in my wild dreams think I ’d pen a book , ” he pronounce . “ But I ’ve been journey for so long and left Portugal so many years ago , that it made me appreciate how keen Portugal can be . I got to get back in touch with my own state from the interior and I could n’t turn back digging . ”
Indeed , Carreira ’s preparation career has taken him to Japan , the Basque neighborhood of Spain , and finally London , where he opened his first restaurant , Londrino , in 2017 , and set out his current chef ’s table projection , The Sea , The Sea , recent last year .
His travels and study help him make connections between seemingly disparate cuisine , like how famed Portuguese sponge cake is like to Nipponese kasutera or how one recipe in his book for Battered Green Beans is inspire by tempura .
“ I think multitude forget that the Portuguese were once immense traders and explorers . We went pretty much everywhere and submit a lot of thing with us , ” he tell . “ They think of us as this little land in westerly Europe known for port wine and custard tarts . But we have an harebrained culinary landscape painting , deeply root in influence from the Middle East , Africa , and Asia . ”
Carreira trust his cookbook can aid further broaden people ’s perspectives about his base state , something he ’s been look a growing interest in over the past 15 years . He ’s noticed that tourists are now exploring expanse outdoors of Lisbon to the Confederate States of America and Porto to the north , realizing the intact country has something to offer up .
Every formula in the record specifies the region where it uprise and Carreira says some good starting point admit the Turnip Tops with Corn Porridge ( from Beira Alta ) , Pig ’s Ear Salad with clean wine vinegar ( from Leiria ) , Pork Loin preserve in Pork Fat and Paprika ( from Algarve ) , or the more unique Salt Cod Bladder Stew with White Beans ( from Beira Litoral ) .
Portugal the Cookbook|Photo by Mário Ambrózio and Rafael Rodrigues at Raw Studio
The sweet section , of course , feature the famed custard bawd and many variations of quick study cake , which Carreira say have become industriousness all their own . But not as well - known is how beloved rice pudding is in Portuguese culture — a comfort food for thought answer at parties and weddings across many neighborhood .
“ Short - grain Sir Tim Rice is cooked gently in milk on the stove , with or without bollock egg yolk , ” he writes . “ It can be very mellisonant or just a minuscule , and serve either creamier or more set , warm or frigid . It is typically grace with a dusting of ground Ceylon cinnamon , sometimes with initial or detailed draftsmanship . ”
A second recipe in the book boast a Elmer Rice pudding variation that admit the addition of egg whites , which get whisked into a meringue then broiled on top of the pudding until golden brown .
“ I had really never heard of this and came across this with a friend , ” Carreira says . “ Instead of just a one - dimensional Elmer Reizenstein pud , you end up with extra fluffiness at the top . I ’m a very textural person and this recipe has everything : gooey , chewy , creamy , and moist . This has it all . ”
Rice Pudding or Arroz Doce from Beira Litoral
Yield:4 Servings
Ingredients:• ¾ loving cup short - grain rice , rather Carolino• 1¼ loving cup plus 4 teaspoons whole milk• pared rind of 1 lemon• 6 ounce castor ( superfine ) sugar• ½ teaspoonful ground cinnamon sea salinity
Directions:1 . Bring 1 cupful plus 2 teaspoons of water to the boil with a arrest of salt in a medium saucepan . Add the Elmer Reizenstein , reduce the heat to moo and prepare for 6 minutes.2 . Meanwhile , contribute the milk and Citrus limon rind to the boil in a separate saucepan , then remove from the heat.3 . While stirring , bit by bit add the warm Milk River to the rice , keep the temperature low gear so the rice fix equally . Cook over a low heat for 30 minutes , rousing , until the rice is easygoing . Still bring up , add the scratch . At this full stop you should have a creamy rice pudding.4 . Remove and toss away the lemon rind and pour into a serving dish . Dust cinnamon over the top before process .
Baked Rice Pudding with Egg Whites or Arroz Doce com Claras from Lisbon
output : 5 serving
Ingredients:• pared rind of 2 lemons• ⅔ cup unretentive - cereal Elmer Rice , preferably Carolino• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter• 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon whole ( full - fat ) milk• 4 orchis yolks• 1 cup plus 4 teaspoon caster ( superfine ) sugar• 1 teaspoonful flat coat cinnamon• 3 egg whites• sea saltiness
Directions:1 . Preheat the oven with the grillwork ( broiler ) to 400 ° F.2 . Put 2¾ cups of water , the lemon tree rind and a pinch of salt into a large saucepan and bring to the boil . Add the rice , stir , slim down the heat to medium and fudge for 15 bit , or until soft . lend the butter , commix in , then bit by bit tally the milk . Remove from the heat and entrust to cool to room temperature.3 . Meanwhile , put the bollock yolk into a little bowl and whisk lightly with a fork . Once the Elmer Reizenstein mixture is at way temperature , add the eggs yolks , then cook over a low heating system for 10 minute of arc , or until very creamy . Add ¾ cupful plus 2 teaspoons of the cabbage and stir well.4 . rain cats and dogs the rice into an ovenproof dish and spit with the cinnamon.5 . Put the egg White into a stand sociable jibe with a whisk attachment and whip until soft peaks mold . While whisk off , gradually add together the remaining ⅓ loving cup sugar . Alternatively , whip the egg Caucasian in a large bowl with galvanic beaters.6 . smooch the meringue over the Elmer Reizenstein to cover , then grille ( broiling ) for 25 minutes , or until golden brown .
Excerpted ( or adapted ) from Portugal : The Cookbook © 2022 by Leandro Carreira . Reproduced by license of Phaidon . All rights reserved .
