Starters&Cocktails

Cocktail “Cai-bem”: Favaios com limonada e gelo
Favaios with lemonade and ice

Moscatel de Favaios is well known as a very aromatic fortified wine from Portugal. It is a delightful wine due the intense, involving and fascinating aromas as orange blossom or honey. It has the rich and seducing character of the Douro region.

Melão com presunto 
Dry-cured ham with melon

Amazingly, delicious combination that melon and ham make;  these two ingredients somehow compliment each other perfectly: the sweetness and cold touch of the melon mixed with the salty cured ham.
Similar to italian prosciutto and spanish jamón, presunto is salt-cured ham; all of them are hung and dried in the cool mountain air for a certain period.

Alternatively (if you’re not a cocktail lover) : Quinta da Aveleda White 2011, Vinho Verde

Aveleda, a family owned and run company with over 300 years’ history, is the leading producer of Vinho Verde in northern Portugal and, increasingly, a name to reckon with as far as fine white wines are concerned. Estate grown, produced and bottled from the Loureiro and Alvarinho white varieties Quinta da Aveleda shows a combination of floral and tropical aromas resulting in a complex, fresh and elegant wine.

Main Courses

Arroz de Polvo
Octopus Rice Stew

A soupy rice that takes the purplish tones of the octopus, good and very fishily rich. Portuguese octopus is considered by many to be the best octopus to eat: tender and full of flavour.
Portugal has the highest consumption of rice per capita in Europe, so it’s not surprising to find a huge number of rice dishes. Rice is almost important to the Portuguese as bread.

Quinta da Romeira White 2011, Bucelas

Located near the town of Bucelas, north of Lisbon, Quinta da Romeira dates back to the 17th century. Bucelas white wine became famous during the Peninsular War when Wellington used to ship it back home to the cellars of King George III.  Nowadays the estate has preserved its heritage (manor house and chapel) and an 80 hectare vineyard was planted in the 1980s with the indigenous white variety Arinto de Bucelas.Estate grown, produced and bottled from the Arinto de Bucelas white variety and fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats Quinta da Romeira white shows a lemony colour with an intense aroma reminiscent of tropical fruit followed by a fruity, very pleasant flavour.

Lombo Porco com Ameixas & Castanhas
Roasted pork tenderloin stuffed with dried plums and chestnuts

This is an usual recipe for weekends and family gatherings for its slow cooking.
The meat is marinated in wine, garlic, spices, pepper paste and then roasted slowly, resulting in a very rich, tender meat and salty juices.
Cooking the meat in a slow oven lets the fat in the pork break down and infuse the meat with the wonderful flavors of the marinade.

Casa de Santar Red 2009, Dão

Located in the heart of the Dão wine region, Casa de Santar is a glorious 18th century granite-built manor house surrounded by verdant, manicured gardens. The estate has 100 hectares of land under vines planted with regional red and white varieties.  Estate grown, produced and bottled from the Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro and Tinta Roriz red varieties all destemmed and separately ferrmented in temperaturecontrolled stainless vats and aged in French oak for six months Casa de Santar red shows a well balanced wine with upfront fruit and a nice oaky touch, ideal for your everyday enjoyment.

Dessert

Tarte de requeijão e amêndoa
Curd cheese and almond tart

A moist, eggy tart with almonds and “requeijão”, a curd cheese like ricotta. The result of Serra da Estrela cheese production by precipitation or draining (trough heat) of the proteins contained in the whey, its texture is a little like cottage cheese, but drier and compressed.

Dona Ermelinda Freitas White 2011, Palmela

Established in 1920 Casa Ermelinda Freitas is a family-owned and family-run business, now in the hands of the second generation headed by Leonor Freitas. Located in the Setubal Peninsula to the south of Lisbon the estate has 240 hectares of land under vines planted with regional red and white varieties, complemented with famous international varieties. All wines are estate-grown, produced and bottled and show great character, the result of a Mediterranean/Continental micro climate, limestone and sandy soils, and blends of red (Castelão, Touriga Nacional, Alicante Bouchet, Cabernet Sauvignon) and white (Fernão Pires, Arinto, Chardonnay) varieties. Estate grown, produced and bottled from Fernão Pires, Arinto and Chardonnay white varieties Dona Ermelinda white shows a fresh aroma reminiscent of tropical fruits and honey followed by a dry, very fruity flavour.