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Starters&Cocktails

Cocktail “Portonic” A delightfully refreshing cocktail with Portuguese White Port, tonic and mint. Morgadio da Calçada Dry White Port  Golden / brown in colour with a delightful aroma of nuts and almonds, which comes through on the palate with a fresh concentrated spirity finish, from extended ageing in small old oak barrels.

Espetadas de morcela com ananás
Morcela and Pineapple skewers

The diversity found in Portugal’s tradicional Charcuterie clearly reflects both the internal and external  influences, culture and history of the country through the centuries. “Morcela” is know for it’s very intense flavour and aroma; Paired along with the pineapple’s freshness, it makes this “skewer” a true (and exciting) palate roller coaster.

Alternatively (if you’re not a cocktail lover) : Serrado White 2011, Dão The grapes grow at the wavy shaped Quinta do Mosteiro (monastery), in the lands where one of the oldest monesteries of the Iberia was created. Grape Varieties: Encruzado, Bical. Brilliant citric color, young fruity nose with hints of melon and peach. On palate is medium bodied fresh and persistent.

Main Courses

Bacalhau assado em azeite e alho com esparregado de grelos e broa frita
Slices of roasted cod with sautéed sprouts  and fried corn bread
The salted cod “supremacy” in the Portuguesecuisine is well known. We call it the “faithful friend”, and it is said that there is over a thousand different ways of preparing, and enjoying it. Loved for its distinctive taste: when salted and dried in the sun, becomes the perfect foil for garlic and olive oil. Discovered over 1000 years ago, it made possible for Portuguese explorers to sail around the world for many months, with a portable source of protein . The first to convert to salt cod were Basque sailors, who ventured into the waters of the northern Atlantic around the year 1000, hunting the whales that passed through the Bay of Biscay. They came into contact with the Viking sailors, discovering the nutritional properties of cod, and imagining its commercial value. But soon the Portuguese were to become the real cod “champions” when from the 13th century onward, they ventured out into fishing it (sailing as far as the coasts of Terra Nova and Greenland)  and trading it  as a cheap but powerful source of  proteins to feed the Portuguese sailors during their lengthy travels around the world, as well as to the “less fortunate” folks back home.

Morgadio da Calçada White 2011, Douro These wines are a result of the partnership between Villas Boas family and Dirk Niepoort (one of the most important and irreverent wine producers in Portugal). In the estate the agriculture tends to be biological and use minimum intervention principles in the winery. Grape varieties: Codega, Viosinho, Arinto, Rabigato. Intense mineral character, with citric and white flower notes. On the palate is alive and complex, with an extreme freshness.

Carne de Porco à Alentejana
Pan-fried pork loin with clams, potatoes and coriander

Dessert

Sericaia com ameixas d’Elvas em calda
Sweet souffle with plum preserve
Although it may be found all over Alentejo, the “sericaia” has its origin in Elvas, despite the fact that some believe that it has a very ancient and eastern origin (India, some may say…). In this recipe that delighted the nuns of Elvas and Évora monasteries, the secret goes beyond ingredients: it lays on how the sweet is poured on a dish made of tin or earthenware,spoon by spoon. The Elvas plum, in fact a greengage, is grown in the special microclimatic conditions of the Elvas region of the Alentejo, close to Portugal`s border with Spain. Continuing a tradition many centuries old, the plums are specially selected and harvested in July, cooked and soaked in sugar syrup for six weeks, then washed and sun-dried, when each plum is individually prepared and packaged.  In Portugal, long famous for its national sweet tooth and varied confection, plums, apricots, figs and peaches have been preserved in this way since the days of Henry the Navigator. Quinta do Prado Late Harvest 2009, Bucelas The fruit is left to mature for longer and the harvest can take place as late as in the 4rd week of October. This allows the grapes to be covered with noble rot. Noble rot is a fungal condition that affects grapes only in a few exclusive regions around the world, due to their climatic uniqueness where wet conditions are followed by dry, like Tokaj and Sauternes. This sweet wine of golden straw colour has aroma of orange peel and honey with toasted notes. Excellent structure and acidity, with long aftertaste.