Having a Michelin star chef write the foreword of your book is tremendously gratifying. But on top of the prestige, what makes Chef Jose Avillez’s contribution so meaningful to us is his dedication to unraveling Portugal’s food culture to the world. In Porto: Stories from Portugal’s Historic Bolhão Market we share his mission. We get …
The Ultimate Christmas Gift from Michelin Star Chef Jose Avillez Read More »
Wrangling recipes from grandmas isn’t a pursuit for the thin-skinned. Ask for exact quantities, measurements, times… Basically everything you need for a recipe to work, and chances are, you’ll get a touch of this, a sprinkle of that, and a whole lot of furrowed brows, back talk, pity, groans, moans—all of the ingredients that’ll make …
The Ultimate Guide to Recording Grandmother Recipes Read More »
Why doesn’t the Lovers Handkerchief embroidery get old in Portugal? What’s so magical about these folkloric motifs, slapped on everything imaginable and sold in every airport, souvenir shop and roadside rest stop? It stirs the soul… Traditionally they were embroidered by the unabashed women of Minho as a declaration of their love to a desired …
Today, if you want to start a website called portuguesecooking.com — good luck! Ana Patuleia Ortins has owned it since 1997, just a year before Google was founded. For decades, Ana has been spreading the gospel about Portuguese food. Author of Portuguese Homestyle Cooking, she’s a pioneer in cookbooks written about Portuguese cuisine in America. …
New Portuguese Cookbook Brings Unexpected Recipes to the Table Read More »
Though it had been one of the rainiest and foggiest weeks I had ever spent in Portugal, on this particular day, the dreariness gave new meaning to the word “melancholy.” In no way was this suicidal ambiance any match for my mission to discover! I was booked for a trip to Viseu and absolutely nothing …
There’s a little slice of Lisbon’s vibrant food scene in New York City these days thanks to Michelin star Chef George Mendes. For anybody that’s been to Lisbon lately, you’ll instantly pick up on the similarities between the haute cuisine hotspots chefs like José Avillez have created in the recent past with his acclaimed Belcanto …
Michelin Chef Elevates Rustic Portuguese Cuisine in Manhattan Read More »
Housed in an 18th century baroque building, we leave behind the contrasting sleek interior of the bread and wine museum and step back onto the cobbled streets of the charming village of Favaios, where locals are taking respite from the intense July heat under red cafe umbrellas. We stroll towards the church as instructed and …
In this last installment of our three-part series on the undiscovered inland foods of Portugal (Part I & Part II), we pick apart the fruits that give the country some of its most luscious cherries and pears as well as premium olive oil. And though it’s one of the lesser known wine regions of the …
The Undiscovered Inland Cuisine of Portugal – Part III Read More »
We’re back with Part II of our three-part series on the undiscovered food gems of inland Portugal (read Part 1). With a mix of goat, sheep and bovine herding, as well as hunting, meat dishes in the heartland region of Beira Baixa abound! Yet, there are also fertile rivers to dive into for fish and …
The Undiscovered Inland Foods of Portugal – Part II Read More »
The interior of Portugal is, unfortunately, often overlooked. That’s too bad, especially for foodies searching for unique eats beyond the mouthwatering fish and seafood on the coast and the regional dishes that the bustling cities recreate. Granted, I understand that driving into the mountains of Portugal or through windy, ancient villages isn’t as easy as …
The Undiscovered Inland Cuisine of Portugal – Part I Read More »
