CALDO VERDE

This slightly different recipe for a traditional Portuguese winter warmer comes from Chris Forbes, Marketing Manager for Taylors Port and two excellent extra virgin olives oils from the Upper Douro region; Quinta do Santo Antonio the main property for Fonseca and Quinta de Vargellas, one of the Taylors properties. They are both very good but the Quinto do Santo Antonio is particularly complex and interesting.

Chris Forbes says that “Caldo Verde has its origins in the North of Portugal and to this day it is still eaten by our vineyard workers, particularly during the winter months when they have been out pruning and tending to the vines in the cold winter air. Very filling and comforting. In the summer months after a lunch of grilled sardines and boiled potatoes, with an onion salad, we would eat this soup as a dessert. It helps balance the stomach after the rich oily fish has been eaten – delicious”.

Ingredients:
2 nice fat onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
60ml of Quinta do Santo Antonio extra virgin olive oil
1 chorizo sausage
6 large potatoes
1.5 litres good vegetable or chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 bay leaves
large bunch of greens or cabbage, preferably kale
more Quinta do Santo Antonio extra virgin olive
smoked paprika for dressing

Method:
First, drink some port - it helps you get in the mood!
Sweat the onions and garlic in the olive oil until translucent. Chop the sausage into small chunks and add to the onion.
Sweat the onions and sausage for a few more minutes and then add the diced potatoes. They will absorb all the flavour from the sausage. Transfer the mixture to a large pan, add the stock, seasoning and bay leaves, and cook until the potatoes are soft.
Meanwhile, very finely chop the cabbage (alternatively, buy a cabbage-shredding machine from the market).
When the potatoes are ready, mash them into the broth to make a thick base. Blanch the greens in boiling water for one minute to take off any bitterness, drain, then add to the simmering broth.
Add as much cabbage as the broth will support - if you want heavy soup add loads of greens, if lighter, add less. Simmer for a few minutes. The soup will go the colour of jade. Mix the smoked paprika with some more olive oil to make a dressing, and swirl this red magic into the vibrant green soup. Serve with some heavy country bread, and wallow in praise!

LA DALLA PICKLED PORK

Sweet, tender and slightly smoky sums up the wonderful flavours of this simple dish from Jaraiz de la Vera in northern Extremadura. It is the specially smoked, medium-spiced agricdulce pimenton or paprika which is a speciality of the area combined with the garlic and local olive oil such as Marques de Valdueza which gives the unique flavour. In Spain the pork is often cut into slices and fried but I prefer this oven-baked version with its lovely juices to serve as a sauce. Serve with fried potatoes and greens tossed in olive oil, with raisins and toasted pine nuts.

Ingredients:
2 small pork fillets
2 tablespoons Agridulce pimenton
500-600ml water
10 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Method:
Place the pork fillets in a bowl. Dissolve the pimenton in the water. Crush two cloves of garlic and add to the pimenton mixture with the oregano, salt and two tablespoons of olive oil. Stir and pour over the meat. Cover with foil and place in the fridge. Leave for 48 hours, turning the meat and stirring the marinade from time to time.
Remove the pork fillets from the marinade and dry well on kitchen paper. Heat the remaining oil in an ovenproof casserole or dutch oven and fry the meat all over until lightly browned. Add the remaining cloves of garlic and 175ml of the marinade, discarding the rest. Cover with a lid and bake at 180/Gas4 for about 1½ hours.
Remove the cooked meat from its cooking juices and slice. Serve with the cooking juices poured over the top.

FRIED POLENTA WITH DEVILLED MUSHROOMS

Ready-made polenta is ideal for this quick and very tasty snack. You can also serve the mushrooms on toast but the crisp but moist polenta slices seem to work particularly well. Use a well flavoured oil such as those from central Italy, South Africa or Australia.

Ingredients:
1 large onion, skinned and thinly sliced
6 tablespoons well flavoured extra virgin olive oil
350g/12oz small button mushrooms, sliced
1 heaped tablespoon mild mustard
1 tablespoon Soy sauce
1 teaspoon paprika pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g/1lb 2oz ready-made polenta, cut into slices about 1cm/1/3in thick
Garnish:
freshly chopped parsley

Method:
Fry the onion in four tablespoons of the olive oil over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes until they begin to brown. Add the mushrooms, reduce the heat and continue to fry gently for a further 3-4 minutes.
Stir in all the remaining ingredients except the polenta and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 5-6 minutes while you cook the polenta.
Heat the remaining oil in another frying pan and fry the slices of polenta for about 3 minutes on each side until lightly browned.
Place the slices of polenta on serving plates. Boil off any excess liquid from the mushrooms and spoon over the polenta slices. Garnish with the parsley and serve at once.