Bring the vibrant flavors of Portugal to your table with authentic classic Portuguese recipes!

Piri-Piri Chicken

Serves: 4–8 | Preparation Time: 20 minutes plus 4 hours marinating time | Cooking Time: 30–40 minutes 

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (about 3½ pounds), butterflied
• Vegetable or olive oil for brushing
• Extra piri-piri sauce, store-bought or homemade (recipe below), for dipping

For marinade

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ cup piri-piri sauce
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 bay leaves

Piri-piri sauce

• 6 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon red wine or cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup vegetable or olive oil
• ¼ cup garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• ⅓ cup birds eye chilies, stemmed and sliced

Directions

For chicken

1. Combine all marinade ingredients. Place in re-sealable bag such as a Ziplock with chicken.
2. Marinate for 4 to 24 hours, refrigerated, turning frequently.
3. Preheat oven to 400°F or grill to medium heat. The grate should be lightly oiled. Place a pan of water below the oven grill rack to catch the drippings.
4. Grill the chicken, skin-side down, covered, for 10 minutes.
5. Turn over and brush with oil. Continue grilling until well-browned, turning, and brushing often (about 30 to 40 minutes).
6. Serve with piri-piri sauce for dipping.

For piri-piri sauce

7. Mix the lemon juice, vinegar, and salt until the salt is dissolved.
8. Pour into a blender with the other ingredients.
9. Blend until smooth.
10. Let flavors meld for at least 1 hour (1 week optimum) before using.
11. Keeps for 1 month, refrigerated, in an airtight container.

 

Portuguese Potato Salad

Serves: 6–8 | Preparation Time: 20 minutes | Cooking Time: 15–20 minutes

Ingredients

• 6 medium potatoes, scrubbed and washed
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup peas (frozen or canned, drained)
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• ½ small onion, minced finely
• ¼ cup celery, chopped
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley

For dressing

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ tablespoon red or white wine vinegar
• ½ teaspoon honey, or to taste
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Prepare the dressing by mixing the ingredients together well. Adjust flavor with seasonings, as needed. Cover and refrigerate until ready for use.
2. Potatoes may or may not be peeled. Cut into 1-inch thick pieces.
3. Place in a pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil.
4. Add salt and simmer for 5 minutes, then add carrots.
5. Continue simmering until potatoes are done (about 5 minutes). Don’t overcook, or potatoes will be mushy.
6. Add peas and cook to heat through (about 1 minute).
7. Remove from heat and drain. Let cool.
8. Add onions, celery, parsley, and dressing.
9. Mix well, but without mashing the potatoes.
10. May be served chilled or at room temperature.

Codfish Croquettes (Pasteis de Bacalhau)

Serves: 20 | Preparation Time: 20 minutes | Cooking Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless bacalhau
• 2 cups milk
• 4 potatoes, scrubbed
• 2 cloves garlic, pounded to a paste
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 2 tablespoons cilantro or parsley (or combination thereof), chopped
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Oil for frying
• 1 lemon, sliced (optional)

Directions

1. Rehydrate the bacalhau. Soak the bacalhau in water. Cover and refrigerate. Change the water about 3 times in 24 to 48 hours (length of soaking depends on desired saltiness). Drain.
2. Place the rehydrated bacalhau in a pot or saucepan and pour in the milk. If needed, add water to cover by 1 inch.
3. Bring to a boil and gently simmer until fish is tender (about 20 minutes).
4. Drain and rinse well.
5. While simmering the bacalhau, place the potatoes in a pot, cover with water and boil until tender (about 20 minutes). Drain and peel.
6. Flake the fish and add the peeled potatoes. Mash well together. Let cool.
7. When cooled, add the garlic, onion, cilantro and/or parsley, and eggs. Mix together well and season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Scoop out a spoonful. To shape, use 2 spoons and scrape the mixture from one spoon to another once or twice to make oval-shaped. Drop this in preheated oil in a skillet. Keep shaping additional spoonfuls and dropping them into the oil until the mixture is used up.
9. Deep fry until golden brown and then drain on paper towels.
10. Serve with lemon slices (optional).

 

 

Tomato Rice (Arroz de Tomate)

Serves: 4 | Preparation Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon bacon fat or margarine
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1½ cups meat or vegetable broth
• 1 cup short-grain white rice
• 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley (or combination)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a pot over medium-high heat. (If cooking everything in the pot and not in a rice cooker, make sure the pot has a well-fitted lid.)
2. Melt the bacon fat or margarine in the oil.
3. Sauté the onions and garlic until fragrant (about 2 minutes).
4. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes. Cook, with stirring, until the tomatoes are softened and almost mushy (about 5 minutes).
5. Add the broth. The mixture may be transferred to a rice cooker at this point.
6. Stir in the rice, salt, and pepper.
7. Cover and let cook.
8. As soon as the mixture starts to boil, add the cilantro and/or parsley
9. Replace the cover. If cooking in a pot, reduce heat and let simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender or of desired consistency (about 20 minutes; it can be porridge-like or drier). If using a rice cooker, just wait for it to switch off automatically.
10. Turn off heat but let sit for 10 minutes before removing the lid.
11. Goes well with meat and fish.

 

 

Custard Tarts (Pasteis de Nata)

Serves: 12 | Preparation Time: 45 minutes plus 1 hour refrigeration time | Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

For pastry shell

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• ⅔ cup ice water

For custard filling

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1½ cups heavy cream
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• Rind of 1 lemon, large pieces
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 stick cinnamon

For garnish

• ⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

For pastry shell

1. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. Add in the butter, and using your hands or a mixer with dough hook attachment, mix or pulse in small spurts until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal.
3. While mixing, pour in half of the water in a stream. Add the rest of the water by the tablespoonful, scraping down the sides of the bowl when needed, until the mixture begins to hold together.
4. Press the dough together to form a ball.
5. Line your work surface with plastic wrap.
6. Place the ball of dough at the center of the plastic and flatten it with your hands to form a thick disc.
7. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour.
8. When the dough is ready to be rolled out, preheat the oven to 350°F.
9. Divide the dough in half and gently compress each portion into a ball.
10. Dust the work surface with flour and roll out the dough thinly (to about 1/16 of an inch).
11. Use a cutter or wide-mouthed glass or jar to cut out 4-inch circles.
12. Press the circles into muffin molds and trim away the excess with a knife.
13. Repeat with the other half of the dough until you have filled 12 muffin molds.
14. Place cupcake liners over the pastry and fill with pastry weights or beans.
15. Bake for 10 minutes.

For the filling

16. Mix the ingredients together in a heavy-bottomed pan.
17. Bring to a boil with stirring. Immediately remove from heat and let cool (about 10 minutes).
18. Remove the cinnamon stick and lemon rind and fill the pastry shells.
19. Bake until the filling swells and dark brown spots form on the surface (about 20 minutes).
20. Place on a rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Centers may still be jiggly but will set during cooling.
21. Sift the sugar-cinnamon garnish over the pastries.
22. Serve warm.

 

Variation: Use store-bought puff pastry. Unfold and cut into circles. Press into greased muffin cups and trim off excess dough. Fill with the custard mixture and bake at 350–400°F for 20–25 minutes (or according to packaging instructions).

 

 

The recipes are from Sarah Spencer’s book Portuguese Cooking Easy Classic Recipes from Portugal. Click on the cover to learn more or here!

 

To download or print any of these recipes, click here.