Meatballs in Tomato Sauce.

Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

Another month past & very luckily another trip, this time to Portugal. I didn't really look into the culinary side of the country before heading off, but on arrival i certainly was not disappointed. The Portuguese love their food with fresh fish, shellfish & pork being the main staple, along with amazing little pastries which are eaten most afternoons. (It’s a darn good thing i don’t live there; i would be the size of a house very quickly) Restaurant wise we worked mainly off Lonely Planet's Portugal guide & with one exception it was foolproof.

We started the trip a couple of hours north of Lisbon at Praia D’el Rey a swish golf resort on the coast where i played my first & possibly my last round of golf ever. Despite only playing 9 holes, the Houseboy pointed out i swung enough for 18...I will however remind him of his performance at the last hole, Tiger Woods need not worry. We then  travelled down the west coast following Mr & Mrs Brown in their campervan the ‘Silver Bullet’, we spent a week visiting picturesque villages, stunning beaches & enjoying some fantastic meals. We spent a fun half day learning to surf, which was interesting....i did enjoy it & managed to stand (crookedly) up twice, but i was dunked so many times i couldn't think straight. I also now realise why you never see a fat surfer....its really hard work! 

Grilled Prawns & Clams in Spicy Sauce

The best lunch we had was definitely at 'Casinha do Petishco' on Rua da Oliveria in Lagos. An unassuming place when you enter, this restaurant serves wonderful traditional dishes at decent prices. Thank god we didn't get starters as the main courses were truly enormous! Mr Brown's dish of the day was a White Bean & Calamari Casserole which as large as it was delicious, i could have quite easily fed three people. I chose a Grilled Prawn & Clam dish which was served with an amazing spicy tomato sauce. The secret to great yet simple dishes has to be the freshness of the ingredient & it was evident that all the produce was the freshest you could find.  

Delicious Antipasta

On arriving to at South coast we continued Pastelaria Chicca in Luz was definitely a huge highlight. The lovely & enthusiastic owner is deeply passionate about food, carefully explaining the options & raving about the ingredients &, with good cause. All ingredients are organic, free range & as fresh as you can get. The vegetables are locally grown & delivered each morning by an old lady called Fatima who calls the shots on whats available. We all ended up having three courses & there was certainly more than one highlight. The Houseboy's Caramelised Onion & Chervil Tart was the first winner to be served with lovely crumbly pastry & deliciously sweet onions. My main was also another great choice. Aberdeen Angus Fillet Kebab which was served was nine amazing little salads. Carrots cooked in Orange Juice with Sesame Seeds, Sauteed Aubergine in Garlic & Sweet Picked Red Onions to name but a few.

Chocolate Tart with Pistachios

We had been warned that the puddings were amazing & we were certainly not disappointed…I had the most delicious Chocolate Tart with Pistachios, the saltiness of the nuts cut through richness of the chocolate perfectly, although, even i struggled to finish the generous portion. (well only slightly struggled to be truthful) The Houseboy's Pecan Tart was another winner, sticky, sweet with crisp pastry there was not a crumb left. All the desserts were served with home made Vanilla Cream. Now im back im trying to be healthy so no puddings for me, im glad that the last one i had was so amazing!

This week's recipe is not Portuguese, but is very good. The beauty of it is you can adapt it to make it your own, add some fresh chilies or maybe some pancetta to the sauce, or finely chopped shallots to the meatballs. Play around & have some fun.

Ingredients:

          Meatballs:

• beef mince
• breadcrumbs
• 1 egg
• finely chopped parsley
• 1 medium red chili (optional)
• s&p

       Tomato Sauce:

• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 bottle passata
• 1 tin plum tomatoes
• 2 tbsp of tomato paste
• 1 glass of red wine
• 1 sprig of rosemary  
•  s&p

To make the sauce, start by finely chopping the onion & garlic, gently cook them over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, taking care not to burn the garlic otherwise it will taste bitter. Add the remaining ingredients & give it a good stir. Turn the heat down low & let is bubble away, checking regularly to make sure that its not sticking at the bottom. Cook until its nice & thick. While the sauce is cooking you can start on the meatballs. Place all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl & mix together using your hands, making sure all the ingredients are well incorporated. Shape into balls slightly smaller than a golf ball. Gently toss them in a little flour & then quickly brown them all sides. Remove from the pan & cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes, check every so often to make sure they are not drying out. If you want to, you can cooked the meatballs in the tomato sauce, just make sure they don't disintegrate. Serve with penne pasta  or spaghetti.

 

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