How long have you been at home? Even if you are leaving your house to go to work, how long ago was your last vacation, away from everything, in an amazing hotel?
We know, we know. Unfortunately, it will probably take a little while to go back to a resort. And, because of it, Martinhal, one of our favourite places on earth, have shared a couple of their best recipes so we can deal with the fact that, right now, we can’t trade our houses for one of their resorts.
If you have the time (and patience), just run for the kitchen and make one of these three delicacies. Everyone will love it and you will get a small taste of a hotel dish.
FISH AND SEAFOOD CATAPLANA FROM THE VICENTINA COAST (WESTERN ALGARVE) WITH SAFFRON
Cataplana is a traditional dish combining shellfish and fish in a sweet tomato, paprika and herb sauce, prepared using a typical Portuguese copper pot.
Serves four
Ingredients
200grs live clams
200grs live Lingers
300grs fresh shrimp
400grs fresh snapper
400grs fresh wreakfish
500 grs fresh tomato of the season
200 grs white onion
100grs green pepper
100grs red pepper
400grs white potatoes
4 cloves garlic
200ml white wine
100ml of organic olive oil
Q.b. salt
Q.b. saffron filaments
Red chilli
Confection
Start by wiping the fish, put some thick salt and set aside. Cook the potatoes with the skin. Then cut the tomato and onion and season with pepper and garlic.
Place the vegetables, spread out, in the cataplana copper pot and sprinkle with the white wine and olive oil. Close the cataplana pot and leave to cook for 6 to 8 minutes and allow to simmer.
Open the cataplana, place the sliced potatoes and then the fish and shellfish in the center, sprinkle with chopped coriander, filaments of saffron and seasoned with parsley.
Leave to boil again for 10 minutes until fish and shellfish are cooked.
This is the adapted recipe as the original does use saffron. For the real experience use fresh ingredients!
MUSSELS FROM SAGRES HARBOUR OPENED IN COCONUT MILK AND CHILLI
Serves four
Ingredients
1kg fresh mussels
0.5ml organic coconut milk
2 units of chilli pepper
50grs fresh coriander
1 fresh lime
Confection
Start by thoroughly rinsing the fresh mussel, then place the mussels and coconut milk in a covered pan and leave to boil for 4 minutes.
As soon as the mussels are open (do not boil for too long so that you don’t lose all the water) place in a dish and sprinkle with coriander and sliced fresh chilli on top. You can add lime zest at your taste.
Make sure that all the ingredients you use are fresh and of local provenance.
PASTÉIS DE NATA – CUSTARD CAKE
One of the most popular pastry delights in Portugal that can be found in cafés and pastry shops all over the country.
Makes 12 to 16 units
Ingredients
1 Lt half fat milk
400grs sugar
9 egg yolks
140 grs of flour
100grs butter
1 lemon
2 cinnamon sticks
Q.b. cinnamon powder
Confection
Start by sprinkling the table with flour and then spread the puff pastry. Fold the puff pastry in half and use a rolling pin to even it out. Then make a thin roll with the puff pastry and cut with the diameter of the small recipients previously greased with butter. Now place the custard inside.
About Martinhal
Martinhal was created in 2010 by the couple Chitra and Roman Stern, with the objective of making family vacations unforgettable. Martinhal has four family hotels and resorts, all of them in Portugal: Sagres, Quinta do Lago, Algarve, Chiado in central Lisbon and Cascais.
Everything in Martinhal is thought for children. In the restaurants, they have a special menu for the little ones and they even open earlier so parents don’t put their children to sleep too late. They have parks with slides, swings and trampolines. They also have the Kids Club, a babysitting service with a bunch of activities for kids. The best part is that there are no places where children can’t get in. So, even the spa is kid friendly.
Recipes kindly shared by Martinhal