Saveur – July 2019

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TEST KITCHEN

A Few Picks from Portugalia

1 SANTA CATARINA TUNA FILLETS ($8) This

outstanding conserva starts with top-quality day-

boat tuna from the Azores, caught with sustainable

pole-and-line methods. The solid, flaky chunks

are packed in molho cru sauce, made from onions,

garlic, parsley, and peppers—a sort of Portuguese

chimichurri. Try it on salads, toast, or just straight

out of the can.

2 PASTEL DE NATA FORMS (10 for $30) A mini-

muffin tin just won’t cut it if you intend to make

pasteis de nata, the custardy egg tarts that are a

national treasure of Portugal (recipe on p. 55). These

small aluminum molds are designed for the task and

are also used to bake single-serving cheesecakes

called queijada. (They are great for olive pits too, if

your baking projects don’t pan out.)

3 BACALHAU (from $30) Salt cod is beloved by

the Portuguese above all other foods. These days,

a lot of bacalhau, including much of what is sold at

Portugalia, originates in Norway, which has long

exported its abundant codfish around the world.

It must be desalted in fresh, cool water over two

days or so before being used—Portugalia’s website

has detailed instructions to help you get started.

4 CURTIDA HOT CRUSHED PEPPERS ($4)

Traditionally served with fresh farmer’s cheese,

crushed chile sauce like this is a staple in Azorean

homes. It also adds a mildly hot and acidic kick to

pasta sauces or stews.

5 MAÇARICO WHOLE GREEN OLIVES ($7)

Keeping a big tin of classic green olives in brine

kicking around in your pantry means you are only

a bottle of vinho verde away from extending some

Portuguese-style hospitality to whoever comes over.

6 QUINTAL DOS AÇORES HUSK CHERRY

JAM ($6) Physalis—a tart golden berr y also called

capucho, cape gooseberry, and ground cherry—is

one of the more unusual flavors from Quintal dos

Açores, a small producer of jams in the Azores.

Less overtly sweet than most fruit jams, it makes

a great addition to a cheese plate.

7 ALHEIRA ($7) A flavorful sausage historically

made with poultry and game meats by Portuguese

Jews during the Inquisition, this version contains

both pork and chicken. Uncommon stateside,

it’s an interesting alternative to better-known

chouriço and linguiça.

IF IT’S UNLIKELY THAT YOU WILL FIND

yourself in Fall River, Massachusetts, to visit

Portugalia Marketplace (see “Conservas, Olives, and

Salt Cod,” p. 22), you need not miss out on the best

selection of Portuguese specialties this side of the

Atlantic. The market has a robust online selection of

olive oils, snacks, dried sausages, sodas, desserts, and

conservas, the country’s beloved tinned seafood

(portugaliamarketplace.com). Her e a r e some h ig h-

lights worth putting on your list. —Luke Pyenson

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