Cuisines of the World Potluck – Portugal

Published on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 3:59 pm.

Simplicity suits intimate evenings well.

On Saturday night my wife and I participated in the third, “cuisines of the world” potluck. Our lovely hosts picked Portugal as the culinary destination that evening. The six of us enjoyed a wonderful meal, completely inspired by the creativity of the Portuguese people. Unlike the previous meals, this one was planned at the last minute since two of the guests are set to leave the country this weekend.

Olives, cheese and bread - our Portuguese antipasta.

While cocktails and wine was poured, we began the affair with a plate of cured olives, goat’s milk cheese (from Portugal) and slices of both gluten-free bread and regular baguette. The combination of cheese, bread and olives is a guaranteed success.

Interesting to point out, the cheese did not use rennet to coagulate the milk. While purchasing the cheese we learned that thistles are used in Portugal for the cheese-making process. Now I’ll know where to direct strict vegetarians when they crave the creaminess of soft goat cheese. The thistle did not affect the flavor of the cheese though.

As someone who is gluten-free, the opportunity to have bread was a luxury unto itself. For those of you who live in Portland and suffer the syndromes of gluten intolerance, you must visit New Cascadia Traditional bakery; they make you feel normal again. That said, the flavor of GF bread is present and does alter the experience of eating cheese and olives, though not necessarily in a bad way.

To attend our salty palates, there were two bottles of wine to share, a red and a white whose names escape me now. Once the salivation slowed and the need for sustained conversation grew, we “sat down” at the table to begin our feast. As our friends await the arrival of a new table and chair set, we were lucky to have the experience of sitting on the floor. I don’t say this sarcastically. It is enjoyable to sit upon the cushions on the floor instead of at chairs around a formal table. Once seated next to the two main dishes, we could begin the much anticipated eating.

This fish stew was both hearty and warming on a chilly fall evening.

The potluck system we have going here does not assign individuals or couples to particular dishes. At this point we are still embracing the free-for-all of “bring whatever you want.” Luckily, we have not had an evening of salad or a night of boozing. This time around there was only 6 people (3 couples) and so the choices were limited. Here, to my right is a not so pretty picture of the fish stew made by the hosts. (Note: The picture does not give justice to the flavor of the stew.) This was served with toasted bread, a roasted garlic spread and some sliced tomatoes. Again, the chance to dip bread in a sauce was awesome – a real treat for the gluten-intolerant.

Portuguese minestrone

The second dish (to my left) was a fennel-inspired vegetable minestrone. Spiced with red pepper flakes and steaming with hearty fall vegetables, this soup actually complimented the more subtle stew. Since I don’t make soups like this much at home, I found myself dreaming up the perfect soul-satisfying soup possibilities. It’s all about the stock-based broth; it really soothes the throat, stomach and brings body warmth.

With two soup dishes to go around, I was able to eat all the bread I wanted without feeling guilty (especially since I was the only one eating the GF bread.) The end to this filling dinner was a traditional Portuguese rice pudding, often made on special holidays (or so I read.) This rice pudding used arborio rice which is normally needed for risotto. While the rice was absorbing the warm milk, I added peels of orange to flavor the sweetened pudding. The pudding is served with a “artistic” sprinkle of cinnamon.