Portuguese Mussels with Linguiça and Fried Potatoes →

Here’s a riff on one of my favorite dishes, the classic Portuguese dish “Porco Alentejana”. I first tasted this dish with pork, clams, and fried potatoes over 40 years ago at the “12345 Club” the Cabana Carioca at 123 West 45th St. in Manhattan. Since then I try it every time I eat at a Brazilian or Portuguese restaurant. The secret to the dish is the complex traditional Portuguese red pepper paste condiment that provides a distinctive flavor to the broth. For this recipe, I substitute sustainably farmed mussels for small hard-shelled clams and smokey fried Portuguese linguiça for the pork shoulder. Super flavorful and satisfying, the briny-plump-tender mussels, crisp-smokey sausage, and roasted slices of potato provide you with a dish from culinary heaven. If you want to lower the carbs omit the potatoes, but don’t forget the crusty bread to dip in the sumptuous broth! Bom proveito!

Portuguese Mussels with Linguiça and Fried Potatoes
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of fresh mussels washed and picked over discarding any that are open and don’t close when tapped.

• ½ pound linguiça thinly sliced

• ¼ cup red pepper paste

• 1 ¾ cups dry white wine

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if needed

• 2 medium yellow onions, coarsely chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced about 1/4” thick or cut into 1-inch cubes
  (See *Note)

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 425 F.

1. In a large bowl, toss the potato slices/cubes with 2 tablespoons oil, season lightly with salt and plenty of pepper, and scatter in one layer on a rimmed foil-lined baking sheet. Roast, flipping them once or twice, until fork tender and golden brown about 30-40 minutes.

2. In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil. Fry the linguiça until it is brown and crispy.

3. Lower the heat to medium, add the onion and cook stirring until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

4. Add the red pepper paste and stir for a couple of minutes before adding the wine and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and simmer for a couple of minutes, cover and remove from the heat until the potatoes are out of the oven.

5. Once the potatoes are done, raise the heat under the pot to high, bring to a boil and stir in the mussels. Cover and cook until they begin to open (2-3 minutes) stirring occasionally and picking out the mussels as they fully open. (Note: cooking mussels this way ensures perfectly cooked large, plump, tender mussels that are not overcooked, shriveled, and tiny.) Discard any mussels that don’t open.

6. To serve, line the bottom of the serving bowls with the potato slices or cubes, top with the linguiça, mussels, and broth, and sprinkle with the cilantro. (See *Note)

7. Serve with crusty bread for dipping. Have a large bowl ready for the shells.

   *Note: if you want to lower the carbs in this dish omit the potatoes.

Adapted from: https://leitesculinaria.com/7675/recipes-portuguese-pork-with-clams.html

Wine pairing: the traditional wine to serve with this meal is “vinho verde” a light, crisp white wine from Portugal. Other options would be Chablis, Sauvignon Blanc, Vermentino, Albariño, or Verdejo. You could also try a Rosé or light Beaujolais. Avoid wines that have heavy tannins.

Five Spice Seared Scallops with Squash Puree →

This delicious dish combines all 5 Tastes: delicate, meaty seared sea-scallops with a creamy puree of squash flavored with anise and maple syrup. Exceptionally satisfying and easy to prepare, you can have it on the table in about 30 minutes. Add some slices of tomato or a simple salad dressed with rice-wine vinegar and olive oil, salt and pepper to complete the 5TastesTable meal profile.

Serves 4
Ingredients:

• 16-20 sea scallops (4-5 per person depending on how large they are)

  *Note: If possible use U-20 dry fresh or air chilled frozen scallops rather than chemically treated scallops. Allow frozen scallops to thaw in the fridge before using.

• ½ teaspoon Chinese Five Spice Powder (available at the super-market or make your own)

• salt and pepper

• 1 butternut squash (or other winter squash)

• 1 shallot (chopped)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 4-5 star anise pods

• about 2 cups chicken stock (enough to cover the squash in a medium sauce pan)

• 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup (optional)

• chopped cilantro for garnish

For the Squash:

1. Cut the squash lengthwise and remove the seeds and membranes.

2. Slice each half squash crosswise in 1 1/2-2 inch thickness; cut those pieces in half and remove the skin from each and set aside the chunks of squash.

3. In a medium sauce pan sautee the shallot in olive oil over medium heat. (1-2 minutes)

4. Add the chunks of squash, chicken stock, and star anise pods and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook covered until fork tender. (about 10 minutes)

5. Strain the liquid into a bowl or large measuring cup and remove the star anise pods from the cooked squash. (Save the unused flavorful broth for another use.)

6. Add the squash to a blender or food processor along with a half-cup of the strained liquid and maple syrup. Blend at high speed until smooth adding small amounts of liquid to achieve the desired consistency of your puree. Season with salt and pepper to tastes and cover to keep warm and set aside.

For the Scallops:
Pre-heat a cast iron or other heavy bottom skillet to very hot. You can do this on your stovetop or outside on your grill if you don’t like the smell of cooked fish in your house.

1. Pat the scallops dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper and the Five Spice Powder.

2. Add a tablespoon of butter to the very hot skillet and swirl around to coat the bottom.

3. Working in 2 batches so you don’t crowd the scallops, sear the scallops for 2 minutes on each side (let them sit on the hot skillet for the full 2 minutes without moving to develop the golden crust before turning.) After 2 minutes per side, remove the scallops to a plate and tent while you cook the second batch.

To Serve:Using medium size plates, pour equal amounts of puree onto each plate and place 4-5 scallops on the puree. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves. Serve with sliced tomatoes dressed with equal amounts of rice-wine vinegar and olive oil, coarsely ground black pepper and a flaky salt like Maldón.

Wine pairing: Chablis, Sauvignon Blanc, Vermentino, Albariño, Viognier, or Dry Riesling

Aioli Shrimp Salad with Tarragon →

This recipe makes for a delicious light meal and engages all 5 Tastes. I love the subtle anise flavor note of tarragon or chervil mixed with shrimp, crab, or lobster. Aioli and tarragon take this shrimp salad to a different level from ordinary shrimp salad. The aioli recipe from Epicurious.com is delicious and highly recommended, but if you don’t have the inclination to make the aioli from scratch, substitute the “quick aioli” recipe below and save yourself some time and effort. Lobster or crab are great substitutes for the shrimp. Experiment and make this special seafood salad your own!

Aioli Shrimp Salad with Tarragon
Serves 2-3

Ingredients

• Kosher salt

• 8 ounces shrimp (either salad shrimp or 21-25 count shrimp chopped)

• ½ cup Aioli recipe (see *Note)

• 2 tablespoons celery

• 1 ½ tablespoons red onion

• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon (1 tablespoon fresh)

• ½ teaspoon Old Bay spice

• 2 tablespoons celery

• 3 teaspoons minced gherkins or sweet relish

• Optional: kick-it-up-a-notch with a garnish of minced red Serrano pepper.

Preparation:

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; season lightly with salt (optional: throw in a bay leaf, a few black peppercorns and a few red pepper flakes)

2. When the water comes to a boil, add the shrimp and poach for 2–3 minutes. Drain and transfer shrimp to a medium bowl of ice water to cool.

3. Whisk aioli, celery, tarragon, red onion, Old Bay spice, and gherkins (or sweet relish) in a medium bowl to blend; season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Chop the shrimp into small pieces (about 1/3-inch) and add to the bowl with the aioli mixture. Stir to coat. (The shrimp salad can be made 1 day ahead, covered and chilled in the fridge.

Serve the shrimp salad on a bed of lettuce or a toasted roll or slice of good bread.

Wine Pair: Chablis, Sauvignon blanc, Vermentino, Albariño

*Note: If you don’t want to make your own aioli, you can easily make a “quick aioli” which tastes surprisingly like made from scratch aioli.

Quick Aioli

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

• 1-2 garlic cloves (finely minced or grated and mashed to a paste with a pinch of salt)

• 1 tbs. olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)

• 3-4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (to taste)

• Pinch of salt (to taste)

• Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

Combine the ingredients and mix well.

https://www.bonappetit.com/story/what-is-aioli
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/aioli-107026