Portuguese Tortilla

A great snack that can be eaten warm after cooking or chilled for the next day, and especially great for picnics and hampers. Serve with a green salad to bulk out for a main meal.

If chouriço Portuguese not available then just use chorizo or omit the meat for a vegetarian version.

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My portuguese tortilla

Ingredients

• 300g Portuguese chouriço, cut into thin slices
• 300g waxy potatoes (Charlotte or new potatoes) par boiled, cut into thin slices
• 1 white onion, peeled, halved & thinly sliced
• flaked sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 7 large eggs beaten.
• 3 tbsp olive oil for cooking

Method

In an 8” skillet/frying pan heat the olive oil to a medium heat and add the chorizo and cook off for 5 minutes to colour and release their cooking juices. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chorizo onto a plate and rest until needed. To the pan, add the potatoes and onions and gently cook for 20mins until the potatoes are cooked and the onions are softened and translucent. Return the chorizo to the pan and mix.

Pour the onions, potatoes and sausage into a bowl and return the skillet back to the heat adding a little more oil. Season the potato mix, add the eggs, quickly stir and pour back into the skillet, flattening the mix a little to create layers in the tortilla.

Cook for around 6-8 minutes until the edges are set and centre is slightly runny. Run a spatula around the edges occasionally whilst cooking.

Place a plate upside down onto the skillet, invert onto the plate and slide cooked side up back into the skillet. Return to the heat for a further 4-6 minutes until completely set. allow to rest for 10-15 minutes and serve in the skillet or inverted onto a plate/serving board in wedges or squares.  

Ovar Cake

Ovar is a small town in north central Portugal, 30 minutes drive south from Porto. The sponge is known all over the country and it especially popular at Easter.

The resulting cake is a light, airy sponge with an almost medium rare runny centre that will keep for a few days in a sealed container in the fridge.

The best thing is that it is very easy to make with few ingredients and goes superbly with Port.

CHEF'S TIP: To speed up the mixing process, use a cake mixer with the whisk attachment is an almost mandatory tool for this recipe.

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My Ovar Cake 

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 6 egg yolks lightly beaten
• 100g golden caster sugar
• 60g plain flour

Method

In a mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until creamy. Slowly add the egg yolks and whisk for 12-15 minutes until pale and almost tripled in size to a stiff cream.

Sift in the flour and gently fold in.

Line a cake tin with buttered and then floured greaseproof paper (floured side up).

Pour batter into the tin. Bake at 180C for 16 minutes, turn the oven off and leave to cool with oven door open.

Serve with Port.

Food with a View in Porto, Portugal

Porto is Portugal's second largest city and arguably its most beautiful (in my opinion ;) I had never been before and arrived late afternoon with the crew to our hotel, The Yeatman. I stepped out onto the balcony, and I could see why. The Old Town lined on either side of the river Douro full of zigzagging narrow streets with medieval relics, old churches, bell towers and the iconic bridges. The Luis I Bridge with upper and lower deck crossings being my favourite was quite a sight, made even more pleasing with the sun setting.

As always with filming we were a little behind so Matt, our cameraman and Producer Sarah quickly filmed the sunset (with seconds to spare may I might add). Whilst I got to enjoy a pleasant welcome on the terrace with Marta and Frederic from the tourist board. They were very welcoming and excited to meet to me. But even more excited and eager for me to get out for dinner because they had a surprise treat for me. ‘Surprise food’ eh… I loved it already. I’m not a fussy eater, so anything I’ve not tried before is always a culinary joy for me but what I received was something I was totally unprepared for. 

The Leader of the Pack - Sarah! 

The Francesinha

We arrived at a restaurant on the banks of the River Douro in the Ribeira District, sat down and was told my order had already been taken, fair enough. I looked at the wine list but was told my meal was made to be had with beer, interesting… So then it arrived, it was called a Francesinha (Little Frenchy), and I’m so glad I had only a light lunch earlier. Originating in Porto in the 60’s it an adapted croque-monsieur for the Portuguese palate and nowadays locals will have their chosen destination with their very own favourite Francesinha. With the typical arguing about the quality of the sauce, bread and meat. It is a no holds barred sandwich. The stacking of ingredients were as follows, white bread then sliced steak, a layer of ham, sliced sausages, cheese, another layer of white bread then topped with more cheese and a fried egg. Oh and around the stacked sandwich like a castle moat was a spicy tomato and beer sauce. 

WARNING: This is not for the faint hearted.  Marta later pointed out that it’s best eaten after a big night out in the early hours of the morning to soak up the excess partying ;) My opinion, it was tasty but tough work. An overload of meat with the richness of the cheese and egg plus that gravy nearly pushed me over the edge. But for Queen and country I soldiered on and tackled the beast to the very end. For any first timers, this meal could easily be shared between two.

Sliding into a food coma, I was reminded (again, to the amusement of the crew) that we had one final piece to camera to do before bed. We took a walk or rather a waddle up the hill to Candido Dos Reis that is known for it's great nightlife. Candido Dos Reis is a vibrant area with young and old embracing the city where you can enjoy coffees and cocktails into the very early hours on a nightly basis.

The next day we were up early to shot my next recipe, my Portuguese Tortilla, on the banks of the River Douro in the grounds of the Yeatman Hotel. The town looked just as spectacular during the day and once again #FoodWithAView was doing exactly what it said on the tin.

So apart from the stunning views, amazing architecture, friendly locals and super-sized sandwiches, what else is Porto famous for? Well, PORT! 

Adrian Bridge from Taylor's

With the filming of the recipe ‘in the can’ we took a short walk to Taylor's Port Cellars and was shown around and even got to try some of the variations of Portugal's most famous fortified wine. Like much of what I've experienced in Portugal it was full of flavour with and with so much history behind it, you can see why the people of this country are so proud of their produce.

Not just to eaten with cheese, Port works perfectly with desserts so I’ve included a recipe for a classic Portuguese sponge called Ovar Cake, that will work perfectly with a chilled glass.

And that concludes my week of #FoodWithAView on Good Morning Britain. I hope you've enjoyed the videos, pictures and blogs. It's been a pleasure to be given the opportunity to be your guide and hope to see you all soon.

Take care, Andy

BBQ Cod Parcels & Herb Sauce

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My BBQ Cod Parcels & Herb Sauce

serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cod fillets each weighing around 150-200g each.
• 500g cooked new potatoes cut into 1cm slices
• 80g cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 20g black olives, quartered 
• 2 tsp small capers
• juice of ½ lemon
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 100ml extra-virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper

FOR THE HERB SAUCE:

• Handful of basil
• Handful of parsley
• 50ml red wine vinegar
• 100ml olive oil
• water (to let down)

Method

Lay a sheet of baking paper on top of a sheet of foil both cut into about 40cmx40cm squares.

On top of the baking paper, in the middle, lay out the potato slices making a 'bed' for the cod. Place the cod fillets on top then scatter with the tomatoes, black olives, capers, shallot, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. To make the parcel, fold the top and bottom together and roll creating a seal. Then roll in the sides creating a sealed parcel.

Place on the BBQ for 8 minutes. Whilst the fish is cooking, finely chop the coriander and parsley (or blitz in a food processor), mix with the olive oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Let down with water to a pouring consistency.

Take the ‘parcel’ off the heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Open in the middle of the table, serving the herb sauce in a jug on the side. Dig in!

Food with a View in Peniche, Portugal

I am extremely grateful and lucky to given the opportunity to travel and eat my way around the world. I meet inspiring people and am constantly discovering new ingredients and cooking techniques. Filming is always on a tight schedule and often you have already moved on to a new location before you’ve even got a chance to take in and enjoy what’s around you. Peniche, however, was one of those places where we filmed lots but also got to enjoy every moment too.
Peniche is a peninsula in central Portugal, popular for it's long beaches and surf strands. It has one of the largest working traditional ports in Portugal also welcoming maritime-tourist activities throughout the year. The historic walled town centre and seaside fort are must-see destinations but it's the beach life and endless possibilities of outdoor activities that are the main pull to the town. With seafood restaurants a plenty and a strong link to fishing, which has always been one of the main sources of income of it's people. 

We arrived late evening and welcomed on arrival by Antonio and Marco, our tourist officers, who joined us for a late dinner and proudly described the region and its history. We discussed the following day's schedule and left us before informing us that breakfast was sharply at 7:30 am and to be ready to leave for 8 am on the dot. The next morning the crew and I had just about stuck to the plan and were out the hotel and on the road by 8:09 am (that's pretty good for us btw). The first stop was to the market which as with most European markets boasted a full array of fresh, seasonal and attractive produce. We were here for the fish and what a choice there was; Snappers, monkfish, hake, stone bass, sardines, horse mackerel to name a few but we were here for some Portuguese cod. And after some haggling and some fish monger theatre from the all-women team we were on our way.

Next stop we were off to the harbour and out fishing with locals for sardines that was to be our lunch. The guys fishing were all friends and family (out for the morning purely for the fun of it I might add,  all in or about to be a part fishing industry. Fishing is in their blood and with the waters offering such rich delights and especially plentiful supplies of sardines you can see why. 

After a successful haul, we said our goodbyes and caught a ride back into the harbour for our next appointment… surfing!  I didn’t manage to stand up and could barely walk the next day. But when my Producer, Sarah, offered me the chance to do it (badly) on camera I knew I had to give it a go. We rocked up to Bar do Bruno, their motto being 'Surf, Food, Music & Good People’ I knew this was going to be a great! The hospitable bar owner Bruno introduced me to Nuno from Baleal Surf Camp, who was going to be my surf teacher. He led me to the beach and promised that in just one hour, he would have me standing up and surfing. Within 20 minutes, I was surfing. For no more than 12-15 seconds, but I was standing up, steering and surfing :) Thank you, Nuno, legend! If you're in the area, please go and say hello, have some food, drink and take advantage of the awesome surf Peniche has to offer. 

Next was lunch and back to those sardines… 

We had heard lunch was arranged for us by the Town Mayor, who had heard we were in town and wanted to put a feast on in our honour. But being the way TV crews work we thought of it being a nice offer but we were already behind and just wanted a quick snack and to push on. However when we arrived, we quickly changed our minds. Also, I don’t think we had much of a choice either. The Mayor Antonio José Correia, who’s business cards, by the way, are tins of local sardines that he likes to give out, and yes we all received a ‘business card’ each. He's such a great guy, in fact, voted coolest Mayor in the region apparently ;) With his local friends and us (equaling 20) we sat at a long table, on the street, under canopies outside someone's home overlooking the bay. Not bad at all. With old friends treating us like their children visiting for the weekend, we feasted and talked and were made welcome beyond almost anything I’ve encountered on my travels. Our feasts included salted BBQ sardines with cucumber and raw onion, WOW! Placed on top of bread to mop up all the juices, alty, fresh and beautiful (Big Applause!) Also, meatballs, whole crab and a spicy fish broth with coriander, selection of local cheeses all washed down with local wines. The crew and I afterwards commented on what an experience we had just had and how we had nearly declined. A lesson to us all that sometimes chance encounters of brilliance happen with a willingness to commit.

After a push to get started again, we filmed our recipe on that same street where we had lunch to the delight and rather noisy new friends. Thank you, people of Peniche, Cheers!

I’ve included two recipes for you; BBQ Cod in a Coat as cooked on location in Peniche and the other, my take on those amazing BBQ Salted Sardines. 

Grilled Fruit Kebabs with Honey glaze and Coconut & Lime Yogurt Dip

A playful take on dessert by piecing cubed fruit onto sticks and grilling on the BBQ. Towards the end of grilling brush with honey to caramelize. Serve on a large wooden board with a coconut and lime dip providing the perfect sweet and zesty dip.

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My grilled fruit kebabs with honey glaze coconut lime yogurt dip

serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 small Pineapple peeled, cored and cut into 2cm cubes
• 1 mango de-stoned and cut into 2cm cubes
• 2 peaches de-stoned and cut into 2cm cubes
• 1/4 watermelon peeled, cored and cut into 2cm cubes
• honey for glazing

For the Yogurt dip:

• desiccated coconut
• juice and zest of one lime
• 500ml yogurt

METHOD

Peel, prep and cut all the fruit into roughly 2cm cubes. Thread the fruit onto to wooden skewers alternating pieces in any order until full but leaving enough space for a ‘handle’ at the bottom.

Grill on the BBQ for 5-6 minutes turning frequently until the fruit starts to caramelize. With a pastry brush, brush the kebabs all over with honey and cook for a further 2 minutes. Rest on serving board.

In a bowl mix the coconut, lime juice, zest and yogurt together, then transfer to a small serving bowl. Serve next to the fruit kebabs on a board or large plate.

Food with a View in Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon!

I’ve been coming to Lisbon with friends for years for an end of summer getaway. We rent a beach villa in the Aroeira area, South of the Tagus River and always spend a night or two in the city. It is one of my favourite cities with great architecture, history, food and a buzzing coffee culture. There’s so much for the foodie traveller, get into in this town and every time I’m here I find something new. The street art for me is some of my favourite in Europe and it's the next city on our tour... 

The town is also home to one of mankind's greatest inventions [that for me is right up there with fire and the wheel ;)]. It is, of course, the Portuguese Custard Tart or Pastel de Nata, covered with sugar and cinnamon, served alongside a bitter coffee or glass of port, considered the BEST breakfast or late snack that ever existed. You haven't lived until you have been to Lisbon and had one of these little gems fresh out of the oven.  A short tram ride will take you to the Pasteis de Belem Bakery where you can find exactly this! 

It's a tourist magnet but don’t be put off by the queues, they move very quickly and even have security to usher the dreaded ‘bloggers’ along if they are taking too long taking pictures. With over 200 staff baking around the clock, these guys are a well-oiled machine that know how to make custard tarts! Purchase your tarts (you have to have more than one) and grab yourself a coffee (with NO SUGAR!) and experience the perfect balance of bitter and sweet working in harmony. Guess you can tell I like them eh… Anyway moving on....

Make sure you try clams as well, they are sweetest in the world (in my opinion). Cooked in garlic with wine, Portuguese olive oil and garnished with lemon and coriander. Simple and delicious, it can be found throughout the city but my favourite so far being from Aura Restaurant by the town square. All this enjoyed with the excellent vintage tram service that operate as a handy hop on, hop off service giving you the freedom to discover the city however you chose. An obligation is the famous tram 28 route that criss-crosses the city centre, through the narrow streets, uphills and downhills, taking in Lisbon’s most iconic sites along the way.

On the day, filming the crew and I ate our way around jumping on the legendary tram 28 topping at coffee houses, eating more custard tarts and ending up on a hotel rooftop with breathtaking views of the city to film my next recipe, Grilled Fruit Kebabs with Honey Glaze and Coconut & Lime Yogurt Dip.

What a city! People, I order you to weekend away in Lisbon!

Bifana-Pork Rolls

Bifana is a dish typical from Portugal with its origins in the Alentejo region. If you have never had one, here is my tasty and simple take on these amazing handheld snacks.

A great way to impress at a BBQ or even around the television with friends for movies or sports. Shows how much of a difference it makes to marinate meat, something that we British don’t seem to do. Also toast or warm the bread through is such an important tip for a great sandwich.

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My Bifana

makes 4

Ingredients

• 400g pork loin, skin removed and cut into thin slices
• olive oil for shallow frying

For the Marinade:

• 1 heaped tsp hot smoked paprika
• 4 cloves of crushed garlic
• 300ml white wine or pale ale
• 50ml white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp hot pepper sauce or piri piri sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• salt & pepper

to serve:

• 4x bread rolls
• fried onions
• American mustard

Method:

In a container, mix together all marinade ingredients, add the pork, cover and marinade over night in the fridge. 

The next day remove the pork from the marinade, strain the marinade and reserve until needed. Pat the pork dry with kitchen roll. In a frying pan, heat some olive oil and fry off the pork in batches if necessary so not to overcrowd the pan for one minute on each side. Place to one side on a plate until needed.

To the same pan the pork was cooked in, add the marinade and reduce to a consistency that coats the back of a spoon. Adding more pepper sauce if requiring or wishing for more heat. Return the pork and juices back to the pan to coat in the sauce.

Serve in bread rolls with fried onions and American mustard.

Food with a View in Alentejo, Portugal

The Alenetjo region is the south-central part of Portugal, known for it's vast garden landscapes with olive trees, vineyards and cork plantations. We headed inland to the heart of the Alto Alentejo near the village of Vaiamonte, no more than 30 miles from the Spanish border to the Torres de Palma Wine Hotel. I’ve never been this far inland in Portugal.

A beautiful old manor house converted into a hotel with a restaurant, spa, swimming pools and, of course, excellent wine. Dating back to the 14th century, the manor house had been unused for years and then taken over in 2009, renovated and opened in 2013 as Torres de Palma Wine Hotel. It mixes traditional architecture with modern fittings and finishing, perfectly. Greeted by Filipe Beja Simões, he, made us feel very welcomed and told us the most important part of our visit was to make sure we felt at home. The Portuguese are very welcoming. Filipe then took me around the surrounding vineyards that grow the grapes for their red and white wines.  , I find noticed  an explosion of Portuguese wines in London restaurants and wine stores, and rightfully so. They have a unique flavour and made by passionate people shouting to the world know about their produce. Torres de Palma is no different as young project beginning in 2011 with wines selected for 2014, now in its second year to great response.

Next up was to meet the Lusitano horses that inhabit the grounds next to the vineyards. Originally for trekking  now used for dressage, the chosen horse of the Portuguese National Guard and exported all over the world. I’m not exactly that experienced when riding horses, but the Lusitano is known to be patient and trustworthy with ‘young bucks’ like myself ;) Thanks to the trainer Phillipa for her patience and making me ‘sit up straight and show who’s in command’.

Finally with the sun setting we made our way up to the tower with Alentejo's landscape of vineyards and rolling fields as our backdrop to film my recipe. My take on a classic Portuguese handheld snack called Bifana (pork roll) and Filipe kindly sourced us some traditional Alentejo bread rolls (thank you, Filipe!).

After a busy couple of hours we had the ‘shot in the can’ and darkness was upon us and with the stars in the sky we called it 'a wrap'. Even with the minibus packed and a 3-hour journey ahead of us,  it was until one of the crew propositioned… “shall we just stay a little longer and have dinner?” We did just that, and I highly recommend the veal and migas :)

Quick BBQ Piri Piri Chicken

A Portuguese classic and perfect for a barbecue. This is a very quick and easy take on the dish.

An example of a great tasting and sharing recipe that you can quickly be rustle without the need of marinating due to the resting process. Great served alongside grilled romaine lettuce with a yogurt dressing. Also, an excellent alternative to a roast for the summer or outdoors.

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My Quick BBQ Piri Piri Chicken

serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 free-range chicken, butterflied (back bone taken out) or 4 chicken quarters

FOR THE PIRI PIRI SAUCE:

• 6-10 birds eye chills finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1tsp sweet smoked paprika
• 50ml red wine vinegar
• 100ml olive oil
• 1 tsp flaked salt

to serve:

• fresh or grilled romaine lettuce
• yogurt dressing 

Method

In a bowl, mix all the piri piri sauce ingredients together.

Make incisions with a sharp knife all over the chicken and place over the BBQ to cook 10-12 minutes each side.

With a clean paint brush, brush the chicken with the piri piri sauce and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes each side basting occasionally.

Place the cooked chicken into a bowl or tray and pour remaining sauce over, loosely cover with foil and rest for 30 minutes. This will tenderise the chicken and as its been cut all over with a knife and will absorb any remaining juices giving perfect flavour, juiciness and spice. Cut into pieces and serve with grilled lettuce and yogurt dressing.

1. In a bowl mix all the piri piri ingredients together

2. Make incisions with a sharp knife all over the chicken, Place over the bbq and cook 10-12 minutes each side.

3. With a clean new paint brush, brush the chicken with the piri piri sauce and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes each side basting occasionally.

4. Place the cooked chicken into a bowl/container and pour remaining sauce over, loosely cover with foil and rest for 30 minutes (this will tenderise the chicken and as its been cut all over with a knife will absorb any remaining juices giving perfect flavour, juiciness and spice) cut into pieces and serve with grilled lettuce and dressing.

Food with a View in Algarve, Portugal

Early August, Good Morning Britain on ITV sent me on an adventure to some of Portugal's best destinations to film #FoodwithaView. I’ve always been very fond of the country from holidays as a child with my parents to renting a villas on the coast annually with wife and friends. It has everything that appeals to a traveller like myself. It is a short flight, great value, friendly natives, guaranteed sun, amazing beaches and, of course, THE FOOD! With iconic dishes like salt cod, piri piri chicken, garlic and clams and those famous, custard tarts. There’s not much to dislike about Portugal is there.

For my journey, I was sent to five regions around the country shooting recipes and finding out a little more about what it has to offer.

So the first stop, the Algarve...

We all know the Algarve region right? I certainly do, being born in the late 70’s I was part of the original family package holiday boom and can remember holidays in the sun spent around a hotel pool with my brother jumping off inflatable lylos whilst Mum and Dad sipped Mateus rosé (Portugal's finest ;). We very rarely left the hotel complex back then but nowadays, gulp… over 30 years later, the Algarve has so much more to offer.

Over 7 million tourists visit every year, being situated in the south of the country with guaranteed sunshine and over 140 miles of coastline, unspoilt beaches with crystal clear waters and some of Europe's best golf courses you can see why. Also, there're plenty of theme parks to visit making it perfect for a family holiday. I got involved with this (much to the enjoyment of the crew) with one of my finest pieces to camera by going down a water slide with a go-pro (when in Rome…).

But there's a lot more to the Algarve than tourism, the growing of almonds, fantastic oranges and olive groves are equally as important. If you’ve not tried Portuguese olive oil I urge you, it's some of the finest in the world and it's also home to piri piri chili. Known as peri-peri in Africa and most commonly as the bird's eye chilli, Columbus brought this fiery fruit with him to the continent and has been a staple on the Portuguese tables ever since. In fact so much so, they sailed with it on their travels whilst conquering the world. Nowadays it’s found all over Portugal along with coriander mainly due its versatility when used with poultry, pork, seafood and fish. And from the versatility of this pepper came piri piri sauce. Made as a marinade or seasoning, it differs throughout the country with its main ingredients being a combination of chillies, oil, citrus and herbs. It can even be made including alcohol and meat fat.

I’ve been discovering that Portuguese cuisine unlike their neighbours, they love chillis and are never afraid to spice up a dish. It works perfectly in hot climate served with a cold beverage which is why I’ve chosen a quick and simple take on Piri Piri Chicken. Perfect for a BBQ, especially if you’ve not had time to marinade and want more spice than your usual standard BBQ chicken fare.

Behind the scenes: On a tight schedule we arrived at Olhos De Agua and set up our #todaysoffice on the cliffs overlooking the sea. However as you can see by my last picture, we were totally unprepared for the mist that greeted us coming from the sea, making it totally unfilmable (especially if you're filming a piece based on great summer locations). We regrouped, found a nearby hotel and rescheduled to shoot again first thing in the morning just when the sun was rising. During re-shoot, in the early morning sun, again, we were hit by the mist halfway through. But as they say... the show must go on!