If you're an Emeril fan, you know that the food he grew up eating in the Portuguese-American enclave of Fall River, Massachusetts had a huge influence on him as a chef. Yesterday on Cooking with Emeril, George Mendes of Aldea and George Neves of Pao joined him in the studio to talk about how they've interpreted Portugal's most traditional dishes, their best childhood food memories, and - last but not least - their favorite Portuguese wines.
Check out the photos below for a taste of their conversation, and I'll even explain how an ordinary bottle of water can sum up the spirit of a nation. Maybe you'll get inspired to make one of Emeril's favorite recipes, like Piri Piri Beef, Caldo Verde, Feijoada, or Stewed Chicken, but at the very least, you'll want to eat some of Aldea's duck rice!
1 George Mendes serves a "duck rice" that includes duck confit, duck breast, duck fat, chorizo, and to top it all off, crispy bits of duck skin. My mind says, "Eat this every day!" but my heart says "I don't want to die!" Stop talking, heart.
2 Jorge Neves comes from Portugal, George Mendes comes from Connecticut, and Emeril comes from Massachusetts, but all of them ate sardines, piri piri beef, caldo verde, and sweet rolls at home as kids.
3 If a Portuguese dish is spicy, it's probably got piri piri sauce, a very hot condiment made from bird's eye peppers that is served alongside beef skewers, rice, and many other traditional foods.
4 This Portuguese bottled water might look ordinary, but Jorge Neves explained that it captures the fun-loving spirit of his countrymen.
5 Where else but Portugal, he asked, would a simple bottle of water helpfully encourage you to make a cocktail with it? New Orleans, are you listening?
6 Portuguese wines are a great value. We sampled crisp and refreshing vinho verde (literally "green wine," or white wine made from not fully ripe grapes) from Minho, as well as rich reds from the Duoro.
7 Quinta de la Rosa's La Rosa Douro Red 2007 was a perfect match for the duck rice.
From: Cook Guru | 12/7/10 at 12:02 am
Hello!
Very good recipes, especially the Arroz de Pato! Come visit my website to see if you like my recipes. Cheers!