Some recipes don't need exact measurements.
They need good ingredients, a table, a little hunger, and a willingness to experiment.
This is one of them.
With a few simple Portuguese products — cheese, cured meat, honey, olive oil and good toast — you can create a delicious appetiser that works just as well as a starter for dinner or as an afternoon snack with a glass of wine.
And the best part? There are no exact quantities. This is a recipe to make your own.
What You'll Need
- Toast or rustic bread
- Portuguese cheese
- Chouriço, salpicão or another Portuguese cured meat
- Honey
- Portuguese olive oil
- A Portuguese preserve, if you'd like to add something different
- Portuguese wine to serve
How to Prepare
Start by choosing some good bread or toast.
If you're using bread, you can lightly toast it so that it becomes crisp on the outside while remaining soft inside.
Cut the cheese into slices or small pieces. There's no need to make them too thin — you want to taste the cheese and enjoy its texture.
Then slice the cured meat into thin pieces.
Place the cheese on the toast and add a few slices of cured meat.
Now comes the part that brings the whole combination together.
A small drizzle of honey.
The contrast between the richer, savoury flavours of the cheese and cured meat and the sweetness of the honey works surprisingly well.
Finish with a few drops of good Portuguese olive oil.
If you'd like to try a different version, add a little Portuguese preserve. Just a small amount is enough to bring another salty, savoury dimension to the combination.
And don't be afraid to experiment.
You can change the cheese, choose a different cured meat, try another type of honey or add some fresh herbs. The idea isn't to follow a strict recipe, but to discover the combination of flavours you enjoy most.
And What About the Wine?
We wouldn't overcomplicate it.
A good Portuguese wine is the natural companion.
Choose a wine you enjoy and serve it at the appropriate temperature for its style.
Then place everything in the centre of the table.
That's when this recipe really makes sense.
More Than Just a Recipe
What's interesting about this combination is that almost all of these ingredients are part of the Portugal we want to share.
Cheese.
Cured meats.
Honey.
Olive oil.
Preserves.
Wine.
Simple products, many of them made by small producers and connected to different Portuguese regions and traditions.
You don't need to turn a meal into a major production.
Sometimes all you need is to open a bottle, prepare a few pieces of toast and put good products in the centre of the table.
Because one of the best things about Portuguese food is precisely this: it's made to be shared.
And if, along the way, you discover a new combination of flavours, even better.
Enjoy. 🇵🇹
Segredos do Contrabandista
Flavours, stories and little secrets from Portugal.
0 comments