Traditional Alentejo Cozido 

Before I even tried the Cozido (a traditional Portuguese stew) at São Lourenço do Barrocal, I knew I’d love it just by the way Diogo, the director of marketing, described it as “a photo of where you are.” It’s a Stone Soup sort of dish that varies slightly from region to region, depending on what ingredients are available. Their version includes pennyroyal (a plant similar to spearmint) and has a wonderfully smoky, herbaceous depth. While some of the ingredients are harder to track down (my Whole Foods is perpetually out of Farinheira Alentejana), I love that it’s a dish you can take inspiration from—adapting it with what you have in your pantry, and making it a snapshot of what’s available to you. 

Ingredients 
Serves 6

1 lb pork trotters
1 lb chicken
1 lb lamb
1 Alentejo chorizo
1 Moorish chorizo
1 Farinheira Alentejana
3 cups Savoy cabbage
1 1/4 cups green beans
2 cups potatoes (cubed)
1 1/2 cups carrots (sliced)
1 medium white or yellow onion
2kg dried chickpeas
Parsley, Sage and Mint to taste
Salt to taste

Cook the previously soaked chickpeas in salted water and drain. Cook the meat and chorizo in salted water with the herbs (save some fresh mint for the end). When the meat is cooked, remove from the heat, de-bone and shred and save the stock. Cut the chorizo and farinheira into thick slices. Set everything aside, including the stock. Cut the savoy cabbage and green beans into pieces, the potato into large cubes, the carrot into thick slices and the onion into quarters. Boil everything in salted water. When they’re cooked, add the chickpeas, the meat (except the farinheira) and a little of the meat stock for flavor. Leave to simmer for a few minutes. Serve in a deep dish with a few pieces of farinheira and fresh mint leaves.