Vovo's Portuguese Fish Soup

I'm sitting in my grandmother's kitchen in Sintra, Portugal. On Saturday we went to a tiny village on the coast called Azanhas do Mar - which translates poetically to "Windmills by the sea". There are no more windmills and most of the houses are in need of a good paint or are literally disintegrating. Vovo has her eye on a ruin right on the cliff that she'd like to lovingly restore... but jokes about being the first to end up in the sea in the next Lisbon earthquake. Frankly, the restaurant on the edge of the water is so amazing that it might almost quell any neurotic thoughts about an apocalyptic-style end. 

At the restaurant, where the waves crash against the salt-encrusted walls and window panes, we spent the afternoon safe and warm next to a blazing fire. The seafood soup was so delicious and coupled with Portuguese wine is close to perfection, really. It arrived with the usual pre-lunch array of olives, a fantastic soft sheep's cheese (from the Serra Estrela region - it's incredible. You cut of the top with a knife and then scoop out the gooey centre) and a basket of bread (which I had to stoically ignore). Vovo said that everybody makes it slightly differently but I have no doubt that her's is excellent. On my dad's side of the family (the slightly more exotic lot with Portuguese passports) everybody knows that Vovo is the best cook by far. 

I wrote down the recipe as we made it because I had a feeling she'd just wave her hands later as we were eating it and tell me she doesn't use a recipe. I was right. Still, as she says, everybody makes it slightly differently so this is really more of a rough guide for anyone to adapt should they get the urge. Leave comments if you find interesting ways to improve the recipe.

Bom ano!

Sofia

Recipe
1 medium pot (preferably with a thick base)

2 large tomatoes (chopped)
1 large onion (chopped)
3 large cloves of garlic (chopped finely)
squeeze of lemon juice
one segment of lemon rind
1 tsp paprika (or saffron)
1/2 tsp dried peri peri powder (for a more Mozambican taste)
a pinch of black pepper and a pinch of salt to season

Cook all the above ingredients on a low heat in the pot so the onion's become soft and translucent. Stir periodically.

Next, put a combination of frozen (or fresh if you can get it!) baby calamari, prawns, baby clams (cockles) with shells and without, and cod. 

Add water and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and let it simmer until all the seafood is cooked through. Keep tasting!

Prof Tim Noakes' Pork Fillet Stir-Fry with Green Chilli Paste and Coconut Milk

I was so excited to hear that Professor Tim Noakes (from the Sports Science Institute in Cape Town) had collaborated with Sally-Ann Creed, Jonno Proudfoot and David Grier to publish a cookbook. Finally, a cookbook that we don't have to quickly and regretfully skim through to find the spattering of recipes that are low carb! So I dashed out immediately to buy it from Exclusive Books. It's hard to miss really. Spot the revolutionary red cover. It's entitled "THE REAL MEAL REVOLUTION" and packed with real food, great writing and mouth watering photos for each recipe. There is also very accessible information on the reasoning behind the LCHF diet or "banting". 

I think the delicious recipes in this book will be more persuasive in terms of getting people to eschew carbs with a firm hand than any educational expose on their evils (no offense intended, Gary Taubes). I'll make an honest attempt to critically review as many of the recipes as I can. So far it looks to be a promising and invaluable resource for LCHF cooks everywhere.

This is the first recipe I tried from the cook book. It takes only about 10 minutes to cook but be sure to get all the chopping, dicing and slicing done before you so much as think of switching on the stove, or whatever you have in the pan will quickly over cook. 

Enjoy!

Sofia

Ingredients

400g pork fillet, thinly sliced 
(preferably organic, free range has become almost meaningless in terms of porcine and chicken freedom to wander)
3 tsp Thai green curry paste 
(Woolworths has a nice one but I've posted a recipe below that I got from Thailand in case you want to make your own)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup coriander, chopped
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
200ml coconut milk
1/2 cup carrot, shredded
1/2 cup spring onion, shredded (slice at an angle, it looks prettier)
1/2 cup mange tout, shredded (chopped finely lengthways)
1/3 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced

Recipe

1. Combine the green curry paste, garlic and coriander in a small bowl and mix well.
2. Heat the oil in a wok, swirling to coat the surface. Add the curry mixture and stir-fry until garlic is aromatic, about one minute.
3. Add the pork and stir-fry, stirring often, until meat is cooked (about 5 minutes)
4. Add the oyster sauce, fish sauce, chicken stock and coconut milk. Stir to combine and heat thoroughly.
5. Add the shredded vegetables and toss for one minute.
6. Stir in the basil leaves and serve immediately.

Serves 4

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General criticism: I got my Thai green curry paste from Woolworths at Constantia Village - but if you look at the ingredients it has 12.5g carbohydrates per 100g serving. A rule of thumb is that above 10g/100g serving is high carb. If anyone has the name of a low carb Thai green chilli paste please let me know. Otherwise the solution is to make your own.

Here is a recipe for Thai green chilli paste that I was taught in Chiang Mai, Thailand in December 2012.  It's quick to make but requires making the effort to get the more exotic ingredients.

Make your own green chilli paste...
2-3 green long chillies
1 tbsp chopped shallots
1 tsp chopped galangal (Thai ginger)
1/2 tsp chopped kaffir lime rind
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped lemongrass
1 tbsp chopped krachai (or Thai ginseng)
1/4 tsp roasted cumin seeds
1/4 tsp roasted coriander seeds
1/4 tsp salt or 1/2 tsp if you want to keep the paste longer.

Put the ingredients of the curry paste in a mortar. Pound with the pestle until everything is mixed and ground thoroughly (according to my Thai cooking teacher you can't be a good Thai wife unless the whole village can hear your pestle and mortar!). You can also use a blender.