Adega do Cartaxo has established a partnership with one of Portugal’s best chefs, Chef Igor Martinho. In 2009, Igor was named Portugal’s best chef. The Mãe Luísa restaurant in Arrouquelas astounds its customers every day with its local flavours and has already won over admirers and food critics.
In this partnership, Adega sees the opportunity to create a perfectly harmonious relationship between outstanding cuisine and high-quality wines – our wines!
Dried cod with corn bread and baked new potatoes
Ingredients
2 dried cod fillets
1/4 loaf of corn bread
250 g of new potatoes
2/3 small carrots
5 spears of green asparagus
3 cloves of garlic
olive oil
salt/pepper
Preparation
Place the cod fillets on a baking tray and sprinkle them with olive oil and a little salt. Put them in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove the crust from the corn bread, break it into pieces and place it in the oven to toast for 10 minutes. Then mash it thoroughly with a drizzle of olive oil and a very finely chopped clove of garlic. Mash again and place it in the oven for another 3 minutes until the corn bread has turned crispy. Wash the potatoes thoroughly in running water and place them in the oven with plenty of salt, olive oil and a bay leaf for 20-25 minutes. Boil the vegetables in salted water for 3 minutes and then cut them into small pieces. Serve the cod on the potatoes and scatter the vegetables and corn bread over the cod. Add a drizzle of olive oil to finish.
Winemaker’s suggestion
Bridão Reserva Branco 2012
Black pudding, saffron and vegetable risotto
Ingredients
150 g of carnaroli/arborio rice
1/4 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove
1 glass of white wine
1/4 black pudding
1/4 red pepper
1/2 courgette
50 g of mushrooms
500 ml of vegetable stock
20 g of butter
15 g of mascarpone cheese
10 g of Parmesan cheese
salt/pepper
ground saffron
olive oil
Preparation
Finely chop the garlic and onion and gently fry them in olive oil. Add the rice and let it fry. Add the white wine to refresh the pan and let the alcohol evaporate. Chop the vegetables into small cubes and add them to the rice along with the black pudding (remove the skin from the black pudding beforehand). Then add the stock little by little, stirring continuously so that the rice releases its starch. Before the rice has finished cooking, add the cheeses, butter, saffron, salt and pepper. Add a few shards of Parmesan to finish.
Winemaker’s suggestion
Plexus Branco
Raspberry and strawberry
Ingredients
400 ml of UHT cream
200 g of raspberries (fresh or frozen)
3 leaves of gelatin
100 g of sugar
3 fresh strawberries
2 chocolate cookies
Preparation
Blend the raspberries in a liquidizer or with an immersion blender. Soak the gelatin leaves in lukewarm water. Beat the cream with the blended raspberries until it is firm, adding the soaked gelatin leaves towards the end. Place the mousse in individual bowls and scatter chopped strawberries and crushed cookies over each mousse.
Winemaker’s suggestion
Plexus Rosé
Crispy Sausage
Ingredients
200 g of filo pastry
1 bread and garlic sausage
30 g of butter
salt
Preparation
Remove the sausage from its skin and roll the sausage meat into little balls, each weighing around 35 g.
Roll out the pastry, fold the end of the filo pastry into the centre and spread butter over the remaining area. Roll up the sausage in half of the pastry and then use the pastry at the sides to close up the sausage. Spread on more butter and then roll up the sausage in the rest of the pastry to form a roll. Place in the oven to brown for 5 minutes and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and salt.
Winemaker’s suggestion
Bridão Clássico Branco 2014
Watercress, prawn and Greek yoghurt salad
Ingredients
150 g of watercress salad
100 g of prawns
50 g of cherry tomatoes
50 g of mushrooms
1 pot of Greek yoghurt
Lemon zest
10 g of butter
salt/pepper
olive oil
Preparation
Start by cooking the prawns. Then shell them, coat them in olive oil and butter, and season them with salt and pepper. Set aside. Chop the mushrooms in half and then into thin slices. Chop the cherry tomatoes in half. Add a little lemon zest and salt to the Greek yoghurt dressing. Season the tomatoes and mushrooms with salt and olive oil. To serve, put the salad on a plate and mix it with the tomatoes, the mushrooms and the Greek yoghurt dressing and season with salt and pepper. Finally, add the prawns.
Winemaker’s suggestion
Plexus Branco
Brownies
Ingredients
200 g of cooking chocolate
4 egg yolks, 60 g of sugar
40 g of butter
80 g of flour
20 g of cream
100 g of red fruits
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a baking tray with butter and flour. Melt the butter and chocolate in a bain-marie over a low heat, stirring continuously. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar. Leave to cool until it is lukewarm. Gently beat the egg yolks in a large bowl. Add the chocolate mixture and beat again. Lastly, add the flour and cream and mix together well. Pour the mixture into the greased container. If you are using baking paper, spray a little cooking spray over the paper. Bake for around 30 minutes, until the top is shiny. Serve with ice cream and fresh red fruits.
Winemaker’s suggestion
Colheita Tardia Branco 2013
Duck breast with sauteed vegetables
Ingredients
1 duck breast
1/2 red pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
3 asparagus spears
olive oil
salt/fleur de sel
Preparation
To prepare the duck breast, start by removing the excess fat from the sides and ends of the breast and make small incisions in the surface of the skin to form small squares. To cook the duck, put an unoiled frying pan on the hob and place the duck breast skin-side down to brown. After a while, remove the excess fat given off by the duck and, when the skin is brown and crisp, turn the breast over to sear the meat. Place in a 180°C oven for 5 minutes and leave the meat to rest for 10-15 minutes to prevent the blood from being released. Cut all of the vegetables into small pieces and sauté them in a little olive oil. When the duck has rested, cut it into thin slices and serve it with the sauteed vegetables and a pinch of salt or fleur de sel, if available.
Winemaker’s suggestion
Coudel Mor Reserva 2011
Baked sea bream with vegetables and lemon
Ingredients
1 medium-sized sea bream
100 g of cherry tomatoes
1 onion
2 carrots
2 cloves of garlic
fresh coriander
paprika
salt/pepper
1/2 lemon
Preparation
Chop the onion and fry it in the oil for 5 minutes over a low heat together with the pepper, paprika, chopped coriander and chopped garlic. Clean the fish thoroughly and make small incisions on either side of it so that it cooks more quickly and absorbs the flavour of the onion mixture. Place the sea bream over the onion mixture and the halved cherry tomatoes. Cook in the oven at 180°C for 15-20 minutes. To finish, sprinkle with lemon juice and add a few slices of lemon.
Winemaker’s suggestion
Bridão Clássico Branco 2014
Clams with chorizo
Ingredients
1/4 chorizo
300 g of clams
1 lemon
40 g of butter
1 fresh chili pepper
3 cloves of garlic
fresh coriander
salt/pepper
olive oil
Preparation
Start by frying the sliced chorizo together with the garlic crushed in its skin, the olive oil and the fresh coriander. Then add the butter, sliced fresh chili and clams. Cover and allow the clams to open. To finish, sprinkle with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Winemaker’s suggestion
Plexus Branco
Strawberry mousse
Ingredients
600 g of strawberries
400 ml of cream
200 g of sugar
250 g of Oreo cookies
100 g of meringues
2 leaves of gelatin
Preparation
Start by blending 400 g of the strawberries. Next, beat the cream with the sugar and add 200 g of blended strawberries. Soak the gelatin, heat it in the microwave for 15 seconds and dunk it in the mixture so that it thickens. Blend the cookies and set aside. Begin by placing a little strawberry pulp in a glass together with the remaining chopped strawberries. Then add a little strawberry mousse, followed by the blended cookies, followed by more mousse. Finish off with pieces of broken meringue.
Winemaker’s suggestion
Plexus Rosé
Prawn risotto
Ingredients
600 g of prawns
1 medium-sized onion
1 clove of garlic
2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon of mascarpone
1 tablespoon of butter
350 g of risotto rice
100 ml of olive oil
100 ml of white wine
Salt and pepper to taste
Water to taste
Preparation
Heat the onion, olive oil and chopped garlic in a pan. Allow to soften for a while and then add the risotto rice. Fry the rice for a short while, add the white wine, and then add the water a little at a time to cook the rice.
Shell the prawns and add to the risotto 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Lastly, add the mascarpone, the butter and the Parmesan to make the mixture more creamy and season with salt and pepper.
Winemaker’s suggestion
Bridão Reserva Branco 2012
Pork tenderloin with spices and mango
Ingredients
800 g of pork tenderloin
1 teaspoon of curry powder
2 teaspoons of olive oil
1 large mango
500 g of potatoes
salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves of garlic
balsamic vinegar to taste
Preparation
Start by seasoning the tenderloins and sliced potatoes with the curry powder, salt and pepper. Place on a baking tray, add the chopped garlic, mix everything together thoroughly and drizzle with olive oil. Place in the oven for 25 minutes at 170º. When the tenderloins are roasted, chop them and serve them with potatoes and slices of mango. Finish off with a little balsamic vinegar.
Winemaker’s suggestion
Bridão Reserva Tinto 2011