João Cura
Chef Dishes
Pink Prawn Rice
The menu at Almeja is all about “life experiences, travels and memories” and it‘s written with seasonal ingredients available at the market. This Pink Prawn Rice, Fennel and Aioli is one of the staples on the menu. You can even smell it just by looking at it … Hmmm!
Products used
Rice
In Portugal we like rice. We like it a lot! And we don’t cook it just plain and simple to be eaten as a side dish; we often have it as the main dish.
Seafood rice, duck rice, tomato rice, octopus rice, you name it; we cook it! And for these kinds of “rice”, that should always be what we call “malandrinho” (loose and creamy), the Lower Mondego “Carolino” rice is the best. It comes with a Protected Geographical Indication distinction and will be this week’s featured product. This variety, in particular, owes its special features “to the climatic characteristics of the Baixo Mondego responsible for a slower formation and maturation, which enhances the physiological mechanisms associated with quality, namely: a tendency towards higher levels of amylose, and a higher percentage of whole grains, due to the formation of fewer cracks during the end of the crop cycle, that is, in the grain maturation phase”, states the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development. The images show the rice from the Baixo Mondego, from the fields to the precise moment before it goes into the pot.
Regions
Center
The centre of Portugal is proof that virtue (or, in this case, the virtues) is in the middle. From the highest mountain in mainland Portugal to the world’s biggest waves, there is a little bit of everything, without forgetting priceless monumental and human heritage. Schist villages, castles that look like they have emerged from fairy tales, one of the oldest universities in Europe, and even a Portuguese-style Venice.
