My very early memories of food come from my grandmother’s kitchen. She would make big pots of canja de galinha (rice and chicken soup), one of the most vivid tastes I can recall from my childhood. Travelling through Asia years ago, I found the same flavours in a staple of Chinese cooking, congee. Perhaps the Portuguese travelled much more than we realise. Another classic from Portugal is the Lisbon workman’s speciality, cod and chickpeas. Now that the colder weather is coming, I’m craving both of these warming dishes, and I’ve added a few ingredients and techniques to really build up their flavour. There’s a bit of preparation involved, but have a go – they’re great fun to make and incredibly tasty to eat. Best enjoyed with loved ones, somewhere warm on a chilly autumn evening.
Confit cod with chickpea salad (serves 4)
The main difference from the classic Lisbon dish is that my cod is confited rather than salted. This is great as a main, but works equally well as a side on a table full of petiscos.
For the cod
4 160g skinless and pin-boned sustainable cod fillets (the top of the loin is ideal)
300g caster sugar
200g fine sea salt
Mix the salt and sugar and spread half of it over a small tray. Lay the fish on top in a single layer and cover with the remaining cure. Set aside at room temperature for 45 minutes, rinse the cure off and pat dry.
For the confit oil
300ml extra-virgin olive oil
4 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1/2 bunch coriander stalks, chopped
1/2 long red chilli, cut into chunks
2 shavings lemon zest
Put all the ingredients in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed deep pan and gently heat until fragrant. When the oil just starts bubbling (take care that it does not boil), take off the heat, wait for five minutes, then slide in the fish. Leave the cod in the oil as it cools; after 25 minutes, it should be gently cooked and flaking nicely, still a little firm but nicely confited. Carefully transfer the fish fillets to a plate, then gently break it apart into good-sized chunks.
For the chickpeas
Homemade vegetable stock (see below)
800g chickpeas (600g dry chickpeas, soaked overnight in cold water)
1 small white onion, finely sliced
50ml white wine vinegar
4 free-range eggs
For the vegetable stock
1 litre water
1 whole leek
1 carrot, halved
1 onion, halved
4 bay leaves
For the salad
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 bunch coriander, leaves picked and roughly chopped
1 bunch parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped
Juice of 2 lemons
1 tsp ground white pepper
Maldon sea salt, to taste
8 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp paprika, to garnish
First make the stock by combining the ingredients, cooking at a low simmer for an hour, then straining. Next, cook the chickpeas in the stock for 45 minutes to an hour. Once they start to soften, season and cook for another 15-20 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave them to sit in the stock until they cool.
While the chickpeas are cooling, put the sliced white onion in a bowl with the vinegar, stir, season and leave to pickle for 20 minutes. Soft-boil the eggs.
Drain the chickpeas, transfer to a bowl, season again to taste, then mix with all the salad ingredients except the paprika. Reserve a few herbs to garnish.
Spoon the chickpea salad on to a large serving plate and scatter the chunks of cod over the top. Cut the eggs in half and add on top, then sprinkle with the pickled onions, the reserved parsley and coriander and drizzle with more oil. Dust with paprika and a little salt and serve with grilled bread on the side.
Rice and chicken soup with piso (serves 4-6)
This canja de galinha is inspired by memories of my grandmother’s dish: I learned the building blocks from her and I’ve reinterpreted it here. I’ve garnished it with crisp, fried garlic, which is well worth that extra little effort.
800g free-range bone-in chicken thighs
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 fennel bulb
1 bunch coriander, leaves picked and stalks reserved
1 small white onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 mild green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp peeled ginger, finely chopped
Sea salt
150g long-grain rice, rinsed (not easy-cook)
2 bay leaves
1 stick cinnamon
1 litre water
1 litre chicken stock
Lemon juice
Ground white pepper, to taste
For the piso
One mild green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
Salt and white pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
To serve
Soft-poached eggs (1 per person)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, peeled, sliced thinly and fried until crisp but not brown
Rinse the chicken thighs to remove any blood and pat dry. In a large pot, heat 2tbsp of oil, lay in the chicken skin-side down and gently heat until it starts crisping up and releasing fat.
Trim the fennel, then cut in half horiziontally. Dice the bottom and slice the top (fronds included) into thin slivers (use a mandoline, if you have one). Chop the coriander stems and set aside half of them and the leaves for the piso. Once the chicken skin is golden brown, lift it out of the pan and turn down the heat. Add the onion, diced fennel, half the coriander stems, chilli, garlic and ginger to the hot fat in the pan and sweat gently until soft and fragrant. Add a little salt to draw out some of the moisture and stir regularly so it does not caramelise or burn (about five minutes).
Stir in the rice, bay leaves and cinnamon, toast for three minutes until the rice is well coated, then return the chicken to the pan and cover with the water and stock. Bring to a boil, skim off any impurities then lower the heat to a simmer. Sprinkle with a little more salt and cook, partially covered, for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is very soft and the rice completely broken down to a thick, glutinous consistency.
Remove the chicken and discard the cinnamon and bay leaves. Roughly chop the chicken, taking care to remove all the cartilage, then return it to the soup. Season to taste with salt, lemon juice and white pepper, and thin, if necessary, with stock or water. Now poach your eggs.
To make the piso, chop and mash together the chilli, reserved coriander, lemon zest and salt and pepper until you have a paste, then stir in three or four tablespoons of oil.
Ladle the soup into bowls and drop a poached egg into the centre of each. Scatter fennel shavings, coriander leaves and the fried garlic on top, add a generous spoon of piso and a drizzle of oil, and serve.
Nuno Mendes is the chef-patron of Taberna do Mercado, London
