Cozido is one of Portugal's the most popular traditional dishes and it is believed to have originated as a simple farmers dish from the Tras-os-Montes region. It comes in many variations in different regions. On Sao Miguel, the Cozido is prepared by placing the cooking vessel underground and letting the rising heat from the hot springs work their magic on the stew for several hours.
The dish is considered part of the Portuguese heritage and is one of the national dishes of Portugal. It is prepared with various vegetables, different meats and smoked sausages and served on a platter accompanied by rice and sometimes beans while the broth can often be enjoyed as an appetizer.
What do you need:
for 6 servings
1/2 oven-ready chicken
600g knuckle of beef
2 bone marrow
300g pig's ears, whitened
125g cured ham
1 salpicao (pork sausage)
1 chorizo (spicy sausage)
1 chaurico de sangue (black pudding)
1 white cabbage
2 carrots
5 potatoes
4 turnips
250g green beans
1 onion
350g rice
3 tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper for seasoning
Preparation
Place the bones and beef in a large casserole dish on the heat and cover with cold water. Once it starts to boil, remove the froth as it appears and add two cups of water and season with salt and pepper. When the meat is tender, remove and leave to rest in a covered dish.
Next cook the chicken in the stock, remove and leave to cool with the meat. Cook the pork and sausages, remove and put by. Last, cook the vegetables (except the onion) in the stock and place with the other ingredients when done. Keep the stock.
Peel and chop the onion and fry in the olive oil until soft. Add the rice and toast until it becomes translucent. Add the meat and vegetable stock, two parts of the stock to one part of rice, season and bring to the boil.
Place the casserole in the oven at 100 degree C and bake until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Slice the carrots and sausages and put on a serving dish with the rice. Put the rest of the meat and vegetables on another serving dish and serve on the table.
Bom apetite!
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