Meats and Sausages
Farinheira de Portalegre
Farinheira de Portalegre is produced in the district of Portalegre.Al though Farinheira de Portalegre resembles any meat sausage, its taste is not meaty; it’s tangy and somewhat sweet. The texture is somewhat doughy due to the large amount of flour the sausage contains.
The sausage is usually roasted, grilled or used in general cooking. The sausage is made from Alentejano pigs and only beef casings are allowed.
Farinheira de Portalegre carries PGI, 2004 classification.
| Materials | Metric | US |
|---|---|---|
| Pork soft fat: pork belly, jowls, fat trimmings | 400 g | 0.88 lb |
| Wheat flour | 600 g | 1.32 lb |
Ingredients per 1000g (1 kg) of materials
| Salt | 18 g | 3 tsp |
| Cure #1 | 2.5 g | 1/2 tsp |
| Pepper | 2.0 g | 1 tsp |
| Red pepper paste* | 30 g | 2 Tbsp |
| Paprika | 2.0 g | 1 tsp |
| Garlic, minced | 8.0 g | 2 cloves |
| White wine | 30 ml | 2 Tbsp |
| Water | 240 ml | 1 cup |
Instructions
- * Pepper paste. Cut bell peppers lengthwise into halves. Discard stems and seeds. Get a suitable pan and sprinkle salt on the bottom. Place peppers on salt, then cover them with more salt. Repeat the procedure creating a multilayer combination with salt being the top layer. Hold for 8 days. Rinse with water, pat dry with paper towel and grind through 1/8” (3 mm) plate or emulsify in food processor.
- Made marinade by mixing salt and spices with wine.
- Chop fat into 1/4 (6 mm) or smaller pieces.
- Mix fat with marinade and hold for 3 days at 10 °C (50° F) or lower or in refrigerator.
- Mix marinated fat, red pepper paste, with flour and hot water. Mix all well together.
- Stuff into beef casings, tie the ends together making 6” (15 cm) long loops.
- Smoke for 7 days at 30-40° C (86-104° F) with oak wood.
- Store at 12° C (54° F), 70% humidity or in refrigerator.
Notes
* red pepper paste (in Portuguese “massa de pimentão”) is an essential condiment in Portuguese cooking.
Home method for making red pepper paste (about 1 cup):
3 red bell peppers 24 g (4 tsp) salt 2 cloves of garlic 1 fl oz (30 ml=2 Tbsp) olive oil Cut peppers into quarters. Remove the stems and seeds. Remove the white pulp from the inside of the peppers. Place peppers in a jar and sprinkle them with salt. Shake the jar. Leave uncovered for 24 hours at room temperature. Rinse the peppers and pat them dry with paper towel.
Spread peppers on a pan and bake them for 20 minutes until the skins are charred and dark.Remove the tray and let the peppers cool. Remove the skins from the peppers, they come off easily. Using mixer blend the peppers with 2 garlic cloves adding gradually olive oil. The mixture should reach the consistency of a fine creamy paste.
3 red bell peppers 24 g (4 tsp) salt 2 cloves of garlic 1 fl oz (30 ml=2 Tbsp) olive oil Cut peppers into quarters. Remove the stems and seeds. Remove the white pulp from the inside of the peppers. Place peppers in a jar and sprinkle them with salt. Shake the jar. Leave uncovered for 24 hours at room temperature. Rinse the peppers and pat them dry with paper towel.
Spread peppers on a pan and bake them for 20 minutes until the skins are charred and dark.Remove the tray and let the peppers cool. Remove the skins from the peppers, they come off easily. Using mixer blend the peppers with 2 garlic cloves adding gradually olive oil. The mixture should reach the consistency of a fine creamy paste.
