Tasting Lisboa

 

Guisado [stew] de Alenjo

Why do I take so many pictures of food when I travel? I think it's because I absorb culture through my senses, taste being one of the most delicious ways to enjoy a country.  Walking through the streets and alleys, dropping into cafes or restaurants and visiting museums are all channels to absorb the ambience of cities I visit. Today was no exception -- except that the food excursion was planned.  We had a cooking class in Lisboa at a place called "Kiss the Cook" where two young women Sandra and Nuno assisted a group of about 25 students and faculty in a cooking lesson. The menu was a a delicious Alentejo stew:  green and red bell peppers, shallot and garlic, potatoes cooked in white wine with cod, shrimp and clams added at the end.   In addition to this we had an apple and chicken/turkey sausage dish with rosemary.  The tart apple was diced and cooked in olive oil with the dill, then the sausage  rolled into meatballs, sauteed until crisp and then placed on the apple. A very delicious and yummy meal accompanied by Rose wine of the Alentejo region, which we drank both during the cooking as well as when we dined. After this sumptuous meal, our hosts served us dessert, actually three desserts -- a chocolate mousse with salt and red pepper, a berry crisp with almonds and an "egg yolk" cooked with sugar.  It was beautiful and did not taste at all like an egg. The students -- male and female -- were all absorbed in their cooking.  What a great way to experience the culture.

This cooking workshop was set in an area of old factories, many of which have been turned into shops and restaurants (larger but similar to the Feast complex or the Ix complex in Charlottesville).

Presenting our completed Apple and Sausages

Voting for President Obama, Senator Kaine and
General John Douglass for Congressman

Afterward, Rodney and Suzanne Huey and I stayed in the area to visit these shops.  I also returned to Kiss the Cook to purchase Portuguese Olive Oil.  We also had an adventure finding stamps:  I especially wanted these so I can mail my ballot.

P.S.  And I am voting Against the Amendment to the Virginia Constitution.