Order Deadline: 5p, Monday, May 10th
ORDER YOUR PROVISIONS BOX — DELIVERY May 15th & 16th
ABOUT THIS BOX
For many years, Lisbon was my home. I lived in a beautiful old neighborhood called the Bairro Alto on one of the many “hills” of Lisbon — age-old buildings with crumbling facades, palaces with hand-painted tiles, simple houses right next to palaces, a wonderful mix of trendy shops and bars, as well as traditional shops and corner restaurants.
Women dressed in black leaned out of windows, wearing headscarves, hanging their laundry out to dry in the hot sun. The knife sharpener would pedal his bicycle around the neighborhood, hawking his service. Tramways with worn wooden seats rode up and down the hills.
It was as you would imagine Old Europe…
From the Bairro Alto, I would ride the funicular train down the steep hill to the Central Market along the banks of the Rio Tejo. The lower floor of the market was dominated by the fishmongers: strong-voiced, stocky women in knee-high rubber boots with an array of fish straight from the boat — Peixe-espada, which look like a silver blade, beautiful robalo, dorado, sardinhas, and so much more.
The sea plays an important role in the land of Vasco da Gama and fishermen. Although Portugal keeps its eyes on the ocean and turns its back on its huge neighbor, Spain, there is still a lot of shared food culture between the two. And so this week, we’re celebrating the tastes of both Portugal and Spain with the Saudade Box.
“Saudade” is a nearly untranslatable Portuguese word. Trusty Wikipedia defines it as “the love that remains” after someone is gone. It can be described as an emptiness, the overwhelming feeling of that missing someone or something that should be there in a particular moment, but is not.
So I do admit to a certain Portuguese (and Iberian) something missing from my life in LA, and here is a meal plan to make up for it, inspired by so many memories. If you’ve never been, enjoy this week’s curated selection of traditional recipes. And if you have been, reminisce with me. I hope you enjoy! JP : )
Featured Recipes
- Pollo Al Ajillo (Chicken cooked in garlic and bay)
- Paella con Chorizo y Espinaca (Paella with chorizo and spinach)
- Spanish-Style Tuna and Potato Salad
- Ervilhas Guisadas (Braised Peas with Eggs)
- Gazpacho
- Spring Vegetable Paella
- Warm Mushroom & Charred Onion Salad
- Portuguese-Style Roast Potatoes
Featured Ingredients
Matiz España Paella Rice – Paella has become synonymous with Spain, and without the right rice, one cannot create a true paella. Grown in the rich soils of the national protected L’Albufera Park of Valencia, Matiz España rice is the perfect ingredient for paella, arroz negro and risotto. Its high absorption rates allows it to soak up and hold the abundance of flavors in all of your favorite rice dishes.
Conserva Culture – An Iberian menu would not be complete without tinned fish. We’ve included Scout Tuna for the Spanish-Style Tuna & Potato salad (Click HERE for @SylvieFlo‘s recent Condé Nast article Meet the Women Making Tinned Fish Cool.) but also suggest adding a few of Jose Gourmet’s conserva for a full seacuterie experience – sardines, cod, octopus, and more! Click HERE to shop conservas.
Bivalve Mendonça A 6th generation dairy family turned cheesemakers, the Taylor family hand makes this St. Jorge style cheese from their own raw organic milk. Mendonça is similar to a traditional Açorean island-style cheese. It’s tangy with grassy flavors up front, ending with a spicy piquant finish. Serve on a cheese or charcuterie board, and pair it with a full-bodied red wine.
Burlap & Barrel Smoked Paprika – Sweet, red pimentón peppers are slowly dried over oak coals, which enriches them with a rich, smoky flavor that adds savory depth and deep color to your paella. Burlap & Barrel’s Smoked Pimentón Paprika comes from a single family-owned fabrica in the Extremadura region of western Spain famous for pimenton de la vera, which has a Designation of Protected Origin status from the European Union.
Charlito’s Cocina began in 2011, inspired by a desire to preserve the food preservation tradition of curing, as well as the goal of making high quality cured foods more accessible. Specializing in dry cured salami, their products are simple and made with the best ingredients, with technique that has survived and evolved through generations.
Their goods are influenced by the curing traditions of Southern Europe, particularly Spain. Their version of an old time classic chorizo is made with heritage breed, pasture raised pork. It is seasoned with a beautiful sea salt, mild paprika, and garlic. Subtle and earthy, Charlito’s Cocina chosrizo delicious with paella, greens, a crusty baguette, on your Iberian grazing board, or simply on its own.
Additional Featured Ingredients
- Pasturebird Whole Chicken
- Alexandre Family Farms Certified Regenerative Eggs
- Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice
- Bub & Grandma’s Baguette
- Locally sourced produce for the above recipes and more!
Our Narrative Provisions boxes are filled with pasture-raised meat & eggs, curated pantry items, and local produce to make our featured recipes, but you’ll need to check your pantry for a few items.
Shop Our Pantry
BOX DETAILS
Large Omnivore Narrative Provisions Box for the first five recipes, plus additional staples and fruit
Large Vegetarian Narrative Provisions Box for Braised Peas with Eggs, Gazpacho, Spring Vegetable Paella, Warm Mushroom & Charred Onions Salad Portuguese-Style Roast Potatoes, plus additional staples and fruit.
Small Omnivore Narrative Provisions Box for the Spanish-Style Tuna and Potato Salad and Caldo Verde
Small Vegetarian Narrative Provisions Box for Braised Peas with Eggs and Caldo Verde
