Portugese Love

Is the title to one of my favorite Tina Marie songs from back in the day, when La Dona was a fixture at the top of the music charts. She loves all things Portugese and so do I when it comes to wine.

While still in school, I tasted the wines from the Douro region of Portugal. The vineyards there, produce very dry, full bodied, but gentle reds with little oak and not much tannin. Recently, I got in the mood for eggplant, something I don’t eat often, but love it when I do, and that brings me back to why I was thinking of all things Portugese.

Eggplant, which is basically a middle eastern food, goes wonderfully well with the wines of Portugal. At the time, I was in the mood for baba ghanoush, maybe some falafel, and simmered grape leaves, with a little feta cheese and a nice wine.

Now in my college days I would have settled for Mateus or Lancer’s....both pretty good and more importantly, cheap. I was on a student’s budget back then. But now, I would drop maybe $ 25-30.00 and buy a reserve Quinta de Roriz or possibly a Vinho Alvarinho if I wanted white, and I usually do. So I would probably buy both. Vinho Alvarinho should be chilled. It is soft blended grape wine that tastes like nuts and fruit. Kind of sweet, but not too sweet. The Quinta can be served at room temperature. There are less costly wines from this country. You just need to scout them out at your local wine store. I mention these two, because I like them.

My baba ghanoush, I would make from scratch or If I’m feeling lazy or rushed, then I bop out to my local grocery, to the appetizer bar where you can find, feta, or baba, or tabbouleh or hummus, and buy by the ounce. But it’s cheaper to buy the eggplant and make it yourself, trust me. Pick up some pita bread, too. You need it for scooping up the baba ghanoush.

First thing, pop the cork on your wine of choice, so you can sip while cooking. Turn on the oven to about 350-degrees. In Europe, eggplant is called aubergine, by the way. Put the aubergine in a greased shallow pan or baking dish and roast until it is soft, probably about 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven. Put it in a bowl of cold water, then peel off the skin. Add the spices at this point. I usually use garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice and tahini, if I happen to have it on hand. If I happen to be cooking for others, then I add finely diced onion and tomato. Blend it well in a blender. I used to use a fork because I couldn’t afford expensive mixing utensils. I was also taught to cook by my grandparents and they didn’t use the expensive tools either. I still do things the hard way, but make it easy on yourself, if you have a blender or food processor, use it.

Now it’s best to refrigerate the mixture for a couple of hours before you eat. When you do serve, put the baba ghanoush on a plate, drizzle olive oil all over. Put the pita slices on the side. If you need meat, broil a chicken breast and serve alongside. Enjoy!

Salud!