"Have a damp tea towel or fire blanket ready in case of accidents." This hot tip accompanies Rebecca Seal's notes on Flaming Chorizo in Lisbon: Recipes from the Heart of Portugal. Seal (Istanbul) offers a gorgeous portrait of Portuguese cuisine and culture, threading more than 80 recipes with thoughtful observations, practical cooking advice and dashes of history.
She begins with crisp petiscos, akin to Spanish tapas, including salt cod croquettes and tempura green beans. Seal reflects on the legacy of Portugal's colonization and trade routes, and includes dishes hailing from North Africa, Brazil and India, such as samosas and Goan chutney.
Next up: sides, soups and salads, with almost-sweet turnip and garlic mash; chilled melon and mint soup; and broad beans with cumin and Parsley. Meat and seafood follow, the bedrock of Portuguese dining: dishes like roasted octopus with smoked paprika, parsley and lemon; piri piri chicken; and roasted pork belly.
Indulgent desserts include fluffy, coconut-sweetened Bread of God and the famous custard tarts pastéis de nata--which require three pages of Seal's reassuring instructions. She concludes with simple but sophisticated recipes for "cocktails and nibbles," like sangria; light and sparkling white port and tonic; Padrón peppers; and olives with orange zest.
Packed with tempting photos, Lisbon is a vibrant mosaic of Portugal's food, people and personality. The city comes alive: the smells in the air, the spray of the water, the fiery sizzle of chorizo and the taste of tradition. --Katie Weed, freelance writer and reviewer