My writings on eating at home, at restaurants, on vacation and pretty much every place I go.
Newark's Portuguese Feast
The iron bound section of Newark is good any day, but there are three days of the year when it becomes my favorite place to be...
I have been going to the Portuguese Festival for over 10 years and it is one of my favorite events of the year. It happens to be the largest ethnic festival in NJ and the largest Portuguese feast in the entire world. Over a million people attended this year. I have seen a great change in the festival. At the beginning, it was mostly Portuguese and Brazilian; but now it has absorbed the new growing communities of the Iron Bound to include Colombian, Ecuadorian, Peruvian and much much more.
At the beginning, the people who attended were mostly Portuguese, Brazilian and Spanish...but this year when I went I saw people of all backgrounds, caucasian, asian, latin, pretty much every ethnic group was represented at the feast (and so was their food).
This is a really fun event, there is music, dancing and even drinking on the street, the drinks of choice are usually Brahma, Sangria or the ever so dangerous (albeit delicious) Caipirinha.
However, the part of the feast I love best is the food, representative of the many cultures that have come together to rejoice in the culture of the Portuguese.
The corn at the feast is amazing, sweet and packed with energy to keep you going all night.
Arepas are a true cultural meld. These are cornmeal patties that hail from Peru and Colombia, they are grilled with mozzarella cheese and eaten hot. The sweetness of the arepa combined with the mozzarella is an outstanding combination.
Tamales are a great South American staple, and so delicious
Flaky empanadas, deep fried and filled with delicious meats.
Grilled Sardines are a must at any Portuguese venue, just squeeze a little lemon on top and drink with some vino verde.
The raw bar at the feast where the seafood lover can get mussels, clams and shrimp freshly chucked.
Plenty of friendly faces are happy to serve you the delights of Portugal.
My favorites, Lobster and crabs.
For those of you with allergies to seafood, you need not fear, there is plenty of land food around, like lechon.
Or chicken pinchos
Or steak a la parrilla
Or Smoked steaks
and plenty of treats for the little ones, like chocolate covered marshmellows.
And Caramel apples
And classics like Zeppoles and Funnel cakes as well as some new comers, the fried Oreos
And don't forget treats for the adults, Sangria, Brahma, Caipirinhas make the feast the perfect summer venue.
It is no surprise to me that Pablo Neruda wrote a beautiful poem to the Caldillo de Congrio. It is comforting, delicious and nutricious. So you all know I am on my Chile kick - having just returned last week...Caldillo de Congrio is an eel soup, don't get grossed out...once you taste it, you will dream of it forever. I tasted it at the Kaleluche Restaurant in Playa el Caleluche. The place was built by hand by its owners. It is super kitchy. There are glass bottles encrusted into the walls like jewels. The ceiling is decorated by hand painted starfish and shells. And the place is lined by windows just as you would be inside a beautiful boat.
If you ever get to go, make sure to ask for a bit of Pebre, it will enhance the deliciousness (is that a word?) of the soup.
Before I post the recipe for this amazing dish, here is the poem that will imortalize the soup.
Pablo Neruda - Ode to the Conger Soup
In the storm-tossed Chilean sea lives the rosy conger, giant eel of snowy flesh. And in Chilean stewpots, along the coast, was born the chowder, thick and succulent, a boon to man. You bring the Conger, skinned, to the kitchen (its mottled skin slips off like a glove, leaving the grape of the sea exposed to the world), naked, the tender eel glistens, prepared to serve our appetites. Now you take garlic, first, caress that precious ivory, smell its irate fragrance, then blend the minced garlic with onion and tomato until the onion is the color of gold. Meanwhile steam our regal ocean prawns, and when they are tender, when the savor is set in a sauce combining the liquors of the ocean and the clear water released from the light of the onion, then you add the eel that it may be immersed in glory, that it may steep in the oils of the pot, shrink and be saturated. Now all that remains is to drop a dollop of cream into the concoction, a heavy rose, then slowly deliver the treasure to the flame, until in the chowder are warmed the essences of Chile, and to the table come, newly wed the savors of land and sea, that in this dish you may know heaven.
Ok so I know the poem is a recipe, but just in case you need specs you can try this one:
2 Tablespoons olive oil 6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 2 large onions, peeled and chopped 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped finely 4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped, juices reserved (canned tomatoes are fine) 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 pound eel, skinned, or other fish fillets 1 pound potatoes, diced and cooked til tender in fish stock (optional) 1 cup seafood stock 1 cup heavy cream salt and pepper to taste
Garnish: finely chopped parsley or scallions or pebre sauce.
Heat the oil in a large pot and stir in garlic, onions, and jalapeno pepper and sauté until soft. Add the tomato pieces and cook down over medium heat, about 8 minutes. Toss in the eel and the shrimp, covering and steaming for about 2 minutes. Remove cover and let stew gently for 5 more minutes, until the eel is just done and a little shrunk. Pour in the reserved tomato juice and stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the cooked potatoes, if you decide to use them, and return to a simmer. Stir in cream. When the chowder is simmering, it is ready to serve. Fork the eel off the bone into the soup, discarding the bone. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with minced parsley or scallion.
Enjoy - of course it is much better if you have it in on the beach in Chile.
