Hi everyone, it’s Nelson here. This one is so close to home that I figured I should do the writing today.
Terceira is one of the nine Islands of the Azores, Portugal. It’s the Island with the second largest population of the Azores. This Island is beautiful, has wonderful people and amazing food… definitely worth a visit.
Growing up, and even today, if someone asked me “What’s the one dish that defines Terceira?”, I would have to say “Alcatra”. Now, this dish is also made on the other islands and even outside the Azores, but I think it’s safe to say that the Terceira locals introduced this wonderful meal and will remain THE place to have the most authentic version of Alcatra.
The recipe I prepared today is likely not from the original recipe, but I’m pretty sure it’s close to the authentic version of this dish. The recipe is in my “book of traditions” hand-written by my mom. It was passed on to her by her cousin Otilia, who got it from a great cook in Terceira. I hope I’ve done it justice.
There’s a very important factor when cooking this dish. The Terceira locals cook it in a clay pot, typically made on the Island using old techniques. Apparently, the more you cook with this pot, the better your next meals come out… I’ll have to test this theory over and over to make sure they’re right ;-). I told some friends in the Azores that I was going to make Alcatra, and the first question was “do you have the clay pot?” and the next question was “where was it made?”. As you can see, these clay pots and this dish are quite popular around the islands–and they take the traditional cooking method seriously.
Fortunately I do have one of these clay pots. It was an interesting series of events that allowed me to have one of these Terceira-made clay pots in Canada. A few years ago, just before my parents were about to visit us, I mentioned to my mom that I might be interested in trying to cook Alcatra and that it would be nice to have the authentic clay pot. They were about to leave a few days later, so it was unlikely they could get me one before leaving… but the stars aligned! My mom mentioned my request to her cousin Maria José, next door. Maria José, in turn, called a cousin of hers, Dr. Teresa, in Terceira. She immediately and very generously visited one of the local markets and purchased one. She then drove down to the city port (Angra) where she knew one of the inter-island ferries was about to depart to Pico Island (where my parents are), and one of the crew members happened to be from our town. He agreed to get it to my parents. How cool is that?!?!?! What a great bunch of people! Just one day after I mentioned this to my mom, she was already packing it in a suitcase for the trip to Canada. I’m guessing that most people reading this post will likely not own one of these pots or have easy access to buying one. But don’t let that stop you from making this dish. I think you can also get great results with a quality cast iron french or dutch oven.
This is a slow cooked meal and the amazing smell in the house makes people gravitate towards the kitchen. I think the neighbours around us were ready to visit. The meat becomes incredibly tender, the sauce is rich and flavour is amazing! You will need to have crusty bread on hand. This meal is not for the faint of heart. As you can see from the ingredient list, you might not want to make this a daily ritual 🙂
Like many things in life, we tend to appreciate things more when we slow down. Cook something slowly, share it with loved ones… and eat well friends!
- 3½ lbs blade (you can also use chuck roast or outside round), cut in large pieces
- 1 large veal shank (with the marrow, no meat needed)
- 5.3 oz pancetta (toucinho) or thick cut bacon (roughly 150 g), chopped
- 1 whole garlic head, with all cloves attached and outer white skin removed
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 tbs pig fat
- 1 tbs unsalted butter
- 1 tbs whole allspice
- 1½ cups red wine
- ¾ cups water
- 1 tsp course salt
- Preheat the oven to 350 ºF (170 ºC).
- Cut the top off the garlic head to show all the garlic cloves.
- Place the garlic head on the bottom of the pot in the centre.
- Place the chopped pancetta on the bottom all around the garlic head.
- Add one layer of pieces of meat on top of the garlic and pancetta, along with the beef shank.
- Add half the diced onion evenly over the layer of meat.
- Sprinkle half the allspice evenly over the onion.
- Repeat the last three steps - layer of meat, remaining onions and remaining allspice.
- add little pieces of the butter and pig fat over the meat.
- Pour the water over the meat.
- Pour the red wine over the meat.
- Sprinkle the course salt evenly over the meat.
- Cover the pot with aluminum foil (or lid if using a dutch oven)
- Place the pot in the oven for 2 hours, 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and let cook for another 30 minutes.
- Serve this dish with potatoes or rice.
- Caution: Your neighbours will be knocking on your door when they smell this! 🙂
I have a clay pot with a clay lid. It is German,I think. It is called a Romertof. You soak it before cooking in it, too. I am going to use this pot to make your roast! So excited!!
That’s awesome! Please let us know how it goes. Good luck!
I am going to give this recipe a try tomorrow. It will be my second attempt. My absolute favorite dish from Terceira. That and sopa do espirito santo!
I love how you got a Portuguese clay pot. Small world on those islands! I was able to find a website based from Canada that sold them at a reasonable price.
Hi Thomas, we’re so happy you’re trying the recipe. Fantastic that you found the clay pot. The internet makes life a lot easier for cooks today… recipes, tools etc. The smell of alcatra will have your neighbours nocking at your door soon 🙂
That’s what I’m going to use. I just returned from Pico Island and hoped to find a pot there to use to make Alcatra but the pots were of poor quality in the stores there. I complained to my mom who told a friend, and they offered me the Gernan one to use. Not the same but at least it’s something! Having a festa this Saturday so I hope my Alcatra dish rocks!
That sounds fantastic. I’m glad you found a decent pot to use. Wait till you smell the food in your house… you’ll be pushing away the neighbours 🙂 Best of luck with the meal.
During my trip to Terceira last fall, my host Maria and John prepared Alcatra for dinner on Maria’s birthday. It was the most delicious slow cooked meat I have ever eaten. John and Maria, however, cooked the Alcatra in traditional clay pots in an outdoor wood fired oven for more than 8 hours. Maria also marinated the meat in the wine while she was preparing the other ingredients. Delicious! I’m planning a return trip this year.
Hi Max, you can’t beat a wood fired oven… sounds like you had a premium and very authentic meal. You’ve made me hungry 🙂 Our clay pot was a gift to me from my parents. They live on the Island of Pico, but when I mentioned to them that I wanted to make Alcatra, they put the wheels in motion to get me a clay pot made in Terceira. They say that the more you use the pot, the better the Alcatra tastes… We’re currently testing that theory 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing this story with us. We’re very excited to go back on a visit as well. All the best and happy cooking!
I have this in the oven as I type this message. I don’t have a clay pot, so put it in a Dutch oven. I can’t wait to try this recipe. My grandparents were from the Azore Islands. Funny story. My grandfather came over first for an arranged marriage, but the lady never showed up. So my Grandmother, at the age of sixteen was sent over to marry my Grandfather. I lost them both at a young age, but the wonderful memories are still with me to this day. I spent every weekend with them as I was growing up. My Grandfather would pick me up on Friday and I would return on Sunday evening. It was catechism on Saturday and Mass on Sunday, then the wonderful meals my Grandmother would prepare. Some of the recipes my Mother knew by heart, but others she did not. I lost my Mother four years ago to Alzheimer’s disease, so most of those recipes went with her. I was so excited to come across your website and couldn’t wait to try something that would take me back to all of the wonderful memories. I will let you know how it turns out. I am going to write down some of the meals that my Grandmother used to make and maybe you will know the recipes. Thank you.
Patricia, I absolutely loved reading your story! it’s exciting for Liz and I to know that our recipes connect people to their roots and tradition. Let us know what you thought of the alcatra. Please do come back and let us know some of the dishes you remember from your grandmother. With a little luck, I may know how to make it. If not, I’ll give my mom a call and ask her. Take care and happy cooking!