Portuguese · Alentejo · main

Migas Alentejanas com Entrecosto

Migas Alentejanas com Entrecosto reads richness 6.6, umami 6.4 and citrus 5.3 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Portuguese · Alentejo main, about 12 hr 59 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 6.6 · Umami 6.4 · Citrus 5.3 · Salinity 5.3 · Fruity 4.9 · Allium 3.7 · Sweetness 3.6 · Sourness 3.0 · Smoke 2.9 · Funk & Ferment 2.7 · Floral 2.0 · Bitterness 1.9 · Earthy 1.4 · Warm Spice 1.0 · Nutty 0.6 · Herbaceous 0.6

What's in it (12)

Time & effort: about 12 hr 59 min (58 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 173.9 kcal, 9.1 g protein, 9.4 g fat, 11.5 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

  1. The Alentejo is a bread country, and its two great dishes — açorda and migas — are both ways of making stale bread into dinner. Alentejo migas are not the Castilian kind of loose fried crumbs; they are pressed in the pan into a solid roll, sliced like a pudding, and served against the fat of the pork.
  2. Massa de pimentão is the ingredient you cannot leave out. It is red peppers salted, sun-dried and pounded with garlic and olive oil into a thick paste, and it is in almost everything the Alentejo cooks. Portuguese grocers sell it in jars. Tomato purée is not a substitute and neither is harissa.
  3. Rub the ribs with the crushed garlic and the massa de pimentão, add the bay and the white wine, cover and marinate 12 hours in the refrigerator, turning once.
  4. Render the lard in a wide heavy pan over medium heat for 5 minutes. Lift the ribs out of the marinade, pat them dry and fry them for 25 minutes, turning often, until they are deep brown and cooked through. Add the marinade for the last 5 minutes. Take the ribs out and keep them warm; leave every bit of fat in the pan.
  5. Slice the bread as thinly as you can — 3 mm — and pull it apart into rough pieces. Alentejo bread is a big sourdough wheat loaf with a thick crust; use the closest thing you can find, and it must be a day or two old.
  6. Sprinkle the bread with the hot water a little at a time, tossing, until it is evenly damp but nowhere soggy — about 3 minutes of patient work. Off the heat, stir the pimentão-doce into the pork fat.
  7. Tip the bread into the hot fat and now work it for 15 minutes over medium heat: press it flat with a wooden spoon, let a crust form on the base, then fold it over on itself and press again. Repeat until you have a dense golden roll that holds its shape and is crisp on the outside. Season with salt. Slice it thickly, lay the ribs alongside, and serve with black olives and slices of orange, which cut the fat.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.