WORDS: DAVID GANHÃO
RECIPE: MARIA MELO
PHOTOS: NOAH GANHÃO
A MESA DA AVÓ MARIA
Bacalhau: a treasured dish
T
o borrow a phrase from Shrek, Maria Melo is “like an onion”– there are lots of layers. She was a working mom, she’s musical, she’s a fantastic painter, she has volunteered many hours at her local Portuguese club, spends time with friends, attends many cultural events throughout the city, is a loving grandmother and she cooks…lots. Maria has great passion when it comes to everything she does, especially food and cooking. “Growing up, I always helped my mother cook. I hold these moments fondly in heart and have continued to create them with my children and grandchildren. I wanted them to learn how to cook traditional food from our region in Portugal. Naturally I focused on our favourite main dishes but didn’t forget the delicious petiscos (light snacks) like pataniscas de bacalhau (cod fish cakes), rissóis de carne (meat patties), moelas (stewed chicken gizzards) or the various Portuguese chor-
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LUSO LIFE
iços. Christmas was always a joyous and delicious time of year, as I would cook up filhoses (a type of fried doughnut), rabanadas (often winesoaked fried bread) and homemade flan pudding.” When we approached Maria to contribute a recipe, she was ecstatic and immediately had one in mind—almost like she was anticipating the invitation. “The dish that satisfies me the most is one I created many years ago which my friends named Bacalhau Maria Melo” Bacalhau (dry salted cod), potentially Portugal’s most treasured dish, has Canadian roots. Legend has it that in the 16th century, when Portuguese fisherman were off the coast of Newfoundland, codfish was so abundant, that it was jumping into their boats. Once their catch made its way back across the Atlantic, the people at home were hooked. The love affair with bacalhau is so strong, that they boast of 365 ways to prepare it—its versatility making it easy to love. It
can be served hot with potatoes, cold in a bean salad or fried into little fish cakes as an appetizer. Grilled, baked, boiled or canned, you truly cannot go wrong. If we consider bacalhau the pinnacle of Portuguese gastronomy, it’s easy to understand why Maria chose this as her recipe. “I first created this dish as a young girl, in my home town—Ferreiros, Gondoriz, Arcos de Valdevez. Over the years I have lived in various countries and have prepared this recipe for family and friends throughout the journey. To me, it is important that my family preserves our culinary traditions and that others may experience the delicious flavours of Portuguese cuisine.” Having now tried Bacalhau Maria Melo, we would like to submit this as bacalhau recipe #366. Enjoy!
