Portuguese Mixed Meat Boil (Cozido à Portuguesa)

Cozido? What’s that?

Liz and I both grew up with this dish. Both Liz’s mom and my mom made their own versions, but the concept is the same. Basically, it’s a variety of meats, sausages and vegetables, slow cooked to perfection. The flavours are layered-in throughout the cooking process. Since some of the ingredients take longer to cook, we start with those first and then add the other ingredients in phases. I’m writing this story as the “cozido” is almost ready to be served… and let me tell you… it smells awesome in the house!

Where can you find the best cozido?

That’s not a fair question 🙂 I think people would find the “cozido” from their region to be the best one. I won’t argue that because I find that the dishes we grow up with tend to be nostalgic for us, and in our minds–the most delicious too. It’s really a question of personal taste.

How different are the different versions?

Every region’s cozido can vary a bit. Sausages across Portugal are prepared differently, and this would obviously bring different flavours to the recipe. Also, different regions use a variety of cuts of meat which bring a different fat content to the dish.

I’ve had a few versions of this dish in my lifetime so far. In Canada, I’ve tried this dish at a couple of Portuguese restaurants in Toronto, and at Liz’s parents house. Growing up, I obviously ate my mom’s “cozido” often… and I loved it. I loosely based today’s recipe (ingredients and process) on my mom’s version, and then I made a couple of tweaks. First, my mother-in-law uses a type of sausage called farinheira which I absolutely love, so I added that. Then, although neither my mom nor Liz’s mom include chicken in their cozido, I have had it that way too, and so I added it to my version of this recipe.

The most memorable Cozido I’ve ever had…

The most memorable cozido I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating was not my mom’s or Liz’s mom (no offence ladies). No…the most memorable was one that was cooked by Mother Nature.

There’s an area of St. Michael’s Island in the Azores called Furnas. This particular area has a lot of geothermal activity. There are hot springs of iron-rich water, geysers, giant puddles of boiling water–so hot that the water is constantly bubbling and huge clouds of steam fill the air above it, and there are areas where the ground is so hot that you can literally slow-cook a meal–specifically, cozido.

This is what adds a special touch to the Furnas version of the cozido; and the reason this version is the most memorable for me. The meal is slow-cooked underground in volcano-heated steam holes. The food and spices are carefully placed in a large pot that is wrapped in tea towels and tied with rope. An official park employee lowers the pot into one of the man-made holes, then covers it with dirt and places a numbered marker on top. It’s interesting to note that there’s no liquid added to the pot; the food slowly cooks with steam from the meat’s own juices. Geothermal energy does its thing and about 5 hours later the park employee uncovers the pot and pulls it out. That’s it…the meal is complete. The results are pretty incredible.

Our version won’t be as impressive as the “Cozido da Furnas” (we can’t cook underground), but it’s still super tasty! Give our recipe a try, or visit Furnas in the Azores to try their amazing version at a local restaurant. However you do it, always eat well, friends.

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Portuguese Mixed Meat Boil (Cozido à portuguesa)

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

3 hr 30 mins

Total Time

3 hr 50 mins

 

A traditional Portuguese dish. There are many versions, but it typically consist of a variety of meats, sausages and vegetables slow cooked to perfection.

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: Azores, Portugal, Portuguese

Servings: 8 to 10 servings (for large appetites)

Author: Nelson Cardoso

Ingredients

• 3.3 lbs beef chuck (acém), bone-in. Do not cut this into small pieces.
• 6 lbs pork picnic shoulder, bone-in (pá de vaca) with some skin and bone. Do not cut this into small pieces.
• 1/4 cup coarse sea salt
• 1 lbs thick cut bacon or pancetta (toucinho)
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 large cooking onion, diced
• 8 cloves garlic
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• 15-20 leaves collard greens, washed and trimmed (about one grocery store bunch)
• 3.3 lbs chicken mixed pieces (leg, thigh and breast)
• 0.75 lbs chouriço (1 piece). Sweet or hot depending on your preferences.
• 1/2 small cabbage, washed and cut in quarters
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut in 3 pieces each
• 3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in half
• 8 small to medium white potatoes, peeled and whole
• 0.7 lbs morcela or blood sausage (1 piece)
• 0.8 lbs salpicão (1 piece)
• 1.2 lbs farinheira (2 pieces)

Instructions

1. Salting the meat. Please note that this will sound like a lot of salt, but a lot of the salt will be washed off before you start cooking.

2. The night before preparing this meal, rub the salt evenly over the pork and beef. Place the meat in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

3. Wash the salt off the beef chuck with cold water and place it in a very large pot.

4. Add water (we used about 7 litres), thick cut bacon, cinnamon, onion, garlic and tomato paste. This might seem like a lot of water at first, but you'll be adding lots of ingredients to the pot.

5. Bring the water to a boil on high. Reduce to medium, cover and simmer for 1 hour.

6. Wash the salt off the pork picnic shoulder with cold water and place it in the pot.

7. Add the collard green leaves to the pot.

8. Bring the water to a boil on high. Reduce to medium, cover and simmer for 1 hour.

9. Add the chicken, chouriço, cabbage pieces and carrots.

10. Bring the water to a boil on high. Reduce to medium, cover and simmer for 1/2 hour.

11. Taste the broth and add salt if necessary at this point. Add the remaining sausages and potatoes. Add a little water if necessary. 

12. Bring the water to a boil on high. Reduce to medium, cover and simmer for 1/2 hour or until the potatoes are cooked through. Poke with a fork to test.

13. Carefully place the meat and vegetables on a large serving platter and serve hot. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

• This is a foundation of the meal. Feel free to add other meats, sausage or vegetables. The quantities are also flexible.
• Caution with the salt! Since the beef and pork are salad over night, some of that salt flavour will transfer to the water. The sausages also contain quite a bit of salt. Adjust the salt almost at the end of the cooking process if necessary.
• The pork may sound like a lot of meat, but the bones will account for a bit of the weight.
• The sweet potatoes used in the Azores have a yellow flesh. I wasn't able to find those in my area of the city, so I used orange skinned sweet potatoes instead, which are readily available in most stores near our house. If you can find the yellow skinned sweet potatoes, try those instead.
• Feel free to cut all the ingredients in half for a smaller portion.
• This recipe is only a base for the "cozido" recipe, feel free to try your own favourite sausages or cuts of meat. 

Nelson Cardoso