Pica-pau can be both enjoyed as a Petisco, in small portions, or as a meal, if, accompanied with a side of french fries.
This is a dish that invariably is ordered to the table in every Petiscos’ meal. Pica-pau is very consensual given its traditional flavors – it is prepared using some of the signature ingredients of the Portuguese gastronomy: olive oil, garlic and bay leaf.
As most of the recipes in our gastronomy, Pica-pau has several variations depending on the region in which it is prepared. The most relevant one has to do with the meat itself: beef or pork.
In our Portuguese ‘Petiscos’ Cooking Class you will learn to prepare the beef variant, that will for sure grant you the greatest compliments back at home!
But to be truthful, half the success of Pica-pau comes from the sauce! Every time we eat it, and long after the meat has finished, a small group of resilient friends keep on soaking that sauce with the help of some bread… A delight!
The secret of the sauce lays on the winning combination of the beef juices, the white wine, mustard and… the butter, that brings everything together in the end!
You have to check for yourself…
P.S. Keep some bread close to you. Trust me, you will need it!
Pica-pau
Equipment
- Frying pan
Ingredients
- 500 g beef diced (tenderloin)
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves sliced
- 20 g dijon mustard
- 150 ml white wine
- balsamic vinegar as needed
- salt and pepper
- 25 ml olive oil
- Piri-piri as needed
- 1 tbsp pickles chopped
- 1 tbsp olives sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- parsley chopped
Instructions
- Season the beef with salt and pepper
- Heat the olive oil and sauté the beef, until golden
- Add the bay leaf, garlic and white wine and let it boil
- Add the mustard and a few drops of balsamic vinegar
- Turn off the heat and add the butter, for the perfect texture
- Serve with pickles and chopped parsley on top.
Tried this one already and it was delicious. Great recipe!
Love the final touch with the butter…hmmm
Fast and full of flavour recipe, the balance between the wine, mustard and butter is the key for a creamy sauce