Introducing other Cooks and their culture.
Like you know already, I am a professional cook and I started this project to share my knowledge about cooking and show my recipes, so everybody can make delicious food at home.
During the last 15 years working as a cook I had the possibility to work in a big variety of restaurants in different countries. I met a lot of wonderful people from different cultures from all around the globe, which shared the same passion for food as me.
My idea is to present some of these amazing chefs to you and let them share their recipes. To start with, I will present to you a chef from Portugal who worked together with me in the charming city of Lisbon.
Chef David Vieira and his project “Alimenta a Vida”
David Vieira, a 30-year-old, Portuguese Chef recently entered the world of private dining. After a few years of accumulating knowledge and experience acquired in Michelin-starred restaurants, 5-star hotels, many trips, and inspiring books, he decided to launch the “Alimenta a Vida” project.
A project that in its name assumes the principles of its cuisine: Flavor, Sharing, and Joy. The flavor that always seeks the best ingredients, seasonal and from small producers; Sharing dishes and extraordinary experiences; the joy of socializing at the table in the place that makes us the happiest and with our loved ones.
“Alimenta a Vida”, offers three different services: private dinners, workshops, and consultancy for restaurants or private individuals.
It is at his clients’ house, where he performs his dinners and workshops, that David Vieira finds his inspiration, and it is in the proximity he establishes with his dinners that provide these unique moments.
Creative combinations of vegetables and light dishes with an Asian touch denote the great influence that his travels and the places he visited have on his kitchen. Authentic flavors in dishes are reinterpreted with creativity.
He worked with famous Chefs as Ljubomir Stanisic, Kiko Martins, and recently in the Bairro Alto Hotel project, with Nuno Mendes and Bruno Rocha.
“I’m not sure what happens next, but it has to be tasty” guarantees David Vieira. After all, his motto is “Feed the Life”.
You can find David and his project here:
Codfish from Chef David Vieira Recipe
Equipment
- pot
- food processor
- thermometer (not mandatory)
Ingredients
For the cream of roasted peppers with almonds
- 200 g roasted peppers without skin or seeds
- 200 g roasted almonds crashed (to facilitate the grinding process)
- 50 g natural yogurt without sugar
- 20 g honey
- to taste salt
For the chickpea salad
- 260 g chickpeas cooked
- 180 g white onion
- 60 g cucumber without seeds
- 25 g olive oil
- 25 g vinegar red wine
- 3 g oregano
- 3 g mint
- 3 g fleur de sel
- 3 g ground black pepper
- 3 g smoked paprika/sweet paprika
For the confit cod
- 2 loins codfish half cure
- 1 l olive oil
- 2 gloves garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 lemon just the skin without the white part
Instructions
The confit cod
- Start with the cod, so when its cooking you can prepare the other components.
- In a pot place the cod and cover with olive oil.
- Add the crushed garlic gloves, the bay leaves and the lemon peel.
- Turn the heat on low. You should always cook the cod at low heat otherwise it will dry out, the oil should never overheat or boil! If you have a thermometer, see that the temperature of the oil does not exceed 70 °C.
- The cod will be ready when you start to see small bubbles on its surface.
- The thicker the loin, the longer it will take to cook the cod, so you will have to take into account the time vs density of the fish. The fillet is cooked when it has reached a core temperature of 60 °C.
The cream of roasted peppers with almonds
- With the help of a food processor, grind all the ingredients well until you get a thick cream.
The chickpea salad
- Peel and laminate the onion in julienne as thin as possible.
- In a bowl, place the onion with the oil, vinegar, salt and mix well.
- Leave to soak for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut the mint leaves roughly and cut the cucumber, ideally into small cubes, but you can cut it the way you like best.
- After 10 minutes, mix all ingredients well! Taste and rectify the seasoning if necessary.
Plating
- On a plate put the cream on the base, the salad on top and the cod last. If you want you can use the flavored olive oil to put it on top of everything at the end.
