The sun-drenched Algarve has a sub-tropical climate which allows growth of a wide
range of fruit and vegetables, many of which cannot be grown in Northern Europe. The Algarve is also renounded for its variety of fish dishes, many of which will be familiar to tourists, but there are also less known dishes based on the traditional home cooking of the interior Algarve regions.
Beans are a popular staple of the cuisine of Portugal. There are many types of beans grown in the Algarve. Most Algarve vegetable markets will have a varied selection of dried beans to choose from such as "feijao manteiga" (butter beans). The traditional Algarve bean soup is a mixture of beans, pasta and vegetables, which is usually served hot.
Ingredients:
1 slice of pumpkin (optional)
1 onion
2 carrots
2 potatoes
1 tin of beans (can be butter beans if "feijao manteiga" are not available)
1 stick of celery with the leaves
1 litre of water
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 clove
100g pasta shells
Fresh mint
Salt (add to your preference)
Instructions:
Peel the vegetables and cut the pumpkin, onion, potatoes, carrots and celery into small pieces. Place the vegetables into a pot with 1 litre of water and boil for around 20 minutes. Add half of the portion of the olive oil and the clove and cook for 5 more minutes. Add the beans, the remainder of theoil and season with salt.
Cook for a further 15 minutes and add a few leaves of fresh mint to flavour. A little fresh chilli may be added. Serve hot with fresh bread.