Ingredients:- 1 sirloin steak- Olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder to taste- 2 tablespoons butter- 1 medium onion- 2 cloves garlic- 50 ml Franciscan sour cherry liqueur- Sour cherries (optional) Preparation:Season the steak with salt, pepper, paprika and garlic powder and set aside.Soften the butter in a frying pan, slice [...]
Melaria Monte Novo
One of the main aims of Despensa Franciscana is to promote and publicise the history behind the businesses located in the Alto Alentejo region. This time we went to Vale Lavrador in Caia to visit a melaria, a very interesting and well-recognised family business in our region. Élia and Jorge, the founders and mentors [...]
Chef Jacinta's Lamb Stew and Sarapatel Soup by Restaurante O Lagarteiro
We went to meet Chef Jacinta and took over her kitchen for a day to learn how to make the famous lamb stew and sarapatel soup, an Easter tradition in the Alentejo. This tradition is closely linked to Easter Monday and, consequently, to the Jewish-Christian culture to which this [...]
CONCEITOS DE ESQUINA with Susana Guerra
We went to Campo Maior to visit the Conceitos de Esquina shop and talk to its founder, Susana Guerra, while sipping a creamy coffee from the local brand. We discovered yet another extremely interesting project that we truly fell in love with. Born in Elvas, Susana Guerra moved to Campo Maior at the age of three for professional reasons [...]
Franciscan toast
Ingredients: Preheat the oven to 220º. Brush the slices of bread with olive oil and arrange the ingredients in the following order: thin slices of cheese, thinly sliced cherry tomatoes, walnuts broken into small pieces, oregano and finally the sour cherry jam spread over all the toast.The quantities can [...]
Local Accommodation - Monte da Falagueira
Monte da Falagueira was born halfway between Portalegre and Arronches. A Local Accommodation on top of a hill, surrounded by a huge cork oak forest, where the air is pure and the landscape is breathtaking. Monte da Falagueira was born by the hand of its hosts Inês and Ricardo, [...]
OFICINA D'ART by Susana Perpétua ceramist
We went to visit Susana Perpétua's Oficina d'Art to learn a little more about the history of this renowned ceramicist from the Alto Alentejo. Susana, a Ribatejo woman from Santarém, came to the Alentejo with her family at just three months old, due to her father's professional obligations, and ended up staying and adopting the region as her homeland. [...]
Franciscan broas
Broas are cakes with a special tradition at Easter, Christmas or All Saints' Day, but they're good at any time of year. We've adapted the recipe with our Franciscan ginjinha and the result couldn't have been better. With Easter coming up soon, we challenge our readers to get their hands [...]
Vila Alpalhão Accommodation
At the end of 2023, a new local accommodation was born in Alpalhão, a space that has been carefully remodelled to welcome all those who enjoy a good stay with family or friends. We got to know the latest project by Filipe Duarte, a local son who, at the age of 18, left Alpalhão to study abroad and went [...]
Interview with César Azeitona
On a sunny autumn afternoon, we went to meet writer and broadcaster César Azeitona, a much-loved and popular figure in the Alentejo region, because as well as sharing his good humour through the microphones of Rádio Portalegre, he still has time to be a writer and is already on the fourth volume of his collection [...]