Portuguese food

The food of Portugal is rich, & has a depth of intensity just like its people.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Red Capsicum Paste - Massa de Pimentao

I've been promising to blog about this paste for months & finely here it is. The main reason being I was waiting till capsicums were in season, I hate using things out of season.
A lot of the recipes I have used in this blog includes capsicum paste & so it was really time to include it.
I used this paste quite extensively in Portugal & become a huge fan of it. I was so disappointed when I got back & couldn't find it anywhere. After one of my Petersham pilgrimages I saw that they'd started to import it.
You can use the paste as a marinate on fish, poultry, meat, add it to stews  or  add a tablespoon in a stir fry with a bit of white wine & herbs, & you have a delicious sauce. 
I'm not sure  where this paste originated from, although the Algarve people tend to use it a lot.
It really adds just that extra bit of taste to any bland dish.
I've included 3 different types of capsicum paste, the first is my home made version, the second is a bought one from Petersham deli ( they stock Portuguese products ) & the third is European.


This is my home made version. It's delicious & really easy to make.
Makes 800g

  • 4 large red capsicum
  • 100ml olive oil
  • 10 garlic cloves
  • 1 tab salt


1. Roast capsicums on a tray, until the skin is black & blistered.


2. Once the capsicums are cooked put them into a bowl & cover with cling film.
 Once the capsicum are cooled, peel the skin & remove the seeds. Pat dry the capsicums to     remove any excess  moisture.
   






3. Add the capsicum, garlic, salt & olive oil to a food processor & blend till smooth.




 4. Put the mixture into jar containers, adding a bit of oil on top. This prevents mould growing & keeps the mixture for longer.




  This capsicum paste  is imported from Portugal & bought from - Charlie's Deli
37 New Canterbury Rd, Petersham, Sydney
Ph: 9560 4037    
The paste has a richer flavour than the home made one.




This capsicum paste is from Hungry or Croatian ( I'm not really sure ) & is similar to the home made version. It can be found at any supermarket in Sydney. I do find this paste a bit oily, so I use half the amount. I used to use this product before I could get the imported Portuguese paste.

So there you go, all 3 versions of a great paste.
There are lots of recipes in this blog that  use this paste, so feel free to browse & try some out if you like.

4 comments:

Digital Media Learning said...

I love massa de pimentao, especially when you cook it with prawns, yum.

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

Thankyou so much! I have never made this before but it sounds very straightforward! :D

Portuguese Kitchen said...

Hi belnboo it's delicious in every thing don't you think.

Hi Lorraine, glad you like it.It's so easy.

Rita BA said...

Bem! Muito obrigada pela receita! Fiquei um pouco espantada do primeiro resultado no google.co.nz para a pesquisa "capsicum paste" ser desta receita! Muito contente (o equivalente a encontrar um Português numa rua de Auckland!). Em Portugal nunca me lembrei de perguntar às minhas tias. Agora que estou longe é que me dá para sentir a falta :)