The Portuguese Black Pork (Porco Preta)

Black Pork

If you travel to Portugal to a villa in Lagos and or rent and apartment in Albufeira your guaranteed to have a wonderful holiday.   But notice all the various lifestyle differences this part of the world has to offer.  Sun and pristine sandy beaches are obvious.  The small differences are hard to see at first and from a culinary view point Porco Preta or black pork is one of those items.


Pork (porco) is everywhere in Portuguese food and, this being a country where very little is wasted, pretty much every part of the pig can be found in one dish or another. Cheap and full of flavour, pork is often eaten pink, which can seem strange to those brought up in countries where this is still seen as dangerous (and not without good reason).

Porco preto ibérico (known in English as ‘black pork’) is sourced from a breed of grey and black pigs native to Portugal’s Alentejo region, which range freely while stuffing themselves full of acorns, resulting in incredible-tasting meat.  Some Portuguese favourite cut of porco preto is secreto – a long, fat-marbled strip that is perfect when cooked over a hot grill with loads of salt on it. Sadly it’s incredibly fattening, so has to remain something of a rare treat rather than an everyday meal!

One recipe  is black pork tenderloin grilled in the aroma of thyme and rosemary

Ingredientes-
One choice piece of black pork tenderloin,
Potatoes peeled and sliced into chunks ,
To garnish meat rosemary &thyme,
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper,
Sweet peppers cored and sliced
3 cloves of garlic,
Half the juice of a lemon ,
To finish a nice Alentejo red wine  and very good company.

Next time you go self-catering Portugal check out the restaurant menu for Porco Preta.
Tags : self catering holidays in portugal, self catering portugal, portugal apartments, lagos apartments,

News Updates from Portugal February 2016

Here are few interesting news item taken from the  The Portugal News  paper dated the 6th February 2016

1. There are plans to develop a hotel at the site of Oports famous Sao Bento railway station. The station structure is renowned for its architecture and history.   The design will include areas for a number off shops and also an arts and cultural centre.  The property is owned by Infrastructure Portugal.   Another station in the pipeline for redevelopment is Lisbons

Sao Bento Oporto

2.  The Portuguese city of Braga has been voted the best Portuguese city to live in.  It comes after a European wide study. The city of Braga reached the third place category. Alongside  the cities of Stockholm and Malaga in the over all European placings.  The cities of Oslo, Zurich and Alborg in Denmark Vilnius and Belfast were slightly higher.  Lisbon came in the middle of the table.

Braga

3 With the rise in the Portuguese economy. Locals are inclined to travel more.  The number continued to rise in the third quarter of 2015.  The report says 33.8% of population went on some form of travel between July and September up 3.7% on the same period in 2014. Private self-catering accommodation seems to be the principal choice.  Keywords like apartments Lagos, vilamoura villas would have been widely used.

4. The Portuguese airports of Oporto, Ponta Delgada (Azores) and Faro have fared well in the latest ranking compiled by ACI (Airports Council International) Europe in terms of growth and traffic.
Oporto was ranked among a ‘group three’ level of growth, alongside Milan, Gothenburg, Berlin and Glasgow, where in the northern airport’s case footfall for the year of 2015 rose by 16.7 percent, to between five and ten million passengers a year.
Ponto Delgada (Azores) was ranked among Group 4, where passenger traffic was below the five million passenger mark but still registered rises, in the Ponta Delgada’s case, of 29.5 percent.
Solely regarding the month of December 2015, Faro airport registered a growth in figures of 17.3 percent, compared to December 2014, and was placed among the top-5 European airports where monthly passenger figures most grew.
The many thousands of visitors staying in the Algarve having searched accommodation using keywords algarve villas ,  algarve villa holidays, algarve rentals, apartments algarve,  algarve apartments      apartments in algarve, algarve accommodation,  algarve villa rentals, would also also have searched their flight destination as Faro.

Faro Local Bus NEXT

When we rent a villa in the Algarve we try to use the excellent public transport system as much as possible.  In this short article I have taken a look  at Next - URBAN TRANSPORT OF FARO.

Faro Bus Company

Next is the new urban transport network of the city of Faro which gives you  a wide choice. Both in terms of the timetables, and in terms of routes available and that allow you to travel to most locations within the city area.

They are always had a high standard of comfort and convenience. Now  with a modern fleet of buses that will make your trip into a pleasant experience that standard will be maintained and improved.

Tickets can be purchased on board from the bus driver.  Each ticket is valid until the journey ends

Daily tickets

A paper ticket sold by the driver on the bus. Valid for an unlimited number of trips during 24 hours since the first purchased. Available only for use in circuits (current minibus).

Pre-purchased tickets.

There a credit card type ticket which incorporates technology that allows the user to swipe on boarding the bus.  It can be loaded for the following journeys:

PXM1 circuits - Valid for use on all circuits and lines up to the limit of the PXM 1.

The PXM2 - Valid for use on all circuits and lines up to the limit of the PMX 2.

The PXM simple lines - For use only in a zone of the line where it is made the validation of journey. Exclusive use in those lines.

PMX3 - use up to three areas of the routes where it is made the validation of use. Exclusive use in lines.
The PXM4 - For use in four or more of the routes where it is made the validation of title. Exclusive use in routes.
Faro itself is a good place to take a holiday.   Praia de Faro is a beautiful location with lots of top class eateries.  Also some excellent self-catering accommodation and hotels.  Check out my Search Tips. For Faro Bus transfer search Faro Airport website.  For Faro local bus use simple keywords "faro local bus". As usual keep keywords simple.

Tags: villas to rent in albufeira,   villa to rent in portugal, self catering albufeira, albufeira accommodation,

Portuguese wine with its own style

Any of us that  spent time or spend time in Portugal realise how important the wine industry is to the economy of Portugal.   Strangely enough in Ireland we don't import as much Portuguese wine as we do Spanish or French and others.

Vineyard in Douro Valley

Each year a wine producers  awards are given to  winners of the Producers of Wines of Portugal 2015 This year the awards were presented on the  May 15, at a function held in the establishment of Dão Wine, in Viseu,

The contest had enrolled 1156 national wines from all wine regions of the country. Among the presentation 280 medals be distributed ,  24 Large gold and 47 of gold. The ceremony will finish with the announcement  of the best wines of the year in various categories: best sparkling wine, better fortified, Better and Best Wine Of Varietal Portugal 2015.

Jorge Monteiro, president of ViniPortugal, underlined that "not only we surpass the goals to count with over 1150 wines, as new if confirmed the excellent average quality wines because more than 60% obtained note that allowed them to obtain a medal although Regulation limit to 25% the medals to assign. But the most important thing is to bolster this high quality in most wines".

The award- winners that have received the highest accolades in winning wines categories will qualify to participate in in the marketing of Portuguese Wines as a national brand to International markets.  Next time you book a villa in Portugal or a self-catering apartment in Lisbon take the opportunity to taste Portuguese wines you will not be disappointed.

Search Tips:  Search for Portuguese wine  "wines of Portugal,  Douro wines,   Searching for Portuguese accommodation try  "holiday villas, holiday villa rentals, holiday rentals portugal , villas for rent in portugal, villa to rent in portugal, holiday homes in portugal, villa rentals portugal, holiday villas in portugal, villas in portugal, villas portugal, holiday villas portugal,  self catering holidays in portugal, self catering portugal, portugal apartments,

Algarve is the Golfing Capital of Europe

The Old course in Vilamoura is a well known golf course built in the beautiful Algarvian countryside.  The course designer was Frank Pennink .

Old Course Vilamoura

 It became a Golf club in 1967.  The visitors on a self-catering holiday with find it a great course to play.  If living in the Vilamoura area are fortunate enough to be a member count yourself lucky.  It was once described as the Grand Dame  of Algarvian Golf Courses and was the first of the Oceanico and easily the most popular of the five Vilamoura courses. When I do occasionally play golf I enjoy a number of aspects the challenge of the game itself, the ability to get sometime alone or indeed with good social company, the joy of being out doors in all weathers, but last but not least special of being one with nature.  The Old Course provides this in abundance. The Old Course is blessed with lush flora, pine tree lined fairways give it the feel of colonial opulence experienced in such places as Augusta. as in the American Masters. It is laid out over and around gentle sloping hills with tree lined fairway which meanders throughout impressive pine trees — the principal hazard – over gently undulating natural terrain, and poses quite a stern test and forces you to put the emphasis on accuracy and course management ahead of length........They offer discount golf rates for The Old Course in Vilamoura. This is the second oldest golf course in the Algarve. Set in an umbrella pinewood and laid out in an interesting way to take advantage of the natural contours. It is from the English school of Course design. The first Holes are easy and inviting with reachable Par-4s. The Par-3 on the attractive fourth is a Hole in One potential. Club selection from here will play an important part of your game, and straight shots will be needed. The ninth is an excellent example of this situation. The back nine has three interesting Par-5s. The sixteenth hole provides a 522 metre challenge for a shot of good length and hitting straight.  If you're planning a Golf holiday in Vilamoura  Goholidaylets has many excellent villas in Vilamoura also some excellent villas in Lagos.  Praia Village Vilamoura would be worth a try.
Search Tip:  Apartments Lagos, Golf holidays Algarve, villas Portugal, apartments Vilamoura villas in Vilamoura, villas Algarve.

Have a safe POOL experience

All the talk nowadays is climate change.  Warmer summers wetter colder winters.
Well with the warmer summers will come the need to coll down.  When this happens its natural to head for the water be it pool or sea.  The danger is f we are not acustom to water we can change it for granted not realise water can be trecherious if you do not acknowledge the dangers.

Pool Safety
Recent studies by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission have confirmed that young children are most vulnerable to critical and deadly accidents when near residential, in-ground swimming pools. As a result, many states have legislated and promoted the use of pool fencing as a security measure.

In the US they have started to install a number of safety features to protect children in pool areas that are interesting.

1. Frameless glass pool fencing ensure an unobstructed view to monitor children.
2. Toughened safety glass provides durable wind protection.
3. Tempered glass panels are produced with rounded and polished edges.
 4. Four and five feet high fences are climb resistant.

The glass gate has self-closing hinges to ensure the gate cannot accidentally be left open.

Unfortunately children still are drowned in pools each summer.  We are involved with self-catering apartment rentals which include villias in Albufeira, villas in Lagos.   Most of which have their own pools. So if bringing your children on a self-catering holiday ensure they are safe without spoiling the fun.

Nowadays an essentail skill is being able to swim. We need to understand that swimming is a life skill that can prevent a catastrophic outcome. The ability for a child to know how to swim can save their life.  How many things a young child learns can be regarded as lfie saving.  It’s like teaching them to put on their seat belt, or strapping them in the car seat. Something any adult never ignores; yet preventable drowning still remains a problem with young children having the highest drowning rates.

The pressure is on for the modern family to find the time and place to make swimming skills a priority.

Here are the top threeThe top three factors, from the CDC website, that influence drowning are:

Lack of swimming ability
Lack of proper barriers
Lack of close supervision

The lack of swimming ability and the lack of close supervision are the factors that can be changed with a change in mindset or attitude of the parents. It is this change that can prevent a drowning.

Dont be ditracted when supervising kids at poolside.  One time distractions were magazines books or amybe a transistor radio.  Nowadays its iPads iPhones and Kindles internet in your hand.
If your child has not yet become a proficient swimmer, you must be in the water within arm’s reach at all times.

If this short simple article will get you aware of the dangers without spoiling the fun we will be pleased
Book that self-catering apartment in Portugal and enjoy the holiday safely.

Search Tip: When searching for a self-catering apartment in places like Patio de Convento in Lagos or Praia Village in Vilamoura question how you access the pool.  We would like to access pool area secured by gates and fences.  Your booking a villa in Portugal in any area ensure the pool has safety equipment nearby.
Happy Holiday

Killarney It is all in the name of the Pub

I recently wrote a blog on our website about the Killarney Golf and Fishing Club.  Magnificent  Golf Club under the shadow of the McGillycuddy Reeks  on the shores of Lough Lourne.
This particularly   golf club show cases all the natural beauty that Killarney has to offer.   It has been operating here for many years.   I have a gut feeling because its is located in an National Park that nowadays objections would prevent its development.

Killarney Rose New York

We provide a platform for Killarney service apartments and Killarney self-catering apartment to advertise.  Killarney Holiday Village is our main focus in the town.
But while focusing recently on Killarney I began research the use of the word or brand Killarney.   Put in the USA immediately appeared.
The first being the Killarney Rose  at  127 Pearl St., New York, NY 10005
For several decades now, Killarney Rose has been a go-to financial-district watering hole for suits and locals alike. Part bar and part restaurant it has an extensive menu with an extensive floor area that allows table service.  The is taken from their website which is refreshingly open and honest “extensive list of traditional heart-clogging bar foods (calamari, wings, and mozzarella sticks) alongside sandwiches, salads, and burgers. In a cheeky move, happy hour is never at the same time each day; a bartender starts and ends things at his discretion with the sound of a bell”.
The have an upstairs area that can be reserved at weekends for parties. The go on to outline the fact that they sell beer  by the half-yard, and as they live gigs they can sometimes be over done.
Come to think of it we have serviced apartments and self-catering apartments in New York.
Another Irish Pub is on the Killarney list.
It is Killarney’s Publick House is the premier irish pub in Mercer County, NJ. They offer a wide selection of Irish drafts and bottles, including Guinness, Harps and Smithwicks. Yes Harp and Smithwicks I am guessing it doesn’t matter they drink that stuff in Ireland any more. They claim to have an  a full menu featuring some of the best Irish and traditional dishes in the Central Jersey area.
Don’t go on to say what is there traditional dishes.
The warm and welcoming ambiance at Killarney’s make it an perfect spot to host a party, watch a sporting event, or just grab a drink with friends. See you for a pint! Sláinte.

Moving swift to West Coast of the US we find the following pub.
Raiders Haunts: Killarney Pub and Grill, Huntington Beach, California
 Killarney Pub and Grill in downtown Huntington Beach, California, is just a hop, skip, and a jump from Huntington Beach's famous pier.

As the only Irish pub on Huntington Beach's main drag, Killarney's serves classic stouts, ales, and whiskeys along with traditional Irish cuisine. Signature dishes include hearty Irish breakfasts and delicious steak and Guinness Pies.

From karaoke to lives bands to D.J.s with dancing, there is entertainment every night of the week, and there is never a cover charge.
And when the Oakland Raiders are playing, you had better believe that Killarney's is stuffed to the gills with passionate Oakland Raider fans.
Killarney Pub and Grill 209 Main Street, Huntington Beach, California Telephone: (714) 536 7887 Website: Killarney Pub and Grill.