Artist's Palate: Paula Rego's lulas guisadas
![Paula Rego’s lulas guisadas](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ygLjgiQKkeu7UwvUPjxeU6-415-80.jpg)
For all the fame of bacalhau, it's often squid stewed in tomatoes that is the real childhood comfort food of the ex-patriot Portuguese and their co-linguists from Mozambique to Brazil. Paula Rego's grandchildren are no exception and have grown up having her simple version of the stew for Sunday lunch. She cooks hers in onions, tomatoes and parsley for an hour or so, until the squid is melting into the sauce. As a dish it has a rootedness which echoes the Portuguese fables told in her paintings. And the squid, as a creature, is as much a beautiful grotesque as any of the spiders, skeletons or squatting women who populate her tableaux. It certainly makes a more Rego-esque Sunday lunch than roast beef and Yorkshire pud. Her themes of feminist folk tales and subverted myth are painted in outlines as bold as the flavours of her favourite stew.
Ingredients
Serves 4 to 6
1 large onion, finely chopped
olive oil
1kg of fresh tomatoes or 2 x 400g cans of tinned tomatoes
2kg fresh cleaned squid (ask the fishmonger to clean it and wash any gloopy bits at home), chopped into fat rings or strips, with tentacles intact
Salt and pepper
Bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped including the stalks
Method
1. Simmer the onion gently in the olive oil. This is called refogado in Portuguese and is the start of most recipes. Do it gently until the onion is transparent, but don't let it brown.
2. If you're using fresh tomatoes, add them to the onions, put a lid on and sweat for a few minutes. Take the lid off, stir and sweat some more, then add a cup of boiling water.
3. Add the chopped squid and tentacles, put the lid on and simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally and adding water if needed. Keep prodding the squid with a fork to see if it's cooked. When the fork goes in easily, add the salt and pepper.
4. Add the chopped parsley and cook for another 15 mins. The squid should be tender when you poke it. (The squid will get softer the longer you cook it.)
5. If you're using tinned tomatoes, add the squid to the cooked onions first, put the lid on and cook for about 5 mins. Add a cup of water, put the lid back on and simmer, making sure the squid doesn't burn. The squid will also release its water. After about 20 mins, add the tinned tomatoes and cook for an hour. Prod the squid every now and then to see if it's cooked. When the fork goes in easily, add the salt, pepper and parsley.
6. Serve with plain boiled rice or mashed potato. Both will soak in the squid gravy.
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
-
Feel at home at Auberge, Château La Coste's new inn for culture lovers
Auberge La Coste sits at the heart of the art-filled estate, minutes away from the joyful town of Aix-en-Provence
By Harriet Thorpe Published
-
This Nova Lima apartment is a Brazilian family oasis with striking Minas Gerais views
A Nova Lima apartment designed by Jacobsen Arquitetura celebrates its long, natural Minas Gerais vistas
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Commune’s sustainable personal care products look ‘quite unlike anything else’
Commune’s Somerset-made products stand out in the sustainable skincare crowd. Madeleine Rothery speaks with the brand’s co-founders Kate Neal and Rémi Paringaux
By Madeleine Rothery Published
-
Artist's palate: Landon Metz’s recipe for cacio e pepe
New York-based artist Landon Metz’s recipe for cacio e pepe is a minimal yet magic addition to our monthly artist's palate series, an homage to our favourite contemporary art
By TF Chan Published
-
Artist’s Palate: Chiharu Shiota’s recipe for okonomiyaki
Get tangled up in Chiharu Shiota’s recipe for okonomiyaki, from our January 2023 issue’s Artist’s Palate feature, a Wallpaper* homage to our favourite contemporary art
By TF Chan Published
-
Artist’s Palate: Jose Dávila’s chocolate fudge with pecans
Try Jose Dávila’s indulgent recipe for chocolate fudge with pecans, from our December 2022 issue’s Artist’s Palate feature, a Wallpaper* homage to our favourite contemporary art
By TF Chan Published
-
Holly Hendry’s mum’s banoffee pie recipe
Gorge on Holly Hendry’s glutinous recipe for banoffee pie, credited to her mother. As featured in our monthly Artist’s Palate series, a Wallpaper* homage to our favourite contemporary art
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Last updated
-
Judy Chicago’s smouldering recipe for Niçoise salad
Experiment with Judy Chicago's trail-blazing recipe for Niçoise salad, accompanied by original smoke sculpture. Chicago’s celebratory dish features in Wallpaper’s October 2021, 25th Anniversary Issue as part of Artist's Palate, a series of culinary homages to our favourite contemporary art
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Last updated
-
Artist Nari Ward's recipe for ackee and saltfish patties
Nari Ward’s staple Jamaican dish offers more than it says on the tin. As featured in our monthly Artist’s Palate series, where we interpret recipes in homage to our favourite contemporary art
By TF Chan Last updated
-
Artist's palate: Oliver Beer’s sesame and peanut candy
The British artist's Korean-inspired fusion of fruit, nuts and seeds is music to our tastebuds, as featured in our monthly recipe series
By TF Chan Last updated
-
Artist’s Palate: Sean Scully’s pancakes
Flip through Irish-born artist Sean Scully's dynamic pancake recipe, as featured in our monthly Artist’s Palate feature
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Last updated