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Tasty and Artistic Retreat - Alentejo
Cooking Class Vacation Itinerary
Cooking Classes in Portugal
Day 1 – Monday – Arrive at Herdade da Matinha. Settle in and relax before meeting your fellow cooking class participants and your cooking instructor Alfredo at a welcome dinner in the Herdade.
Day 2 – Tuesday, 6:00 PM – After breakfast at the Herdade, you have the morning and afternoon free to participate in an excursion, explore the area on your own, or enjoy the peace and tranquility of the Herdade. This evening, your cooking adventure begins. Today’s lesson begins at 6 PM and may include dishes such as sautéed carrots with fresh coriander, farmer’s dried codfish with vegetables au gratin, oven-baked veal with wild berry and Port wine sauce, and fresh goat cheese with tomato, cinnamon and apple jam.
Day 3 – Wednesday, 6:00 PM – After breakfast, you have the morning and afternoon free to participate in an excursion, explore the area on your own, or enjoy some down time. This evening, your second cooking class with Alfredo begins at 6 PM. Today’s lesson may include dishes such as eggplant sautéed with orange juice, arroz de marisco (seafood rice), braised pork cheeks with a spicy sauce, and sautéed pears with caramelized orange zest and porto wine for dessert.
Day 4 – Thursday, 12 PM – After breakfast at the Herdade, you have some time to relax or explore the area on your own. This afternoon, at 12 PM you will visit the small, local, family-run bread baking business, where the Herdade gets all of the delicious bread you have enjoyed this week. You will see how the bread is prepared, using different flours and baked in a wood-fired oven, which makes the bread crusty on the outside and yet very moist on the inside. Next, you will travel to the Alentejo coast, where you will enjoy a farewell lunch with a view of the wild and rugged ocean in a quaint sea-side restaurant nestled into the steep cliffs. You will return to the kitchen at around 6 PM and begin your final cooking class. Today’s lesson may include dishes such as salmon with dill, sautéed pepperoni, clams sautéed in white wine and garlic, lamb stewed with black beans, dark cabbage and a touch of mint, and peach gratin with a touch of sesame oil and caramelized walnuts for dessert.
Day 5 - Friday – Breakfast at the Herdade and check out. We say farewell to the Alentejo region.
