Chef Margarida
Azeitonas Temperadas
The marinated olives that sit on every tasca table in Portugal, swimming in garlic, herbs, and enough azeite to make you reach for bread before you've even ordered. This is how we begin.
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Pica-Pau
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The petisco that keeps you at the table longer than you planned. Tender beef swimming in garlic and wine, spicy enough to demand another beer, served with pickles and toothpicks for the picking.
Appetizers & Snacks
Portuguese
Comfort Food
Dinner Party
15 min
Active Time
15 min cook•30 min total
Yield4 servings
This is the dish that makes you miss your train. You go into a cervejaria for one quick beer, and then someone puts a cazuela of pica-pau on the table, and suddenly it's three hours later and you've solved all of Portugal's problems with strangers who are now your friends.
Pica-pau means woodpecker. Watch anyone eat it and you'll understand: pick, pick, pick at the meat with toothpicks, dip in the sauce, crunch a pickle, drink your beer, repeat. It's not a dish you finish. It's a dish you keep returning to while the conversation flows.
The beef must be good. Not fancy, but good. Cut it into small bites, sear it hard, then let it swim in garlic and white wine with enough piri-piri to make you reach for your glass. The pickles aren't garnish. They're essential. That sharp vinegar cuts through the richness and resets your palate for the next bite.
I learned this dish not from Avó Leonor (she was Alentejo through and through, more pork than beef), but from the cervejarias of Lisbon where I spent my twenties. Every tasca has their version. Some add mustard. Some use beer instead of wine. Some make it so spicy you question their intentions. All of them are right. This is petisco culture: shared plates, cold beer, and nowhere to be.
Pica-pau emerged from Lisbon's cervejarias in the mid-20th century, becoming synonymous with the city's drinking culture. The name references the woodpecker-like motion of picking at the meat with toothpicks. It belongs to the tradition of petiscos, Portugal's answer to tapas, though any Portuguese will tell you petiscos came first.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
beef sirloin or tenderloin
Quantity
500g
cut into 2cm cubes
extra virgin olive oil (azeite)
Quantity
4 tablespoons
garlic cloves
Quantity
6
thinly sliced
bay leaves
Quantity
2
dry white wine
Quantity
1/2 cup
piri-piri sauce
Quantity
1-2 tablespoons
sweet paprika (colorau)
Quantity
1 teaspoon
Dijon mustard
Quantity
1 tablespoon
sea salt
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
for garnish
roughly chopped
Portuguese pickles
Quantity
for serving
crusty bread
Quantity
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| beef sirloin or tenderloincut into 2cm cubes | 500g |
| extra virgin olive oil (azeite) | 4 tablespoons |
| garlic clovesthinly sliced | 6 |
| bay leaves | 2 |
| dry white wine | 1/2 cup |
| piri-piri sauce | 1-2 tablespoons |
| sweet paprika (colorau) | 1 teaspoon |
| Dijon mustard | 1 tablespoon |
| sea salt | 1/2 teaspoon |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
| flat-leaf parsleyroughly chopped | for garnish |
| Portuguese pickles | for serving |
| crusty bread | for serving |
Equipment Needed
- •Wide heavy-bottomed skillet or pan
- •Cazuela or shallow serving bowl
- •Toothpicks
Instructions
- 1
Season the beef
Pat the beef cubes completely dry with paper towels. Season generously with salt, pepper, and the paprika. Toss to coat evenly. Wet meat won't sear. It will steam and turn grey and sad. Dry meat gets that beautiful crust.
- 2
Sear the meat hard
Heat the olive oil in a wide heavy pan over high heat until it shimmers. Add the beef in a single layer, leaving space between the pieces. Don't touch it. Let it sear undisturbed for 2 minutes until deeply browned on the bottom. Flip and sear another minute. Work in batches if needed. Crowding the pan is how you ruin this dish.
The pan needs to be properly hot. If the meat doesn't sizzle aggressively when it hits the oil, your pan isn't ready. Wait. - 3
Build the sauce
Reduce heat to medium. Add the sliced garlic and bay leaves to the pan. Let the garlic turn golden, about 30 seconds. It should perfume the kitchen immediately. Add the white wine and let it bubble, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. These are flavor. Don't leave them behind.
- 4
Finish with heat
Stir in the piri-piri sauce and mustard. Let everything simmer together for 2 to 3 minutes until the sauce reduces slightly and coats the meat. The beef should still be pink inside. Overcooked beef is a crime against the dish. Taste and adjust the heat. You want it spicy enough to make you want beer, not so spicy you can't taste the garlic.
- 5
Serve for picking
Transfer to a warm cazuela or shallow bowl. Scatter the parsley over the top. Serve immediately with a bowl of pickles alongside, a pile of toothpicks, and plenty of crusty bread for soaking up the sauce. Put it in the center of the table and let people pick. That's the whole point.
Chef Tips
- •Vinho Verde makes a perfect cooking wine here. It's light, slightly acidic, and very Portuguese. Don't use anything you wouldn't drink.
- •The pickles matter more than you think. That acidity cuts through the richness and resets your palate. Portuguese pickled vegetables (usually carrots, cauliflower, and gherkins in the same jar) are traditional. If you can't find them, cornichons work.
- •Some cervejarias add a splash of the pickle brine to the sauce at the end. It's not traditional, but it's not wrong either.
- •This dish should be served hot but not scalding. You're picking at it over time. It's fine if it cools a bit. The flavors actually open up.
Advance Preparation
- •The beef can be cut and seasoned up to 4 hours ahead. Keep refrigerated and bring to room temperature before cooking.
- •This dish is best made fresh and served immediately. Reheating overcooks the beef. Make it when your guests are already at the table with their beers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 125g)
Calories
420 calories
Total Fat
28 g
Saturated Fat
7 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
20 g
Cholesterol
110 mg
Sodium
580 mg
Total Carbohydrates
3 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
1 g
Protein
33 g
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