Carne de Porco à Alentejana
Serves: 4
Preparation time: about 60 minutes plus overnight marinating
A substantial stew of pork and clams from the south of Portugal, the Algarve and Alentejo regions. A burst of flavors, a true representative of the Mediterranean. Sea meets country here and the flavors are just ravishing!
Ingredients:
- 1kg (2 lbs) of lean pork shoulder, cut into 5 cm (2 inch) cubes
- 24 clams, cleaned and debearded
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 medium size onions, thinly sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 thyme twig
- 1 cup of dry white wine
- pinch of hot chili pepper flakes
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1kg (35 oz) can plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped coriander
Preparation:
In a bowl, make a marinade with the white wine, bay leaf, thyme, chili pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Add the pork cubes and let it marinade overnight.
When ready to cook, remove pork from marinade and dry it well with paper towels. Save marinade.
Heat olive oil in a saucepan over high heat. Brown pork cubes all over. Set aside on towel paper.
Drain fat from pan leaving about 2 tablespoons. Add onions and sauté over medium heat stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer for about 30 minutes stirring once in a while. If sauce is too thick, add a bit of the saved marinade.
Place clams over the simmering pork, cover saucepan, and steam clams for about 3 to 6 minutes, or until they open. Taste for salt and pepper.
Serve pork and clams sprinkled with fresh coriander and crusty bead