Carne de porco à alentejana

Ingredients

Pork and marinade

• 1 kgpork shoulder, in 3 cm cubes
• 3 tbspmassa de pimentão, red pepper paste
• 4 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 200 mldry white wine
• 2bay leaves
• 1 tsppaprika
• salt and black pepper

Clams

• 1 kgsmall clams

To cook

• 4 tbsplard or olive oil
• 3potatoes, in 2 cm cubes
• oil, for frying the potatoes

To finish

• 1large bunch coriander, chopped
• 1lemon
• pickled vegetables

Directions

1. Purge the clams in cold salted water for 2 hours, changing the water twice, and throw away any that stay open when tapped. Grit in the sauce ruins the dish and no later step will take it out.
2. Marinate the pork with the pepper paste, garlic, wine, bay leaves, paprika, salt and pepper for at least 4 hours, and overnight if you can.
3. Fry the potato cubes separately in hot oil until golden and crisp, then drain and salt them.
4. Fry the potatoes apart from the meat, always. Cooked in the sauce they turn soggy, and the contrast between crisp potato and soft pork is half of what the dish is.
5. Lift the pork out of the marinade and dry it well, keeping the liquid.
6. Sear the pork hard in lard, in batches so it browns rather than steams, then return it all to the pan.
7. Add the reserved marinade and simmer for 20 minutes, until the pork is tender and the sauce has reduced and thickened.
8. Tip in the clams, cover, and cook over a high heat for 4 to 5 minutes until they have opened. Discard any that stay shut.
9. Take the pan off the heat and stir in a great deal of chopped coriander, far more than looks reasonable.
10. Fold the fried potatoes through at the very last moment, or pile them alongside, and serve with lemon wedges and pickled vegetables.

Technique

• Despite the name, the dish is Algarvian in origin. The Alentejo connection is the massa de pimentão, the red pepper paste in the marinade.
• Pork and clams sounds unlikely and is one of the great Portuguese pairings, the salt of the shellfish playing directly against the marinated meat.
• Coriander in quantity is not optional. It is a load-bearing ingredient here.

Substitutions

• Harissa thinned with olive oil and sweet paprika in place of massa de pimentão.
• Mussels for clams, which open faster so watch them.
• Pork loin if you want it leaner, reducing the simmer to 10 minutes.

Variations

• With the potatoes cubed small and crisped hard, almost like croutons.
• With the clam liquor strained and reduced into the sauce.
• With a splash of aguardente in the marinade.

History

Despite the name the dish is Algarvian in origin; the pork is marinated in massa de pimentão, an Alentejo red-pepper paste.

Frequently asked questions

What is Carne de porco à alentejana?

Carne de porco à alentejana is a main from Portugal: marinated pork cubes fried with clams, coriander and cubed potatoes. Despite the name the dish is Algarvian in origin; the pork is marinated in massa de pimentão, an Alentejo red-pepper paste.

How long does Carne de porco à alentejana take to make?

Carne de porco à alentejana takes 30 min plus 4 hr marinating of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Carne de porco à alentejana?

Yes, within limits. Harissa thinned with olive oil and sweet paprika in place of massa de pimentão. Mussels for clams, which open faster so watch them. Pork loin if you want it leaner, reducing the simmer to 10 minutes.

What is the most important thing to get right in Carne de porco à alentejana?

Sear the pork hard in lard, in batches so it browns rather than steams, then return it all to the pan.