Best Pork Alentejana Recipes

PORK ALENTEJANA

Steps:

• For marinade, combine wine, paprika, garlic, bay leaves, 1 tsp salt, and dash of pepper. Add pork. Cover; marinate 2 hours or overnight in refrigerator, stirring occasionally.
• Drain port, reserving marinade. Pat meat dry. In skillet brown pork in half of the hot oil. Add reserved marinade. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered about 45 minutes or till liquid is almost evaporated. Skim off fat and remove bay leaves.
• Meanwhile, cook onions and pimentos in the remaining hot oil until the onion is tender. Add the clams, the 1/2 tsp salt, and the 1/4 tsp of pepper. Cover and cook 5 to 7 minutes or till shells open (discard any that do not open).
• Add pork mixture to the clam mixture; heat through.

CARNE DE PORCO A ALENTEJANA (PORK MEAT WITH CLAMS)

Steps:

• 1. In a food processor add the garlic, salt, pimenta muida or red pepper, and paprika; process until smooth, then slowly drizzle in 1/2 of the olive oil as you process.
• 2. In a plastic zip bag add the cubed pork, the garlic mixture, and 1 1/2 cups of white wine, zip bag and toss a couple of times and place in refrigerate overnight or at least for 8 hours.
• 3. Remove from refrigerator and let sit for 10 minutes. In a large pot add remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil and saute onions until golden, remove meat with slotted spoon and lightly saute. Then add the marinade and remaining 1 1/2 cups of wine; let come to a boil, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes or when meat is done,if needed add the water, add the clams and contiue to cook, when opened add shrimp and cook until shrimp turn pink; discard any clams that have not opened.
• 4. Remove from heat and top with the parsley. This dish is served right out of the pot. On a plate add some of the cubed fried potatoes and top with some pork, dip your crusty bread in the sauce and yum, so good. Enjoy!
• 5. I no longer live a portuguese community so I order my Portuguese Olive Oil on line now at www.portuguesefoodsonline.com

EAST MEETS PORTUGAL 'ALENTEJANA' -- PORK AND CLAMS EAST MEETS WEST STYLE

Steps:

• Place the clams, salt and cornmeal in a bowl and completely cover with cold water. Let them soak and purge for 1 hour. Drain, rinse and set aside. In a hot saute pan, coat lightly with oil and saute half of the garlic and ginger. Add the zucchinis and caramelize, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and add drained clams.
• Deglaze with half of the wine and shaoxing and cover. Add a little water if needed if clams do not fully open. Once clams are open, set aside. (discard any that do not open). Keep liquid. Wipe pan out and coat with oil on high heat. Season the pork brisket with salt and paprika and brown on all sides. Add onions and caramelize. Add black beans.
• Deglaze with remaining shaoxing and wine and reduce by 50 percent. Add chicken stock and half of the reserved clam juice. Check for seasoning and add more clam juice if necessary. Bring to a simmer and reduce by 60 percent. Check again for seasoning and add zucchinis and clams. Add lemon juice and whisk in butter. Check one more time for flavor. While the sauce is reducing, season the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper and sear in a hot, oiled pan. Brown well on all sides and finish in a 375 degree oven until medium, about 10 minutes.
• For the potatoes, heat the curry oil to 375 degrees and first blanch the potatoes until lightly brown. This can and should be done in advance. Right before serving, fry again, this time until golden brown, drain well, season with salt, and toss with cilantro. (frying it twice produces a very crisp product).
• PLATING Using an o-ring in the center of the plate, fill with the pork sauce. Top with fried potatoes. Cut each pork tenderloin into 3 equal pieces and surround ring. Pull ring off and serve.
• Make a paste with curry powder, water salt and slowly add oil. Let stand for 1 hour to settle. Use top, yellow oil for garnish or frying.

PORTUGUESE PORK ALENTEJANA

Steps:

• In large bowl, combine wine, paprika, salt and pepper, blend well. Add garlic cloves, bay leaf, and cubed meat, turn meat in marinade to coat pieces. Marinate for 6 hours, turning occasionally.
• Drain pork; reserve marinade. Pat cubes completely dry. Discard garlic and bay leaf. Melt 1 teaspoon of oil in large skillet. Add pork cubes, stirring frequently so that the meat colors quickly and evenly. Transfer with slotted spoon to a bowl.
• Pour reserved marinade into skillet and bring to a boil over high heat, scraping off any brown particles clinging to the inside of pan. Boil briskly uncovered until marinade is reduced to 1 cup. Pour over pork and set aside.
• In 6 to 8 quart pan, heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil; add onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently until onion is soft but not brown. Add garlic, tomatoes and crushed red pepper. Simmer, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
• Spread the clams, hinged side down, over the tomato sauce; cover the pan tightly and cook over medium to high heat for ten minutes or until clams open. Stir in reserved pork and juices. Simmer for 5 minutes to heat thoroughly. Sprinkle with parsley.