Pork Alentejana Food

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.

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.

PERFECT PORK TENDERLOIN

Steps:

• For the pork tenderloin: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Place the peppercorns in a resealable bag and crush them coarsely with a meat mallet or rolling pin.
• Mix together the salt, peppercorns, thyme, rosemary and crushed red pepper, if using, in a bowl. Season the pork with the seasoning mix.
• Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the pork and cook, turning as needed to brown the pork all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until cooked through (145 degrees F on a meat thermometer), 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and tent with foil to rest.
• For the herby mustard cream sauce: Return the skillet to the stovetop over medium heat. Melt the butter, then add the garlic, thyme and rosemary and cook for a minute or two Sprinkle over the flour and cook, stirring, for an additional minute. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the cream thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in the whole-grain mustard and parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
• Slice the pork and shingle it onto a platter. Spoon some of the sauce over the top and sprinkle over some chopped parsley. Transfer the remaining sauce to a sauceboat or serving bowl and serve alongside the pork.

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.

PORK AL PASTOR

Steps:

• Puree the salt, pineapple, achiote and garlic in a blender until a thick paste forms, adding up to 1/4 cup water if necessary.
• Trim and remove most of the fat from the pork butt. Slice and then dice the trimmed meat and mix with half the puree. Place in the fridge and let sit for 24 hours.
• Before cooking the pork, rub the puree into the meat, adding more if necessary. Add to a skillet and cook over medium heat until the meat is cooked through and browned, 6 to 10 minutes.
• Serve in tacos, over rice and beans or on potatoes.

PORK AND CLAMS

Steps:

• In a small food processor, combine garlic, salt, pepper flakes and paprika. Process until smooth. Add 1/2 cup of the oil and process until smooth. In a glass mixing bowl, toss the meat with the pureed mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator, to marinate at least 8 hours, overnight if possible. In a cataplana (or a large saute pan with a lid), over medium heat, add the remaining 1/2 cup of oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions. Season with salt. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the pork and saute for 4 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Add the clams, and season with salt. Cover and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Remove from the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes. Remove any shells that do not open. Stir in the parsley. Serve in individual serving bowls with crusty bread.

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

LEFTOVER PORK AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• In a skillet, saute the onion, red pepper and celery in oil until crisp-tender. Add the pork, carrots, mushrooms, gravy, broth, soy sauce and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until carrots are tender. Serve over rice.

KALUA PORK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place pork fat-side up in a roasting pan or deep casserole dish. Combine water and liquid smoke; pour over meat. Sprinkle with salt. Cover and roast in a preheated oven for three hours. Remove from pan and shred.