Lombo de porco recheado com chourico

My mom and dad still host lunch on Sundays for all of us.  We all head into Taunton to hang out as a family, and do what Portuguese families do best, EAT GOOD FOOD!  My mom and dad were kind enough to measure (!!!) and take pictures of the process from this past Sunday's meal!  So here you go! Courtesy of Fatima & Daniel.


Lombo de porco recheado com chourico
4lbs. of pork loin
tablespoon of pimenta moida
tablespoon of paprika
3-4 cloves of garlic
salt to taste
12 oz can of beer
8 potatoes (or more if you want more)
1-2 links of chourico

Place all ingredients (except potatoes) in a freezer bag and marinate overnight. (if the loin is too big, use a deep bowl.  You want me to make sure the mixture covers it.)

Cut the pork open so it lays flat and is about 1 inch thick (you can actually do this before marinating, and it will taste even better!)

like this.

place your chourico links inside

roll it up and tie it.  place in a roasting pan with the marinate you used earlier.  cook for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

after an hour, quarter your potatoes and place in the marinate in the roasting pan.  return to the oven for another 30 min.

Pull it out and slice it up!

pretty dish, and it's super yummy and full of flavor!  The marinate is now safe to eat, and can be used at the gravy for the dish.  Perfect to dip your bread in :)

Carne de Porco à Alentejana

This is one of the most known and common Portuguese dishes.  Served in restaurants all over the region, it comes from the area of Alentejo, which is in the south central region of Portugal. 
Even if clams aren't your sort of thing, you need to make this, just don't eat them! :)  The meal itself is so flavorful you'll be happy with or without eating them. (But you have to have some to make this recipe, it does change the taste to not have them.  Add at least 6 of them for flavor)

Carne de Porco à Alentejana

2 lb pork loin (cut into 2 in cubes, you can use tenderloin or reg pork loin)
1 small onion chopped
1/2 tsp cumin powder
2 clove chopped garlic (I always add one more than what the recipe states, because, well, I love garlic!)
1 tsp Pimenta Moida
1 Tbsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 bay leaf
2 cup vinho verde
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp piri-piri (really this is to taste, as everyone like their heat a little different.  I usually do the 2 tsp. exactly and it's perfect.)
4 large raw potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes
1 lb small fresh little neck clams (or more if you know people love them!)
Parsley & black olives for garnish
oil for frying

In a large bowl, combine salt, garlic, bay leaf, paprika, cumin, red pepper, and 1 cup of the wine.

Add in the pork chunks stir well and let marinate for at least 3 hours or leave it overnight.

Before you start the pork, fry potatoes in hot oil until golden, and set aside.

Place clams in a bowl with cold water and 1 tsp salt. Let them sit for about 1/2 -1 hour in fridge to let the sand out.

Preheat large dutch oven on high heat with 1/4 cup olive oil and add onions. Cook until onions are almost cooked,  then add the pork, save the liquid, it's gold! Let meat brown on all sides and cook for 5-10 minutes.

Rinse and dry clams and add to the pork with 1 cup of wine and the leftover marinade. Cover and cook on medium heat until the clams open. Taste the pork and add more salt or Tabasco sauce if desired. 

Once the calms open add the potatoes into the pork and stir. Let it cook for a minute or two to let the potatoes soak up the juices. Transfer to your serving bowl and add chopped parsley  and black olives for garnish.

Let us know if you make it and how it came out for you! :)

Cacoila

You can't go to a Portuguese Festa without seeing this Portuguese version of Pulled Pork on the menu. It really is a great sandwich.  There are many ways to make this, but this is how my dad makes it :)
Serve this with a Portuguese Papo Seco!

Cacoila

5 lbs of Pork Butt-chopped into workable chunks
12 oz of beer
12 oz of water
4-5 Tablespoons of Portuguese Crushed Red Pepper
3 Tablespoons of paprika
1 whole head of garlic-chopped
1 onion chopped
Olive oil
Salt to taste

Place all ingredients expect the Olive Oil and the onion. in a bowl to create a marinate.  Add the meat to it and let it sit over night.
The following day, coat the bottom of a large dutch oil with olive oil and add onions. Saute onions until almost cooked.  Once the onion is soft add in meat chucks so that you can sear them on all sides.  Once you've done that, add the marinate to the pot.  if the marinate doesn't cover all of your meat, feel free to add more water until it does.  Just make sure to test the salt when it's almost done cooking.  Bring this to a boil mixing occasionally.  Then lower the flame and let it simmer, still stirring occasionally, until the meat falls apart and the sauce thickens.

**You could also do this in a crockpot, but make sure you sear the meat and cook the onions first, then transfer it all to the crock and go low and slow**