Portuguese Pork and Clam Stew-Look and Cook by Anne Willan

By amaliana

Providence Journal Good Neighbor's Column

Ingredients

• Marinade:
• 3 pounds boneless pork loin
• 2 pounds hard-shelled clams, such as littlenecks
• 1 pound tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 large onion
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 dash(or more) Tabasco sauce
• Garnish:Lemon, parsley
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• Salt, pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Trim excess fat from pork. Cut meat lengthwise into thick strips, then cut crosswise into 1-inch cubes.

Marinade:
Peel garlic and chop fine. Transfer to a large non-metallic bowl. Crumble bay leaf into bowl with garlic; discard the central stem of the leaf. Add paprika, plenty of black pepper, 1 tablespoon oil and the wine; whisk to combine. Add pork; mix well. Cover and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, 24 hours.

Scrub clams under cold water. Discard any broken shells or that do not close when tapped. Core tomatoes and score an X on each. Immerse in boiling water until the skins split, 8 yo 15 seconds. Transfer to cold water. Peel, halve and seed them; coarsely chop each half.

Peel and finely chop garlic. Peel onion, leaving a little of the root attached, then halve it lengthwise. Cut each half across into thin slices.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer meat from the marinade to a plate lined with paper towels; reserve the marinade. Pat the meat dry with paper towels.

Heat remaining oil in the large casserole. Add the pork and brown well on all sides. Transfer meat to a bowl.

Lower heat and add onions and garlic, with a little salt, and pepper. Cover and cook very gently, stirring occasionally with wooden spoon until onions are very soft and brown. 20 to 25 minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, Tabasco and pork. Pour in reserved marinade; stir well. Cover and cook in oven until pork is tender, stirring occasionally, 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours. Add more wine if stew becomes dry.

Meanwhile, cut lemon into wedges. Strip parsley leaves from stems; coarsely chop the leaves.

Arrange clams on top of pork, cover and cook in oven until clams open, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Discard any clams that are still closed after cooking.

Transfer stew to a warmed serving bowl. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve lemon wedges in a separate bowl.