Alentejo Pork and Clams with Fried Potatoes and Pickles

What you need

• 800 g (1 3/4 lb) boneless pork shoulder, cut into 3 cm cubes
• 3 tbsp red pepper paste, massa de pimentao
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) dry white wine
• 500 g (1 lb) small clams, live
• 800 g (1 3/4 lb) waxy potatoes, peeled, cut into 2 cm cubes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• neutral oil, for frying the potatoes
• 100 g (3.5 oz) mixed pickled vegetables, drained and chopped
• 50 g (2 oz) black olives, optional
• 1 handful cilantro, chopped
• salt, to taste
• black pepper, freshly ground, to taste

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Toss the pork with the pepper paste, garlic, bay leaves, wine, 1 tsp salt and plenty of pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, overnight if you can.

2. 2

   Scrub the clams and leave them in a bowl of cold, well-salted water for 1-3 hours. Change the water once, then drain.

3. 3

   Heat 5 cm of neutral oil in a deep pan to 175 °C (350 °F). Fry the potatoes in batches until golden and tender, 8-10 min. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

4. 4

   Lift the pork out of the marinade and keep the marinade. Pat the pork dry.

5. 5

   Heat the olive oil in a wide heavy pan over medium-high heat. Brown the pork in batches until deeply colored on all sides, 6-8 min per batch.

6. 6

   Return all the pork to the pan and pour in the marinade. Cover and simmer over low heat until the pork is tender and cooked through, 40-45 min. Add a splash of water if the pan dries out.

7. 7

   Remove the bay leaves. Raise the heat to medium and scatter the clams over the pork. Cover and cook until the shells open, 4-5 min. Discard any clams that stay shut.

8. 8

   Fold in the potatoes, pickled vegetables and olives and heat through for 2 min.

9. 9

   Stir in the cilantro, taste for salt and serve straight from the pan.

Imported from ncultura.pt. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.