Portuguese Carne de Porco a Alentejana

Ingredients:

500g pork belly or loin cut into cubes

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1tomato chopped

1tsp tomato purée 

1potato cubed

Fresh pepper, ground

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

1 tbsp paprika

1tsp chillie flakes

1 cup white wine

1 onion chopped

150g clams

1tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

Olive oil

1 tbsp Goan coconut vinegar (optional)

Cilantro for garnish

Cooking

Marinate the pork with wine, garlic, paprika, freshly ground pepper,cinnamon, salt and chili flakes. Mix well and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or best to keep overnight.

Remove the meat from fridge and bring to room temperature. Separate the meat from the juices. Heat olive oil in a skillet and fry the pork till evenly colored. Remove meat from pan and keep aside. Now add onion to the same pan and fry till translucent. Then add tomatoes and fry for a minute. Now add potatoes along with the juices kept aside from the marinade, mix well. Cover the skill and let cook for at least 10 minutes on a high flame.

Once the potatoes are cooked add the clams and cook till all are open, about 5 mins. Now add the pork meat back again along with the tomato purée and mix well. Add vinegar along with cilantro and sugar, fry for a minute. Server hot with bread (Pao) to mop up the juices.

Enjoy!.

You will be surprised to know that this dish is the basis on which the famous Goan Vindalho evolved in Goa, to know more read this Post.

Spaghetti vongole (Clams)

Ingredients:                                                                                                   

3 cloves garlic
1 tomato
1 onion
1/2 tsp red chillie flakes
Pepper
Oliver oil
Few leaved of cilantro
1/2 cup white wine
100g clams
Spaghetti for single serving

Cooking:

Boil the spaghetti with salt as per the instructions on pack.

Finely chop garlic and onion. Cut the tomato and keep ready. Heat a couple of spoons of olive oil in a shallow frying pan and add garlic, fry for a minute and then add onion and continue frying till translucent.  Now add the tomatoes and fry till tomatoes are cooked. Then add the clams and stir to mix well.

Add the wine and cover the pan and allow to cook for about 5 minutes,  till all the clams have opened. Open the pan and gently mix, then add the spaghetti along with the finely chopped cilantro,  mix well and fry for a minute. Sprinkle fresh pepper and serve.