13071 Serves 8 Wed Aug 06 08:21:37 -0700 2008 Thu Feb 05 10:38:46 -0800 2009 Licensed http://www.chow.com/recipes/13071 Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:38:46 GMT Despite the unusual sounding combination of pork with clams, this is a very famous Portuguese dish. It requires an overnight marination of the pork in white wine, bay, garlic, and a pepper paste called massa de pimentão. The pepper paste itself requires a day of resting to combine flavors, so plan accordingly. This dish is best eaten with crusty peasant bread to soak up all of the delicious sauce.

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Mix the pepper strips with the salt, place in a resealable plastic bag, and allow to stand for 24 hours at room temperature.

Place the peppers and garlic in the workbowl of a food processor and while the processor is running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. (The massa will keep, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.)

Season the pork cubes with salt and pepper.

Combine the garlic, massa de pimentão, wine, bay leaf, cilantro stems, and black pepper and mix well to form a marinade. Place the pork in a resealable plastic bag, pour the marinade over the pork, and toss to coat the pork. Marinate overnight, refrigerated, turning occasionally.

Drain the pork, reserving the marinade. Heat the fat in a heavy, nonreactive skillet over high heat and sauté the pork cubes until evenly browned. Transfer to a platter and reserve.

Add the onion to the pan and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, or until soft. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic and tomato paste. Add some water to prevent burning, stir well to incorporate, cover the pot, and sweat the onion mixture for 20 minutes.

Add the reserved marinade and the browned pork and simmer, covered, for 1 hour, or until the pork is very tender. (The pork can be cooked one day in advance.)

Add the clams, cover, and cook until the clams open, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve about ½ cup [120 mL] of the stew and top with 2 or 3 clams, depending on size. Garnish with sprigs of cilantro and serve with slices of crusty bread.

]]> http://www.chow.com Arthur L. Meyer 50 Main 3 large red bell peppers, fire roasted, seeded, peeled, and cut into 2-inch [5-cm] strips

]]> 1 tablespoon [15 mL] sea salt or kosher salt

]]> 2 large garlic cloves, chopped

]]> ¼ cup [60 mL] olive oil

]]> 1½ pounds [675 g] boneless pork loin or shoulder, cut into ½-inch [1-cm] cubes

]]> Salt and pepper to taste

]]> 3 garlic cloves, minced

]]> ¼ cup [60 mL] massa de pimentão (see above)

]]> 1 cup [240 mL] fruity, dry white wine

]]> 1 bay leaf

]]> 1 tablespoon [15 mL] cilantro stems, chopped

]]> ½ teaspoon [3 mL] black pepper

]]> 3 tablespoons [45 mL] bacon fat, lard, or olive oil

]]> 1 large onion, diced

]]> 2 garlic cloves, minced

]]> 1½ tablespoons [25 mL] tomato paste

]]> 24 small or 16 medium littleneck clams, scrubbed and purged (see Chef Notes)

]]> Salt and pepper to taste

]]> Sprigs of cilantro, for garnish

]]> Crusty country bread, for service

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