Portuguese Pork Stew with Clams

Pork Stew with Clams

My Portuguese relatives have left me with a bounty of recipes. I share some here on the blog once in a while. They never made this pork stew with clams recipe though. We tried it at a Portuguese Dinner Party we hosted a few years ago (recipe originally from Food and Wine). It’s amazing! It’s great served with Portuguese roasted potatoes and Portuguese salad.

🛒 Ingredients Needed:

• extra virgin olive oil
• boneless pork butt
• large onions
• garlic
• dry white wine
• tomato paste
• lemons
• bay leaves
• fresh thyme and fresh cilantro
• sweet paprika
• kale
• small clams
• jarred roasted red bell peppers
• baguette
• kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne pepper

✏️ How to make Pork Stew with Clams:

*The complete, printable recipe is in the recipe card at the end of this post.

MAKE THE STEW:

1. In a large, enameled cast-iron casserole dish, heat ¼ cup olive oil. Working in three batches, sear the pork over moderately-high heat until browned all over, about 5 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork to a platter and season with salt. Don’t worry about trying to keep it warm.
2. Sauté 1 onion and 5 cloves of garlic in the heated casserole dish and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the wine and cook over moderately high heat until reduced by a third. Whisk in the tomato paste, water, lemon zest, bay leaves, thyme, paprika and a generous pinch of salt. Return the meat and any accumulated juices to the casserole dish and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender, about 1½ hours. (Resist the urge to take the lid off to check progress. Keeping the lid on will help the heat stay in there and cook the pork until it’s tender as can be). Skim fat and discard, as needed.

MAKE THE RED PEPPER SAUCE:

In a food processor or blender, process the drained peppers with garlic, salt and cayenne pepper. Taste and add additional seasoning, if desired.

MAKE THE GARLIC TOASTS:

Preheat oven to 325°F. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil and garlic. Brush the baguette slices with the garlic olive oil mixture. Place on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted.

FINISH AND SERVE:

1. When ready to serve, remove the casserole lid and stir in the kale a handful at a time. Stir in ½ cup of the red pepper sauce and season with pepper. Cover and keep warm on very low heat.
2. Prepare the clams: In a large sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the remaining minced onion and 1 clove of garlic and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the clams and remaining red pepper sauce. Cover and cook until most of the shells have opened, about 4 minutes. 

➡️ Tips and Substitutions:

• If preparing this recipe as GLUTEN FREE, just leave off the garlic toasts, or prepare something similar w/ a GF bread.
• Look for clams that are closed tightly. Don’t buy them if they’ve opened up, unless you’re sure they’re still alive.
• You can add mussels to this dish too!

✔️ Make Ahead Tips:

You can make the red pepper sauce ahead of time. Everything else will be most fabulous when made on the spot and served.

Portuguese Recipes:

• Portuguese Doughnuts
• Portuguese Sweet Bread
• Pastel de Nata
• Orange Cake
• Green Olive Dip