(Sukru’s favorite)
Ingredients
- 2½ lbs boneless pork loin-cut 1″ cubes
- 2 tbsp Massa de Pimentao (Or a paste made of 1 peeled & crushed garlic clove, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1 tbsp EVOO)
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lard (may use bacon fat, NOT vegetable shortening)
- 2 whole bay leaves (crumbled)
- 1 large onion (coarsely chopped)
- 3 lbs potatoes- peeled cut to ½” cubes
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 lbs littleneck clams (scrubbed and soaked)
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Rub the pieces of pork well all over with the Massa paste and place in a large shallow nonmetallic bowl; add wine and bay leaves, cover, marinate about 24 hours turning pork occasionally in the wine.
The next day, heat the olive oil and lard in a heavy kettle over high heat until ripples appear on the kettle bottom- the fat should almost smoke.
Lift the pork from the marinade (reserve to add to the kettle later) and brown in three batches, transferring pieces to a large heatproof bowl as they brown.
When all the pork is brown, dump the onion and garlic into the kettle, lower the heat to moderate, and stir-fry 3 to 4 minutes until limp and golden.
Turn heat to low, cover the kettle and steam the onion and garlic 20 minutes. Blend in the tomato paste reserved wine marinade, return the pork to the kettle, adjust the heat so the wine mixture barely bubbles, then cover and cook 1½ hours until the pork is fork tender.
Now bring the kettle liquid to a gentle boil, lay the clams on top of the pork, distributing them as evenly as possible, re-cover, and cook about 30 minutes- just until clams open.
Season to taste with salt and pepper,