Today, I wanna tell y’all about some Portuguese pork recipes. That’s food from Portugal, you know. They got some mighty fine ways of cookin’ up a pig over there. My grandma, bless her heart, she used to say, “A good meal starts with good meat.” And she was right! I remember those days. So let’s get to it!
They got this thing called… uh… “Carne de Porco Alentejana.” Sounds fancy, don’t it? But it ain’t nothin’ but pork with some white wine, some of that red pepper paste, and some other stuff. They marinate it, see? Let it all soak in real good. Makes the pork all soft and tasty. They stew it you know, low and slow, like a good gossip session on the porch. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
They say pork is cheaper than most other meats over there in Portugal. Except for them little sardines. So, naturally, folks got creative with their pork recipes. That’s what happens when you gotta make do with what you got. You make somethin’ outta nothin’, that’s what my mama always said. And believe me, they made somethin’ real good outta that pork!
Then there’s this other thing… Cacoila. They call it “ka-SOI-la.” Don’t ask me why. Comes from some islands, they say. Azores, I think it was. Anyway, it’s another one of them Portuguese pork recipes that’s just fall-apart good. You know the kind that just melts in your mouth like butter on a hot biscuit? Oh, lordy, it’s good.
And you can bet your bottom dollar they got more than just one or two ways to cook a pig. They got roasts, they got chops, they got all sorts of things. They roast it, they fry it, they do whatever. Just like we do here with other dishes. But over there, it’s all about that pork, pork, pork!
- They got this roast, see? They call it Portuguese Pork Roast. Sounds simple enough, right? But they put some sausage in it, and some red wine.
- Then there’s them grilled pork chops. Who don’t love a good grilled pork chop? They serve it with them roasted potatoes and veggies, all on the same plate.
- They make a pork loin, too. That is the tender part of the meat. They serve it with sweet potatoes. The orange ones, you know. And some white rice.
They got so many pork recipes, I can’t even keep up! 21 at least! That’s what I heard. Seems like there’s a different one for every day of the week and then some. And they all got different flavors, too. Not just the same old thing over and over. No sir, they know how to spice things up!
You know what, that black pork they got is special. They call it “Porco Preto”. It’s probably why that stew I was tellin’ you about, that Alentejana thing, is so darn good. That black pork just got a different kind of flavor, I reckon. You ain’t gonna find that just anywhere, you know. You gotta go to Portugal for that. Or maybe find a good butcher who knows what he’s doin’.
And they got this suckling pig, too. “Leitao” they call it. It’s a whole little pig, roasted up real nice. I hear it’s a big deal up in some part of Portugal. Bairrada, they call it. Sounds like a party to me! A whole pig roast! Just imagine that.
Well, I reckon that’s enough about them Portuguese pork recipes for now. My mouth’s startin’ to water just thinkin’ about it all. Maybe I’ll try to cook up some of that Cacoila one of these days. If I can find the right kind of pork, that is. It ain’t easy findin’ good meat these days, you know? Everything’s all packaged up and shipped from who-knows-where. But I’ll manage. A woman’s gotta eat, right?
So, there you have it. A little taste of Portugal, right here at home. Hope you enjoyed it. And if you ever get a chance to try some of these pork recipes, you let me know what you think. I bet you’ll be sayin’, “That old lady sure knew what she was talkin’ about!” And you’d be right. I do. I always do when it comes to food.
That is all for today. I hope this little story about food can help you learn some good recipes. Remember what grandma said, a full belly makes a happy heart. Go and make some good food, and come back for more food stories next time!