Carne de porco à Alentejana

Cut the pork into roughly 2 cm cubes and roughly chop the garlic.

Mix the meat with the pepper paste, garlic, wine, bay leaf, pepper and half the salt. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

Keep the clams refrigerated until needed.

Discard broken shells and any open clams that do not close when tapped, then rinse the rest. Peel and cut the potatoes into roughly 2 cm cubes, rinse and dry thoroughly. Chop the pickles and coriander.

Separate the pork from its marinade.

Melt the lard in a wide pot over medium heat and brown the meat. Add all the marinade, bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and cook for roughly 20-30 minutes until the pork softens. Check with a thermometer that the centre of the largest pieces reaches at least 63°C.

While the pork cooks, heat the frying oil in a separate deep pot to about 170°C.

Fry the potatoes in two or three batches for roughly 8-10 minutes each, until tender inside and golden outside. Extend the cooking if needed, then drain.

Once the pork is tender, add the clams, cover and cook for about 5 minutes, until their shells open.

Discard any that remain closed after cooking. Remove the bay leaf and taste the sauce, adding only as much of the remaining salt as needed.

Fold in the fried potatoes to coat lightly with sauce.

Remove from the heat and allow at least 3 minutes before serving. Transfer to a platter and finish with the pickles, olives and coriander. Divide into four servings.