Porco Porto e Pimentão

This recipe is a wonderful melding of great Iberian ingredients, and with Catalonia on the brink  of possible independence from Spain what better time to remember long ago, in days of yore, when it was one big Iberian peninsula. It was only in 1980 under King Juan Carlos that  Andalucia became an autonomous community.

Iberian acorn fed pork, incomparable Portuguese port wine and smoky Spanish paprika (pimenton de la vera),all come together to make this amalgam of a region´s finest ingredients. Coriander (coentros), and olive oil bring the essential flavouring to this tapas-style dish.The coriander adds more of a Portuguese flair than a Spanish one, while the pimenton dulce gives it its Andalucian bite.I think you can have quite a bit of leeway with the type of alcohol used,as long as it is fairly sweet,to balance out the vinegar in the marinade.For instance you could use pink port or  Marsala wine.

When I serve this as a tapas plate, I’ll probably do it the Middle Eastern or Indian style: with pita or naan on the side. Grab a piece of chicken with a torn piece of flatbread instead of using toothpicks

Get more deliciousness at Port and Paprika Chicken Bites Recipe | Leite's Culinaria

I think you could have quite a bit of leeway with the type of alcohol used, as long as it is fairly sweet, to balance out the vinegar in the marinade.

Get more deliciousness at Port and Paprika Chicken Bites Recipe | Leite's Culinaria

• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tablespoons port (ruby or tawny)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size chunks (about 1-inch dice)
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion

Directions

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• 1. Grind the garlic and bay leaves together in the work bowl of a hand blender or mini chopper. (Alternatively, chop the garlic by hand and finely crumble the bay leaves and combine.) Add the port, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the vinegar, paprika, and salt and pulse until well combined.
• 2. Pour the mixture over the chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
• 3. Just before cooking, chop enough cilantro to make 1/2 cup. Scatter the cilantro on a serving plate.
• 4. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat in a wok or large skillet. With a slotted spoon, scoop the chicken pieces out of the marinade and into the hot oil, arranging the chicken in a single layer and discarding the marinade. Cook until browned on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes, then stir-fry until cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more. Scoop the chicken out of the pan, leaving any excess oil behind, and place the chicken on the cilantro.
• 5. Add the onion to the oil in the hot pan, return it to medium-high heat, and cook, stirring, until the onion is browned at the edges, about 2 minutes. Scoop the onion out of the oil and strew it over the chicken.
• 6. Serve the plate of chicken bites hot or at room temperature, sprinkled with a touch of salt and with cocktail picks or toothpicks for handling.

Get more deliciousness at Port and Paprika Chicken Bites Recipe | Leite's Culinaria2 garlic clove2 bay leaves

3 tablespoons white port

2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

2 teaspoons sweet paprika pimenton de la vera

1/2 teaspoon Flor de sal,plus more to taste

1 pound(500g) tenderloin of pork cut into bite sized chunks About 1in dice

1/2 cup chopped coriander

1/2 cup finely diced onion

Grind the garlic and bay leaves together in the blender I used a mini processor. Alternatively chop the garlic by hand, finely crumble the bay leaves and combine.Add the port,1 tablespoon of the olive oil,vinegar,paprika and Flor de sal and pulse well till combined.

Pour the mixture over the pork.Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

Just before cooking,chop enough coriander to make a bed  on a serving bowl.

Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil on a medium high heat in a wok or large skillet.With a slotted spoon scoop the pork pieces out of the marinade and into the hot oil, arranging the pork in a single layer and discarding the marinade. Stir fry until cooked through,about 5 minutes.Remove the pork from the pan,and transfer to the bowl of coriander leaves.

Serve the plate of pork pieces hot or at room temperature,sprinkled with a touch of Flor de sal and cocktail sticks for handling.

2 garlic cloves

2 bay leaves

3 tablespoons port (ruby or tawny)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size chunks (about 1-inch dice)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/2 cup finely diced onion

Get more deliciousness at Port and Paprika Chicken Bites Recipe | Leite's Culinaria

As an alternative to cocktail sticks or bamboo skewers for nibbling on these delicious little bites, and for a more middle eastern or Indian style tapas, try serving this with pitta or naan on the side.Grab a piece of pork with a torn piece of flatbread instead of using tooth picks.