Black Pig Pork Loin over a Red Pepper and Breadcrumb Compote

By Chef António Nobre

Hotel Cartuxa de Évora – Alentejo

Black Pig Pork Loin

Ingredients: For 4 People

• 800 gr. black pig pork loin
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 2 Bay leaves
• 2 dl. white wine
• 40 gr. black pig linguiça (small sausages)
• CORTES DE CIMA olive oil
• chili powder

Preparation:

Cut the pork loin into medallions and flatten them out lightly;

Season the medallions with the garlic, chili pepper, white wine and 1 of the bay leaves, and let it marinate for 2 hours before you prepare the meal.

Pan-fry the meat and the linguiça in olive oil; reserve the fat at the end from frying to use in the preparation of the aspargus migas.

Fried Linguiça an d Asparagus Migas

Ingredients:

• 400 gr. fresh green asparagus
• 600 gr. Alentejo bread crumbs, dried out from the previous day
• 1 dl. CORTES DE CIMA olive oil
• 2 whole eggs
• 4 cloves of garlic
• salt

Preparation:

Blanche the green asparagus in water, with a little salt e save a little bit of this water;

Chop the asparagus;

Heat up a pan with the olive oil, chopped garlic and the other bay leaf. When this mixture has sweated down, add in the chopped asparagus, cooking for a short while before adding in a small amount of the fat taken from the frying the meat. Soak the bread crumbs with a little bit of the water used for blanching the asparagus and mash with the help of a spoon;

Add in the previously cooked linguiça, with the eggs and a little bit of the fat and cook over low heat.

When the migas becomes unstuck to the pan and forms a ball, it is ready to plate.

NOTE:

The migas will be more flavorful if prepared using wild asparagus;

The application of salt has to be taken with care, as there is already added salt in the chili powder.