Rocco's Restaurant

Chef Joseph Cerqueira

There are moments when life is a classroom. When you have a passion for something, every day’s lessons stretch beyond actual schooling. Such is the culinary past of Joe Cerqueira. Growing up in Arcos De Valdevez, Portugal, this self-taught chef has been cooking for more than 30 years, and his work knows no global boundaries.

Throughout his life, the experience was Chef Cerqueira’s teacher. He discovered his love of cooking during his time working in hospitality at his aunt’s restaurant in Portugal. He then moved on to working in restaurants in France and traveling to Venezuela, where he learned the formality of hospitality. Once he took the trek across the ocean to America, he worked his way through the restaurant business and finally opened his first location in 1995 with his wife Maria. Atasca in Cambridge’s Kendall Square (with a 2000 move from its original smaller location on Broadway Street) brought authentic Portuguese meals to the table, grabbing a coveted spot on Boston magazine’s Best of Boston list as Best Portuguese Restaurant.

In 2015, he moved on to his next endeavor as the co-owner of Rocco's Restaurant, a beloved Italian restaurant in Wilmington that has been around since 1940. He still creates experiences around his native land with the occasional Portuguese night, complete with music, dishes, and tradition.

In this episode, Chef Joe shows us a typical Portuguese dish of pork and clams with the cilantro sauce, carne à alentejana.

Recipe - Pork and clams (carne á alentejana)
4-6 people

Ingredients

2 lb. pork shoulder cut into 2-inch cubes (you can use pork loin)
1 onion chopped
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp red pepper paste
1 1/2 Tbsp sea salt
¼ c olive oil
1 bay leaf
1 cup white wine
1 Tbs paprika
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp red hot crushed peppers
4 cups potatoes, cubed
2 lb. small littleneck clams
1/2 cup pickled vegetables
chopped cilantro for garnish

In a large bowl, season pork with; salt, garlic, bay leaf, paprika, red pepper, 1/2 cup of the wine.

Mix well and let marinate for at least two hours

Fry potatoes in hot oil until golden brown, season with sea salt and set aside.

Place clams in a bowl and rinses well

Preheat a large skillet on high heat with 1/4 cup olive oil and add onions. Cook for about 1 minute then add the drained, marinated pork mixture, (save the liquid). brown meat on all sides and cook for about 5 minutes.

Rinse and dry clams and add to the pork with 1/2 cup of wine and the leftover marinade. (Add more wine if desired to make more sauce) Cover and cook on med heat until the clams open. Taste the pork and add more hot sauce if desired. Add the potatoes into the pork.

Garnish with pickled vegetables and chopped cilantro.