by Amélia Ávila (’24) | March 22, 2024
When he’s not lecturing for AP US Government or analyzing classic cinema with his Film as Lit class, Mr. Carroll enjoys sampling different cuisines. After seeing my previous column featuring his newspaper co-moderator, Mrs. Sherrard, Mr. Carroll challenged me to make vinha d’alhos. Vinha d’alhos is a dish traditionally served in the Azores Islands, where Mr. Carroll’s maternal side hails from. As a fellow Azorean, I was excited to cook this dish for him. “I’ve actually cooked this once before with Mr. Volta, so I’m familiar with the basic idea of the dish,” Mr. Carroll told me, “I’m thrilled to try vinha d’alhos again.” To make a truly authentic dish, I decided to follow my dad’s recipe.
Essentially, Azorean-style vinha d’alhos is pork meat marinated in wine, bay leaf, allspice, paprika, salt, garlic, and massa de malagueta—crushed red chilis typical to Azorean cuisine, with a spice level similar to tabasco. Historically, the dish was called “carne de vinho e alhos,” which translates to “meat with wine and garlic,” but was later popularized as “vinha d’alhos,” a more phonetic pronunciation. For my family, vinha d’alhos is a favorite for weekday meals, often served with rice and sautéed peppers. However, each family has their own variation of the recipe; some add more wine, others more spice. In fact, Mr. Carroll recalls eating vinha d’alhos and sopas do espírito santo, another quintessential Azorean dish, with his relatives on special occasions.
Interestingly, vinha d’alhos has a significant global influence. According to tradition, vinha d’alhos was originally created in Madeira Island and the Azores archipelago, where locals combined native ingredients with those brought to their ports by Portuguese spice traders. Later in the 15th century, chefs from Goa, India adapted the original pork wine marinade from Portuguese colonial vessels. They added kashmiri chili, cloves, and other spices to create “vindaloo,” a popular type of red curry known for its high spice level and deep crimson color. In the 19th and 20th centuries, many Azoreans and Madeirense migrated to Hawaii to work on the sugarcane plantations; as a result, another version of vinha d’alhos has also become a Hawaiian staple. Focusing on attaining a crispier texture and using less spice, most Hawaiians use a vinegar-based marinade instead of the traditional wine, inspired by the adobo, a meat dish from the Philippines. When I asked him why he chose vinha d’alhos, Mr. Carroll mentioned its international presence. “I wanted to choose something Azorean not only because I know that’s where your family is from, but also because this would be a fun way to eat around the world.”
The first step in making the dish is to prepare the meat and flavorful marinade. I began by cutting the pork into cube-like pieces. Afterwards, I put a layer of pork on the bottom of a big glass tupperware. I then layered the salt, bay leaves, whole allspice, and freshly minced garlic on top of the first layer of meat. After adding a second layer of pork cubes, I salted the pork, added more garlic, and this time added the massa de malagueta. After continuing the same process with each layer of pork, I poured a generous serving of cooking wine to cover all the pork, sealed the tupperware, and let it marinate for 24 hours. “I like the thought that the meat’s been marinating for a day to soak in all the flavor; it really is the opposite of fast food,” Mr. Carroll commented.
Then, it was time to cook the pork. In a cast iron skillet with oil, I was careful to neither undercook or overcook the meat. I put the cooked meat in a bowl to the side, and while the last few pieces of pork were cooking, I added the leftover marinade to the skillet, which forms the base of the wine sauce, Mr. Carroll’s favorite part. Those last few pieces continued cooking as the marinade simmered, and afterwards, I added the cooked pork into the wine reduction.
I was unsure what to serve alongside the pork, so I asked my dad, who suggested I make batatas à murro, or punched potatoes. After boiling the potatoes, I covered them in a generous serving of olive oil and salt. I put them in the oven for five minutes. Right before serving, I pressed down on each potato with a fork so that it could absorb the wine sauce from the pork.
When Mr. Carroll tasted the vinha d’alhos, he provided me with very positive feedback. I was nervous about the pork’s texture after reheating it in the microwave, but Mr. Carroll reassured me, saying the pork was “tender” and the wine sauce was “delicious.” I enjoyed chatting with him about the cooking process, where to find ingredients at Portuguese supermarkets, and our similar familial roots. Overall, I’m glad I had the opportunity to make vinha d’alhos. I grew up eating this recipe, but had never actually taken the time to learn the history and the process of cooking it. For those who don’t mind the 24-hour wait, vinha d’alhos is a fairly simple yet flavorful dish perfect for dinner.
