Carne de Vinho e Alhos Recipe from Madeira Island

Carne de Vinho e Alhos, also known by many people as Carne de Vinha d'Alhos, is one of those dishes that tastes like home in Madeira. It is especially common around Christmas time, when it often appears on family tables at home.

Ingredients

For this recipe, you will need:

• 1kg meat, usually pork
• 500ml white wine
• 1 glass red wine
• 5 tablespoons vinegar
• 10 garlic cloves
• A few bay leaves
• Salt, to taste

This is a family-style recipe, so the salt is adjusted by taste.

Prepare the marinade

This recipe is simple, but it needs time. The meat should rest in the wine, garlic, vinegar, and bay leaves for one or two days before cooking, so the flavour goes deep into every piece.

Cut the meat into medium pieces and place it in a large bowl or container.

Peel and crush the garlic cloves. Add them to the meat with the bay leaves, white wine, red wine, vinegar, and salt.

Mix everything well, cover the container, and keep it in the fridge. If you can, turn the meat once or twice during that time, so all the pieces take in the flavour.

Cook the meat

When it is time to cook, place the meat and all the marinade in a pot.

Cover the pot with a lid and cook on low heat for about one hour, until the meat is tender. Keeping the lid on is important because it helps the meat stay juicy and stops the sauce from drying too quickly.

Stir from time to time and check the sauce. If it starts to dry before the meat is cooked, add a small splash of water. If there is too much liquid at the end, let it cook uncovered for a few minutes so the sauce can reduce a little.

How we like to serve it

Carne de Vinho e Alhos can be served with rice, potatoes, or another simple side. In Madeira, many people also enjoy it in bread, like a warm sandwich, with some of the sauce soaking into the bread.

For us, this is the kind of food that belongs on a family table. It does not need to be fancy. It just needs time, good garlic, good wine, and people ready to share it.