Couves da barça is one of the best-known dishes of Corvo's cooking: kale simmered with salted pork, potatoes and sweet potatoes, a plain and comforting one-pot meal.
The name comes from the barça, the pot in which pork used to be kept under salt. The meat is soaked before cooking to draw out the excess salt. At the table the meats and potatoes go on a platter, while the kale broth is served on its own with homemade bread or cornbread.
Method
If you are salting the pork yourself, rub the pieces with coarse salt one to two weeks ahead and keep them covered in salt in a closed container in the fridge.
The day before, soak the meats in cold water, changing the water several times.
Boil the meats in a large pot of unsalted water for about 30 minutes. Lift them out and keep the cooking water.
Peel the potatoes and sweet potatoes and cut them into large chunks. Wash the kale and chop it roughly.
Put the cooking water back on the heat with the potatoes, kale, whole onion, garlic cloves and a drizzle of olive oil. Simmer until the vegetables are tender.
Remove the onion and garlic, return the meats to the pot and bring back to the boil to heat everything through.
Cut the meats into pieces and arrange them on a platter with the potatoes. Serve the kale broth separately, with homemade bread or cornbread.
Tips
- If you do not salt the pork yourself, look for ready-salted pork cuts at a Portuguese butcher or grocer and adjust the soaking time to how salty they are.
- Change the soaking water two or three times and taste a piece of cooked meat before seasoning: you will rarely need to add salt.
- Use a leafy kale such as Portuguese couve-galega or collard greens; Savoy cabbage also works.
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