Portuguese New England

I had never seen so much pork in one pot. Huge chunks of tenderloin swimming in a savory red sauce, laying beneath a mountain of cubed, fried potatoes. And this was a single order - not family style, not a special order for two. It was delivered to me by a petite brunette with a look in her eye that said, "I dare you to eat it all."

At Antonio's, in New Bedford, Massachusetts, that's just how they roll, and I rolled out of that restaurant as full as a tick and with enough leftover stew to feed me for three more days. God bless New England's Portuguese.

Southern New England has been a draw for Portuguese immigration since colonial times, with the biggest wave occurring at the end of the 19th century, when over 180,000 left Portugal and the Azores for factory jobs in the U.S., mostly in southern New England.

They brought their food, in large helpings.

So a few weekends ago we took a day trip to New Bedford, to see the water, enjoy the cold sunshine and to sample some hearty Portuguese-American fare.

The first stop was Carmen's bakery, for Malassadas, delicious donuts originally from the Azores. It was after noon when we arrived and the place was mostly empty. The owner's daughter was alone, putting away some delicious looking stuff that had been on the lunch menu.

I wish I had gotten a picture of her, as she proudly gave us the rundown on Portuguese bread, sweets and sausage. She was very friendly and eager for us to learn about the delicious food her family has been serving for over 20 years.

At Carmen's they make their own linguica - spicy sausage flavored with paprika and garlic. That caught my eye. Sausage is a beautiful thing - homemade sausage even more so. We picked up a long, savory smelling link and put it in the trunk. Marissa made a big pot of soup and we still have half of that link in the fridge. Did I already say "God bless the Portuguese"?

We asked the young lady at Carmen's where it is she recommended we go for a Portuguese supper. She recommended Antonio's, saying that her family went there all the time. So off to Antonio's we went, ready to dig in, but not really ready for what we were going to get.

I mean, come on. That is too much goodness for one man to handle. Pork, shrimp, clams, potatoes - three of my favorite things in a quantity that, frankly, scared me a little. I could have fed my entire graduating class with that stew.

After that meal it was time for a walk. Thank goodness the sun was shining. The wind blowing down on the pier, but that was just what we needed. A brisk stroll in the brisk February air and we were ready for the drive back home. Portuguese week continued with all of the leftovers. I almost, but not quite, grew tired of pork.