Favourite Feijoada
Submitted by leecha
Feijoada: Brazil’s national dish, a rich black bean stew slow-simmered with an array of smoked and cured meats, then served with rice, collard greens, and orange slices. A weekend feast for a crowd.
YIELD
30 servingsPREP
8 hrsCOOK
3 hrsREADY
11 hrsThe national dish of Brazil and the centerpiece of any weekend gathering, feijoada is a deeply savory black bean stew loaded with a whole butcher’s case of meats. It is a labor of love, simmered for hours, and built to feed a crowd.
The soul of the dish is the variety of pork and beef: dried salted carne seca, smoked tongue, Portuguese sausage, beef chuck, and salt pork all simmer together with the beans, each adding its own smoky, salty depth to a broth that turns dark and rich.
The salted and smoked meats get a quick parboil first to tame excess salt before they join the pot, an important step. And a cup of beans mashed and stirred back in thickens the stew to that signature creamy consistency.
The meats come out onto a platter and the beans into a bowl. The real magic is the spread: serve it with hot rice, garlicky collard greens, sweet orange slices to cut the richness, and braised pork. Then bring everyone to the table.
Chef Tips
- Soak the beans overnight and the dried, salted meats separately to soften them and reduce excess salt.
- Parboil the salted and smoked meats briefly, then drain, before adding them to the beans.
- Mash a cup of cooked beans and stir it back in to thicken the stew to a creamy texture.
- Make it a day ahead; like most bean stews, feijoada’s flavor deepens overnight.
Variations
- Use whatever smoked and cured meats you can find: bacon, ham hock, chorizo, or ribs.
- Add a bay leaf and a strip of orange peel to the simmer for traditional aroma.
- Serve with farofa, toasted cassava flour, for the full Brazilian experience.
Ingredients
Directions
Wash the beans well and soak them overnight in water to cover. Soak the dried beef separately in water to cover. Drain the beans.
Add 6 cups water and cook, covered, adding water as needed, until the beans are tender, or about 2½ hours. As soon as the beans are cooking, begin adding the other ingredients.
Cut the carne seca into 2½ inch squares and add to the beans. Peel the tongue and cut it into large cubes. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer 2 minutes, drain, and add to beans.
Prick the sausages with a fork, cover with water, boil a few minutes, drain, and add to the beans. Cut the chuck in half and add to the beans. Cut the salt pork into ½ inch slices and add to the beans. Season the stew with salt and pepper.
When the beans are tender, brown the garlic lightly in the shortening. Add about 1 cup of the beans, mash, and return to the large pot of beans. Adjust the seasonings.
Remove the pieces of meat to a hot platter and turn the beans into a chafing dish or bowl.
Serve with braised pork loin, collards, onions in sauce (recipes below), sweetened orange slices, and hot rice.
Cook the rice according to package directions, adding 2½ tablespoon shortening and ½ teaspoon vinegar for each 2 cups uncooked, long-grain rice.
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