Feijoada (Brazilian Black Bean Stew)

The “feijoada” – an icon of Brazilian cuisine – is a fusion of usual European cuisine with local products such as the black bean. It is a variation of the “cozido português”, of the Italian “cassoeula”, of the French “cassoulet” and of the Spanish “paella”. There is not an only recipe of “feijada” but there are various recipes for each region, and it is a complete meal because cooked beans are always served with lots of accompaniments such as “arroz branco”, “couve”, “farofa” or “farinha de mandioca”, pieces of peeled orange or “banana frita à milanese”.
“Pão de queijo ” and “mandioca frita” are very suitable to be served as a starter, with “caipirinha” and very cold beer. A good choice for the end of the meal is a sweet and fresh dessert such as mousse, pudding or ice cream.

Ingredients
• 1,5 Kg black beans
• 2 onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• corn oil
• salt
• chilli pepper
• 1 kg pork (loin, neck, leg)
• 1,5 Kg sausage
• 1,5 kg pork ribs
• 500 g portuguese sausage
• ears, feet, nose, tongue, tail and pork skin
• beef jerky
• corned beef
• jerky

Preparation method

Allow washed beans to soak the day before or at least a couple of hours before cooking.
Add the bay leaf and cook the beans with a lid in boiling water to cover over medium heat until soft.
Sauté the onion and garlic in a little oil and set aside.
Cut the meat (except the sausage) into 3 – 4 cm cubes and cook in a little oil on medium heat covered. The different meats have different cooking times so must be cooked separately.
Add the sautéed onion mixture, the raw sausage, the cooked meat, the sliced portuguese sausage and the hot pepper to the cooked beans. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until slightly thick. If it is necessary to thicken the broth mash about a ladle of beans with a fork and return to pan.
Adjust the salt.
It gets better the next day and can also be frozen.

This recipe serves 20 people and must be accompanied by: 2 Kg “arroz branco”, 1,5 Kg “couve”, 1 Kg “farofa”, 2 Kg peeled oranges or 20 “bananas à milanesa”.

Posted on: 11 November 2011