Feijoada, Brazilian Black Bean Stew Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 5 hours

Black beans are a must in this recipe if you want it to be authentically Brazilian. A Portuguese version uses white beans, however.
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INGREDIENTS
1 pound (450 grams) dry black beans

4 Tbsp olive oil

1 pound (450 grams) pork shoulder, cut into chunks

2 large onions, sliced
1 head of garlic, peeled and chopped

1 pound (450 grams) carne seca or corned beef, cut into chunks
1/2 pound (225 grams) fresh sausages, such as chorizo or Italian sausage
1 pound (450 grams) smoked sausage, such as linguica or kielbasa
1 smoked ham hock or shank
Pork Ear
3-4 bay leaves
Water

1 14.5 ounce can (411 grams) of crushed tomatoes

Salt

METHOD
1 Pour boiling water over the black beans and let them sit while you prepare the rest of the stew.
2 Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and brown the pork shoulder. When it has browned, remove the meat from the pot, set
aside and add the onions to the pot. Brown them, stirring occasionally, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Sprinkle a
little salt over the onions and add the garlic. Stir well and saut 2 more minutes.
3 Add back the pork shoulder, and the other meats and add enough water to cover. Add the bay leaves, cover and bring to a simmer. Cook
gently for 1 hour. Drain the black beans from their soaking liquid and add them to the stew. Simmer gently, covered, until the beans are tender,
about an hour and a half.
4 Add the tomatoes, stir well and taste for salt, adding if it's needed. Simmer this, uncovered, until the meat begins to fall off the ham hock,
which will probably take 2-3 hours.
Serve with white rice and hot sauce. A classic side dish would be sauted collard greens.

Ingredients

2 pounds dried black turtle beans, picked through and rinsed

1 pound salt cured beef, such as carne seca or corned beef
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound salt pork, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium white onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 serrano pepper, halved
2 bay leaves
1 pound smoked ham hocks
1 pound linguica or Spanish chorizo sausage, cut into 2-inch pieces

1 pound pork ribs, separated into individual ribs

1 pound beef stew meat, top round or chuck, cut into 2-inch cubes
Hot sauce
2 oranges, peeled and cut in segments
Collard Greens, recipe follows
Cooked white rice, for serving

Directions
Starting a day ahead, place the dried beans in a large bowl and cover with cold water; soak the beans overnight in the
refrigerator. In a separate bowl, soak the salt cured beef in cool water to cover to tenderize the meat, do this overnight
also but change the water a couple of times. Drain the beans and carne seca; cut up the cured beef into chunks.
Coat a large heavy pot with the oil and place over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the salt pork, onions, garlic,
pepper, and bay leaves. Cook and stir for 5 minutes to render out the pork fat and soften the vegetables. Add the ham
hocks, sausage, ribs, cubed beef, carne seca, and black beans. Cover with just enough cold water to cover (about 21/2
quarts). Bring the liquid to a boil and then reduce to medium-low heat, cover, and simmer for 2 hours, stirring now and
again. Skim any foam that rises to the surface during cooking and add more water if necessary to keep the ingredients
covered during cooking.
Dig the ham hocks out of the pot, discard the rind and fat, shred the meat, and return the ham to the pot. The beans
should be really tender, like they are almost bursting. Mash about 1 cup of the beans against the side of the pot to cream
them out. Give the stew a good stir, taste and check for seasoning.
To serve, ladle some of the bean broth into shot glasses or little cups, add a dash of hot pepper sauce and drink this is
traditionally done to get the palate prepared for the feijoada. Serve feijoada in large wide bowls, garnished with orange
segments and accompanied by collard greens and white rice.

Sauteed Collard Greens:

2 bunches collard or kale greens, about 2 pounds

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves
1 cup chicken broth
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

To prepare the greens: cut away the tough stalks and stems from the collards and discard any leaves that are bruised or
yellow. Fill the sink with water and salt, the salt helps to remove any impurities. Wash the collards thoroughly to remove
the grit, 2 or 3 times, until the water runs clear. Dry thoroughly. Stack up several leaves and roll up lengthwise in a bundle,
cut them into 1-inch ribbons. Repeat until all the leaves are shredded.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; blanch the collard greens for 3 minutes until tender but still bright green.
Drain the greens well.
Heat a large deep skillet over medium flame and coat with the oil. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes to soften. Add
the blanched greens and toss well with the oil and garlic. Pour in the chicken broth and cook for 5 minutes until the greens
are wilted and tender; take care not to overcook. Season with salt and pepper and serve with the feijoada.

RECIPE - Feijoada (Classic, Traditional Recipe)

Serves 6
1/2 lb. (250 gr.) pork ribs, salted
1/2 lb. (250 gr.) pig's tail, salted

1/2 lb. (250 gr.) pig's foot, salted

1/2 lb. (250 gr.) pig's ear, salted
1/2 lb. (250 gr.) pork loin, salted
1/2 lb. (250 gr.) carne-do-sol (click here for instructions on how to make
your own carne-do-sol)
1/2 lb. (250 gr.) beef brisket
1/2 lb. (250 gr.) Linguia sausage, or other smoked sausage
1/2 lb. (250 gr.) Linguia sausage, spiced, or pepperoni
1/2 lb. (250 gr.) Kielbasa sausage, or other garlic sausage
1 1/2 cups dried black beans
1 bunch cilantro
1 bunch green onions
5 bay leaves
1/2 cup cachaa
1 unpeeled orange, scrubbed and quartered
1 lb. (400 gr.) pork lard
1/2 lb. (250 gr.) thick sliced smoked bacon, cubed
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
----------------------------------------------------------------------The day before cooking the feijoada, place all the salted,meats in a large
pan, and cover with cold water. Refrigerate. Change the water every
three hours, for minimum 24 hours. Drain thoroughly.
In a very large kettle or bean pot, place the beans, the meats and
sausages, the cilantro and green onions tied together, the bay leaves, the
cachaa, and the orange. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil over
medium heat. Continue to cook over low heat. As each meat in turn
becomes fully cooked and tender (test with a fork) remove from the
kettle, let cool, cut into bit-size pieces, and reserve.
When the black beans are fully cooked and soft (about 1.5 - 2 hrs.),
remove 1 cup of beans and cooking liquid, and blend until smooth in a
blender. Return 1/2 cup of this mixture to the beans in the kettle to
thicken the cooking liquid.
In a large frying pan heat the lard, and cook the bacon in it until
browned and crispy. Remove the bacon cubes, and in the same lard, fry
the garlic and onion until soft and transparent, but not browned. Remove
from heat, then stir in the reserved 1/2 cup of the blended beans. Stir
entire contents of frying pan plus the reserved meats and bacon, into the

beans in the kettle. Let cook over low heat for 20 minutes for flavors to
blend.
2 1/2 lbs. carne seca (dried salt-cured beef) or corned beef
1 1/2 lbs. lingia portuguesa, calabresa, or other smoked pork
sausage, such as kielbasa, cut crosswise into 5" pieces
1 1/2 lbs. paio (Brazilian spicy pork sausage) or Spanish chorizo, cut
crosswise into 5" pieces
3 pig's tails, salt-cured, smoked, fresh, or a combination thereof
2 split pig's feet, salt-cured, smoked, fresh, or a combination thereof
2 pig's ears, salt-cured, smoked, fresh, or a combination thereof
6 cups dried black turtle beans
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tomatoes, cored and chopped
3 medium yellow onions, peeled and chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
freshly ground white pepper
1 lb. pork loin, thickly sliced
1 beef-flavored bouillon cube
sauted collard greens
sauted rice
toasted manioc flour
1. Put beef into a large bowl, smoked and spicy sausages into another large bowl,
and pig's tails, feet, and ears into a third large bowl. Fill the bowls with cold water
to cover meats and set aside in a cool place for 810 hours, changing water 56
times. Meanwhile, put beans and 7 1/2 quarts cold water into a very large bowl
and set aside in a cool place for 810 hours. Drain beans, reserving the soaking
liquid, and set beans and soaking liquid aside separately. Drain meats, discarding
soaking liquid, and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add tomatoes, onions, garlic,
cilantro, and pepper to taste and then cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon,
until vegetables are soft, 810 minutes. Add soaked meats and pork loin and ribs
to pot and cook, stirring to coat meats well, for 23 minutes. Add beans and just
enough of the reserved bean-soaking liquid to barely cover meats (about 12 cups).
Increase heat to high, partially cover pot, and bring to a boil, skimming foam as it
rises to the surface. Reduce heat to medium and gently boil, stirring occasionally,
for 1 hour. Add bouillon cube and 4 cups of the reserved bean-soaking liquid,
partially cover pot, and gently boil, stirring occasionally, for 1 2 hours.
Adjust seasoning if necessary and continue cooking, partially covered, stirring
occasionally, until beans are soft and meats are very tender, 1 2 hours more.
3. To serve: First ladle some of the bean broth from the pot into shot glasses or
small cups; add a dash of Tabasco to each glass, if you like. To serve beans, meats,
and accompaniments, remove meats from the pot with a slotted spoon and

transfer to a large platter. Transfer beans and remaining broth to a large crock or
bowl. Serve beans and meats with oranges, collard greens, rice, and toasted
manioc flour on the side.