Cross-Cultural Cooking

Feijoada: Brazilian Stew of Meat, Sausage, and Black Beans

Feijoada was originally a slave dish; it was made from black beans and whatever remnants of meat and sausage were available. In other words, the meats and sausages here are recommendations. The only guidelines are that the meats should be cheaper cuts that take long cooking, and the sausages should be smoked.

This recipe takes 2-3 hours, but the actual prep time is much less. Most of the time, you just need to let things simmer.

Ingredients

• 2 cups dried black beans, or 3 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 lb. boneless braising meat (beef chuck, neck, rump roast etc). or 1 1/2 lbs. beef cut into 1 inch cubes, or pork or beef spare ribs or short ribs (cut short ribs between the bones).
• 1 lb mild smoked sausages (e.g., linguica, mild chorizo, smoked chicken apple, smoked turkey, etc). cut in 1 inch pieces (the sausages can be poached simmering water for 5-10 minutes to remove some of the salt, fat, and smokey taste. This step is optional.)
• 3 oz. bacon (turkey is OK), fried crisp and cut in 1 inch pieces (the bacon is a substitute for carne seca, sun-dried salt cured beef. If you can find it, use it!)
• 1/2 tsp. cumin or to taste (optional if you don't like cumin)
• 2 bay leaves

For the broth:

• 1/2 large onion, stuck with 5 cloves
• 1 mashed clove garlic
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery top and/or leek top
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig parsley
• 1 scant tsp. salt

For finishing:

• 2+ tbsp. olive oil (or lard)
• 2 medium onions, diced fine
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

For the table:

• Your favorite hot sauce
• Sliced oranges

Preparing the beans:

If you are using dried beans, you can soak them overnight.

You can also do a quick soak as follows:

Put the beans in a pot, cover by at least 2 inches with water, bring to a boil, remove from head, and let the beans sit for at least 1 hour.

In either case, rinse the beans, put in a pot covered by 2-3 inches of water, add a big pinch of salt and a mashed clove of garlic. Bring to a full boil, turn down heat to a simmer, and simmer for at least an hour. When the beans are tender enough to chew, drain and rinse them again.

The meat and the broth:

Put your braising meats in a good-sized heavy pot with the 1/2 onion stuck with cloves, a mashed clove of garlic, 1 carrot, a celery top and/or leek top, 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig of parsley, and 1 teaspoon (barely) of salt. Bring to a boil, skim, and simmer for at least an hour.

Remove the vegetables from the broth (onion, carrot, celery, leek, garlic, parsley sprig), add the black beans (canned, or prepared as above), the crisp bacon, the sausage pieces, the remaining bay leaves, and the cumin. There should be barely enough broth to cover everything. If not, add a little more. Bring back to a simmer, and simmer for another hour. or until the meats and beans are very tender. If the feijoada begins to dry out, add more water. Stir it every so often to keep the beans from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.

Finishing the Feijoada

About 30 minutes into this final simmering, prepare the finishing touches by slowly sauteing the diced onions in the olive oil or lard. When the onions begin to soften, add the garlic. When the garlic begins to turn golden, add the parsley and stir for a few minutes. Remove from heat.

Scoop out 1/2 cup or so of beans from the feijoada, and mash them well (you can use a food processor, but you may need to add some liquid). Add the mashed beans to the onion/garlic/parsley mixture, mix well, and add to the feijoada. Stir in well, and let the whole simmer for another ten minutes. The mashed beans should thicken the liquid left in the feijoada.

Serve over Brazilian rice (recipe below), accompany with orange slices, and your favorite hot sauce (one made with chiles and lime juice or lemon juice would be excellent). At the table, add hot sauce to taste.

Serves 4-6

Brazilian Rice

• 2 cups long-grain rice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2+ tbsp. Olive oil or lard.

In a heavy saucepan, saute the garlic in the oil or lard until the garlic turns light golden. Add the rice and stir in the hot fat for 2-3 minutes. Add water to cover the rice by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, and let the water boil for 3-4 minutes (be careful so it doesn't boil over). Turn the heat down to low, cover tightly, and let the rice simmer and steam for 12 minutes or so, until all the water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork.

Servers 4-6

Wine Suggestions

Feijoada is a heavy meal and needs no more to accompany it than fruit and a green salad. Beer is a natural accompaniment to spicy and hearty food. Zinfandel, Cotes du Rhone, and just about any hearty red wine from Spain or Portugal would go well.

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