Feijoada – Brazilian Black Bean Stew
Feijoada is Brazil's national dish: black beans with dried beef, bacon and several cuts of pork, simmered for hours until the broth turns thick and dark.
Two moves make it what it is. A whole orange cooks in the pot — it is not eaten, it takes the heaviness off the fat. And at the end two ladles of beans are crushed and returned: that is where the creaminess comes from, not from flour or cream.
Serve it with white rice, farofa and orange, as Rio tradition demands. It goes with the farofa.
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Ingredients
- 500 g black beans, soaked for 12 hours
- 300 g dried beef (carne seca) or jerky
- 200 g smoked bacon, diced
- 200 g dried paprika sausage or chorizo, sliced
- 300 g pork belly or pork neck, in pieces
- 1 pig's trotter and a piece of rind (optional, for the collagen)
- 2 white onions, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 whole orange, well washed
- Sunflower or corn oil, as needed
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Method
- 1
Preparing the meat: the day before, soak the dried beef in a bowl with plenty of water, changing it at least 3 or 4 times. Without this step the stew comes out inedibly salty.
- 2
Starting the beans: in a large pot of water, cook the soaked black beans along with the bay leaves and the orange cut in half. Bring to the boil over medium heat.
- 3
Browning: meanwhile, in a pan with a little oil, brown the pork belly, the bacon and the sausage until well coloured. Set aside.
- 4
Combining: add the dried beef, now soaked and cut into cubes, and the pig's trotter to the pot of beans. Cook for 1 hour over gentle heat.
- 5
Bringing the flavours together: add the browned meats to the pot. Carry on cooking everything together for another hour, or until the beans are completely tender and the broth begins to thicken.
- 6
The step for the creaminess: in the pan where you browned the meat, soften the onion and the garlic. Add two ladles of the cooked beans and crush them with a fork to a paste. Return this mixture to the main pot — that is where the thick, velvety broth comes from.
- 7
Finishing: take the orange out, check the salt (careful, the meats are already salty) and add pepper. Let it rest for 15 minutes before serving.
- 8
Serving: with white rice, farofa, thin slices of orange and, if you like, some kale or chard sautéed with garlic.