Feijoada : Delicious Brazilian Black Bean Stew

This is another of those huge, hearty, meat-and-bean stews that seem to be the nationwide dish of one country or another. In this case, the nation is Brazil and the stew is feijoada. Feijoada has as numerous variations as there are cooks, but in Brazil it usually has black beans and constantly has a mixture of salted, smoked and fresh meats.

One typical component is carne seca, a salted, dried beef typically available in Latin markets. Corned beef is a good substitute for carne seca, and it is exactly what we utilize here in this recipe. When it comes to the other meats, they need to be a mix of pork and beef, with a little heavier on the pork. Authentic feijoada has all sorts of bits in it, such as tails, trotters, ears, and so on. This version, however, stays with the sort of meats found in a typical American supermarket.

Feijoada : Delicious Brazilian Black Bean Stew Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound (450 grams) dry black beans
• 4 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 pound (450 grams) pork shoulder, cut into portions
• 2 big onions, sliced
• 1 head of garlic, peeled and sliced
• 1 pound (450 grams) carne seca or corned beef, cut into pieces
• 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
• 3-4 bay leaves
• Water
• 1 14.5 ounce can (411 grams) of crushed tomatoes
• Salt

Method

Pour boiling water over the black beans and let them sit while you prepare the remainder of the stew.

Heat the olive oil in a big pot over medium-high heat and brown the pork shoulder. When it has browned, get rid of the meat from the pot, reserved 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 include the garlic. Stir well and sauté 2 more minutes.

Add back the pork shoulder, and the other meats and add sufficient water to cover. Include the bay leaves, cover and bring to a simmer. Cook carefully for 1 hour. Drain the black beans from their soaking liquid and add them to the stew. Simmer gently, covered, up until the beans are tender, about an hour and a half.

Add the tomatoes, stir well and taste for salt, including if it's needed. Simmer this, uncovered, up until the meat starts to fall off the ham hock, which will probably take 2-3 hours.
Serve with white rice and hot sauce.

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