Authentic Brazilian Feijoada Food

MY BRAZILIAN FEIJOADA

Steps:

• Rinse and sort beans; soak according to package directions. Meanwhile, place pork roast, short ribs and bacon in a 6-qt. slow cooker. Add onion, garlic, bay leaf and seasonings; pour chicken broth, water and beef broth over meat. Cook, covered, on high 2 hours. , Stir in beans and sausage. Cook, covered, on low 5-6 hours, until meat and beans are tender. Discard bay leaf. Remove short ribs. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones; discard bones. Shred meat with 2 forks; return to slow cooker. Top servings with orange sections. If desired, serve with hot cooked rice.

BRAZILIAN FEIJOADA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large, heavy, deep pot and stir-fry the onion, garlic, and cayenne for 2 minutes or until light golden brown.
• Add the beans, salt pork, Portuguese sausage, smoked Polish sausage, ham hocks, corned beef, pork spareribs, salt, black pepper, bay leaves, halved-orange and water. Cover and simmer for 2 hours or until the beans are tender, stirring occasionally and adding water if needed to ensure that the beans are completely covered while cooking.
• Side Dish: Collard Greens - Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large frying pan and sauté 3 crushed cloves of garlic until light golden brown. Add the 2 slides bunches collard greens and salt. Stir-fry over medium-high heat for 3 minutes or until greens are tender; do not overcook.
• Serve with sliced oranges, white rice, collard greens, vinaigrette sauce.

FEIJOADA (BRAZILIAN BLACK BEAN STEW)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add 3/4 cup of chopped onion, green onions, and garlic; cook and stir until softened, about 4 minutes. Pour in the soaked beans and fill with enough water to cover beans by 3 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer uncovered for 2 hours, or until tender.
• While beans are cooking, place ham hocks in smaller pot with 1/4 cup of the chopped onion. Cover with water and simmer, until meat pulls off of the bone easily, about 1 hour. Drain and add to the beans.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place ham, bacon, and remaining onion in a baking dish. Bake 15 minutes or until mixture is crispy.
• Drain the bacon and ham mixture, and add to the beans. Season with bay leaves, coriander, salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes more. Stir in chopped cilantro and parsley just before serving.

CHEF JOHN'S BRAZILIAN FEIJOADA

Steps:

• Place black beans into a large bowl, cover with water, and soak overnight. Drain beans.
• Place drained beans in heavy pot with 2 quarts of water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until beans are cooked but very firm, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Stir chopped dried beef into pot with beans. Add bay leaf and pork chop bones, stir and simmer on low heat for another 2 hours.
• Cook bacon in large dry skillet over medium heat until not quite crisp. Add linguica and Italian sausage links; cook, stirring often, until meats are brown, about 10 minutes. Remove browned meat, reserving accumulated fat in skillet. Slice Italian sausage into chunks.
• Brown onion and garlic in reserved drippings in the skillet over medium heat until onion is translucent and soft, stirring to deglaze the pan, about 5 minutes. Season with cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper; add 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley. Cook and stir until parsley has wilted, about 2 minutes.
• Stir onion-spice mixture into pot with beans. Add cooked bacon, linguica sausage, Italian sausage, and pork chop chunks. Pour in enough water so meats are just covered with liquid. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook uncovered until beans are very soft and liquid begins to thicken, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If beans begin to look dry, add more water.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add bread crumbs and cook and stir until crumbs are toasted. Stir in 2 tablespoons Italian parsley and grated orange zest.
• When beans are cooked, ladle stew into bowls and top with the toasted crumb mixture.

FEIJOADA

Steps:

• The day before you plan on cooking the feijoada, trim the excess fat of all the meats (except the bacon) and place them in a large bowl. Cover with cold water and refrigerate for 24 hours, changing the water 3-4 times, to get rid of the excess salt.
• Place the black beans in a separate bowl and cover with cold water. Let them soak overnight in the fridge.
• Drain the meat and beans. Place the soaked meat in a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot and cover with enough water so they're all submerged. Cook, over medium-high heat, until boiling. Let them boil for 20 minutes, adding more water as needed. Drain and reserve.
• Combine the boiled carne seca, beans, bay leaves and orange in that same pot. Pour 2.5 quarts cold water and cook, over medium-high heat, until boiling. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, add the sausages. Cover and continue simmering, occasionally skimming the fat that rises to the top, until the meat is tender, about 1.5 to 2 hours.
• Remove the orange and bay leaves. Discard. Remove the meat and sausage and slice into smaller pieces. Reserve.
• Heat the oil in a sauté pan, over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until no longer raw but not yet golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until softened and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add a ladleful of the cooked beans, without liquid, and stir to combine. Using a fork, mash the beans, to release their starch.
• Pour that mixture into the feijoada pot and cook over medium heat, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until thickened. If too thick, add more water as needed. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Return the meats back to the pot.
• Serve with white rice, collard greens, fried bananas, farofa, vinaigrette salsa and orange slices!

BRAZILIAN FEIJOADA (BLACK BEAN STEW)

Steps:

• In a large bowl with water, soak beans overnight.
• When you are ready to make your stew, in a large heavy-bottom soup pot, over medium heat, add the oil and bacon. Cook until crisp and transfer to a plate.
• Use the same saucepan to brown ribs and sausages in batches. (You will want to be sure to cook the sliced Mexican chorizo on its own, as it can be very greasy. Drain the grease before continuing.) Set each aside as cooked.
• If needed, add more oil to the pan. On medium-high, sauté onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes.
• Drain and rinse the soaked beans. Add them to the pot along with the ribs, bacon, sausages, salt, pepper, bay leaf. Cover with water (about 8 cups).
• Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Cover and let it cook for 2 to 2 and a half hours, or until the beans are soft.
• If the stew is too liquidy, uncover the saucepan and continue to cook for another 20 minutes to allow some of the liquid to evaporate.
• Serve with white rice and sprinkle some farofa on top.

FEIJOADA: TRADITIONAL BRASILIAN STEW

Steps:

• Soak the beans in cold water overnight, making sure they are completely covered. Also soak the salted ribs and bacon in cold water overnight.
• Drain the beans and put them into a large saucepan of cold water. Bring to the boil over medium heat, then simmer for 30 minutes until tender.
• Rinse the soaked salted ribs and bacon well, add to the beans and cook for 30 minutes over a medium heat. Heat a very large saucepan and pour in the olive oil so it covers the bottom. Add the onions and garlic and cook until softened. Add the sausages, smoked ribs and bacon, pepper and bay leaves. Pour in the cooked beans and meat and top up with water. Simmer for about 1 hour, until the meat falls off the bone.
• Serve the Feijoada with boiled white rice, slices of orange, and very finely sliced spring greens fried in olive oil with finely chopped onion and garlic.

FEIJOADA COMPLETA

Steps:

• Soak the smoked and salted meats in a large pan overnight. The next morning, drain, rinse, and soak again until ready to cook. In a large heavy stock pot, heat the oil over medium low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes more, until the aroma is released. Tie the bay leaves, parsley, and thyme together to make a bouquet garni, and add it to the pan, along with the dried soaked meats, fresh meats, and the water. Bring slowly to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and skim the fats and scum from the top. Cook for 1 hour, then add the beans, return to a simmer, and again skim any scum from the top. Simmer for another hour. As each piece of meat becomes fork tender, remove it, starting with the beef chuck and finishing with the salted meats. Place the cooked meats on a platter, cover with aluminum foil, and keep warm in a low oven. Remove all the meat and skin from the pigs trotter and dice it. Discard the bone and add the meat to the beans. Cut the carne seca into 1/2 inch dice and also return it to the beans. Continue cooking the beans for 20 minutes more, or until tender. Remove any fat or gristle from the remaining cuts of meat, then cube or slice it into bitesized pieces. Arrange the sliced chorizo, pork shoulder, bacon, fresh pork, and beef on one side of a large heated platter and place the beans on the other side (if using the smoked tongue, traditionally it should be placed in the center of the platter). Serve hot, accompanied by Green Mineira Style, cooked white rice and orange segments.

FEIJOADA - THE REAL ONE

Steps:

• Soak the smoked and salted meats in a large pan overnight.
• The next morning, drain, rinse, and soak again until ready to cook.
• In a large heavy stock pot, heat the oil over medium-low heat.
• Add the onions and cook, until they are softened and translucent.
• Add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes more, until the aroma is released.
• Tie the bay leaves, and add it to the pan, along with the dried soaked meats, fresh meats, and the water.
• Bring slowly to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and skim the fats and scum from the top.
• Cook for 1 hour, then add the beans, return to a simmer, and again skim any scum from the top.
• Simmer for another hour.
• As each piece of meat becomes forktender, remove it.
• Place the cooked meats on a platter, cover with aluminum foil, and keep warm in a low oven.
• Remove all the meat and skin from the pigs trotter and dice it.
• Discard the bone and add the meat to the beans.
• Cut the jerked beef into half a inch dice and also return it to the beans.
• Continue cooking the beans for 20 minutes more, or until tender.
• Remove any fat or gristle from the remaining cuts of meat, then cube or slice it into bitesized pieces.
• Arrange the sliced sausages, pork pieces and bacon on one side of a large heated platter and place the beans on the other side.
• Serve hot, accompanied by stewed kale, cooked white rice, fried pork lard and orange segments.