Chef Johns Brazilian Feijoada Food

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: 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 - 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.