Monthly Newsletter - January 2009

The national dish of Brazil, feijoada, is a flavorful meat and bean stew with a rich history. However, while this dish is loved by Brazilians and praised by the country’s visitors, it is usually not presented as “high” cuisine. One should consider preparing this dish if one needs to feed a large group of people and is willing to spend a long time getting the ingredients ready and cooking.

While often compared to similar Portuguese stews, feijoada is considered a fusion of the diverse cooking techniques of the different types of people who inhabited Brazil during its colonial period. Black beans were the staple of African slaves that toiled in Brazil’s plantations. The recipe also takes the Portuguese settler’s sausage (linguiça) into the mix. The farofa (toasted manioc flour) which often accompanies the dish is the influence of the native indigenous people that lived in the region.

Mainly consisting of cheap black beans and pork leftovers, such as pig snout and ears, feijoada was the staple of slaves and later the lower Brazilian classes. Today, this dish is even served at the finest restaurants of Brazil and other finer pork cuts are used. Eaten only during lunch, some restaurants offer feijoada daily; however, it is more typical that a restaurant have one day a week where this dish is their special.

The feijoada is prepared with black turtle beans and different types of beef and pork products. This can include bacon, smoked pork ribs, different types of sausage, jerked beef and sometimes pork trimmings, such as the ears, tail and feet of the pig. Traditionally this dish is prepared in a heavy clay pot over a slow fire. The intense taste of this dish is moderately salty, but it is not spicy.

Usually, the beans are placed over rice and served with roasted cassava flour (farofa) and a sliced orange. Sometimes it is served with deep fried bananas and hot pepper sauce is usually used as a condiment. Cachaça, caipirinha and beer are common drinks that can accompany this dish.

Ingredients (serves 10 -15)

• 1 lb. black beans
• 1 lb. smoked ham hocks
  
• 1 lb. chorizo, pepperoni or Brazilian linguiça
• 1/2 lb. Chunk of lean Canadian bacon or Brazilian "carne seca"
• 1/2 lb. Smoked pork or beef ribs
• 3-4 strips of smoked bacon
• 1/2 lb. lean pork
• 1/2 lb. lean beef
• 1 large onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• salt to taste
• black pepper
• hot sauce (optional)

PREPARATION

Soak beans overnight in large container.  The following morning, use low heat to cook beans for 4-5 hours. Then put the ham hocks, chorizo, ribs and bacon in a deep pan with plenty of water and make it boil. Then change the water and boil the meats again. Repeat this procedure several times in order to tenderize the meat and take away excess fat.  With olive or vegetable oil, fry onion, garlic and bacon strips (optional) for a couple of minutes in a large frying pan. Afterwards, put in cubed pork and beef and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.

In the large pot filled with beans, add 5-10 tablespoons of mashed beans in order to make the sauce thicker. Then put two tablespoons of olive oil, three chopped garlic cloves, a teaspoon of white vinegar and a teaspoon of red-hot pepper in a pan. Mix this well and heat on a medium fire for a 2-3 minutes. Add it to the frying pan with the meats and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes. Then add all the ingredients to the beans and let it boil at medium heat for 1-2 hours.

Eat this with rice or additional red-hot sauce. Peel and slice oranges to accompany this delicious meal.

 

By
Alex Seeger

If you have any questions regarding his article, please write to him at alex@peruforless.com.

Sources:

Brazilian Feijoada
Feijoada

---

PAST NEWSLETTERS:

• Newsletter December 2008
• Newsletter November 2008
• Newsletter October 2008

• Newsletter September 2008
• Newsletter August 2008
• Newsletter July 2008
• Newsletter June 2008
• Newsletter May 2008
• Newsletter April 2008
• Newsletter February 2008
• Newsletter January 2008