Feijoada
- (2 lbs.) dried black turtle beans, sorted and rinsed
- 2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 8 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 12 – 14 (3lt)cups water (1.5lt is plenty)
- 3 large bay leaves
- 1 ½ pounds pork ribs*
- 1 pound pork stew meat, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
- ¾ pound chorizo in casing, cut into 1 ½ to 2 inch pieces**
- 1 to 2 fresh chiles – serrano or habanero, optional
- 2 teaspoons sweet smoked Spanish paprika (use less if using smoked meat)
- 2 to 4 teaspoons salt (use less if using salted/cured meat)
- Black pepper
*I bought some short pork ribs at the Mexican market that were the perfect size. Look for them under the name costillas de puerco picadita.
**Many traditional Brazilian recipes call for Portuguese chorizo but I couldn’t locate it as easily so I substituted with a Mexican chorizo, which are more readily available.
If you opt to use carne seca/beef jerky, salted pork ribs or Portuguese chorizo, presoak the meat in a separate bowl in water for at least 8 hours, changing the water several times to remove excess salt.
I had a hard time finding the smoked/salted versions and opted to get smokiness from the smoked paprika. Next time I make this dish, I’m going to substitute some apple wood smoked bacon.
- Sort and clean beans; prep remaining ingredients.
- In a large, heavy pot (big enough for 6 quarts) saute onion in oil over medium-high heat until onion becomes soft and translucent (about 5 to 8 minutes). Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes more, until the aroma is released, but garlic does not brown. Add the black beans, meats, 12 cups water, and bay leaves to the pot. Bring slowly to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and simmer covered for 2 hours until beans are near done.
- Add the smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Adjust seasoning and add more water if beans are low on liquid. Simmer for about 1 hour or longer (if time allows) until beans and meat are very tender. Remove about two heaping cups of beans with some liquid and no meat to a separate bowl. Puree using a hand emulsifier or a blender (careful to puree in small batches with a blender). Return beans puree to the pot, stir to incorporate, and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes. Adjust seasoning.
- Serve hot with steamed white rice, greens such as collards or kale, slices of orange and farofa/farinha.