Feijoada

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As mentioned, I discovered feijoada at a small Spanish restaurant in Paris. The power of HotBot searching has yielded a ton of recipes. Here's one from [now a dead link] http://www.maria-brazil.org/beans.htm

• 8 cups dried black beans
• 3 pounds carne seca (Brazilian salted cured beef)
• 2 pounds sweet sausage (I use Portuguese choriço when available)
• 2 pounds baby back spareribs
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

The night before, soak the beans in a large bowl with water to cover at least 3-4 inches. Soak the carne seca in water to cover. The next morning, drain the beans and place in a large pot with water to cover by at least 3 inches. Bring the beans to a boil in medium heat.

Meanwhile, cut the carne seca into 1-inch pieces. Cut the sausage into 1-inch pieces. (When I use the Portuguese sausage I usually prick it with a fork and simmer it for ten minutes in enough water to cover; then I cut it.) Cut the ribs into 2-rib sections.

Add the carne seca, sausage, ribs and bay leaves to the beans. Simmer for about 2 hours or until soft (Goya brand black beans usually take about 2 hours) , stirring from time to time, adding water as necessary to keep beans covered. Keep an eye on the beans so they don't burn at the bottom!

Chop the onion and garlic. Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until golden brown. Add two ladlefuls of beans and mash them. Put this back into the pot. It will thicken and season the beans.

Continue to simmer gently for at least another hour, adding water as necessary. A good feijoada should have a creamy consistency when done. Remove the bay leaves. Some people take the meats out at this point and serve them separately on a platter. I like to leave them in with the beans, it keeps them hot. Serve the feijoada and garnishes in ceramic bowls and platters, it will add a touch of authenticity!

To serve feijoada, put a mound or rice on your plate and place a ladleful or two of feijoada on top. Arrange oranges and couve around the sides. Sprinkle the beans and couve with farofa and add a spoonful of sauce to the side.

Garnish for feijoada:

• Slices from 6 oranges: using a sharp knife, peel the oranges, cut into thin slices and arrange them on a platter.
• White rice: cook according to package instructions or use the recipe for arroz à brasileira (Brazilian Style Rice).

Feijoada (found this at Tom Van Vleck's website, which has other fun stuff - check out his home page too)

• 1 lb black beans
• 1/4 lb salt pork, diced
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
• 3 lg cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 ts chopped fresh parsley
• 1 lb corned beef uncooked
• 4 hot spicy sausages
• 4 mild sweet sausages
• 4 smoked pork chops
• Optional additional meats: ham, Canadian bacon, smoked pork hocks ribs, feet, ears, tails, fresh or salt beef, tongue (traditional)

Prepare the beans: either soak overnight or boil 2 mins and soak an hour. About 2 in of water above the beans. Use plenty else it dries out later. I used to cook a single recipe in a 3.5 quart pot and it barely fit. Now I use a big stainless restaurant pot and make a double or triple recipe. This stuff freezes beautifully and is even better after reheating. (When I was a bachelor I used to keep a block of it in the freezer, and just chip off a hunk and eat it with minute rice.)

Brown the salt pork & onion & garlic. Add them to the beans. Add the corned beef (big chunks). Add bay leaves, cumin, parsley. Bring all to a boil, cut back to simmer, let it cook 2 hrs. Meanwhile brown sausages, etc in skillet.

Cook beans until skin splits when you blow on them. Overcooking ok. Stir so bottom doesn't burn. It looks very watery at first but will thicken up. Dip up a cup of beans & juice, mash with a fork & dump back in. Add sausages, pre-cooked meat, etc. Simmer for another hour or so. Or longer, adding water and stirring to keep the beans from burning.

This ain't what ah had...

feijoada [fay-ZHWAH-duh] Brazil's most famous regional
dish, feijoada is an assorted platter of thinly sliced meats
(such as sausages, pig's feet and ears, beef and smoked
tongue) accompanied by side dishes of rice, black beans,
shredded KALE or COLLARD greens, HEARTS OF PALM, orange
slices and hot peppers.

But the Brazilian government says:

"feijoada", a dish of black beans and pork, traditionally served with rice, Rale and manioc flour, and accompanied by a
"caipirinha" - a traditional cocktail made of sugar cane liquor, lime and sugar. Another Brazilian speciality is the churrasco in which large pieces of barbecued beef, pork and other meats are served with manioc meal and marinated onions.

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