recipe: feijoada, Brazilian black beans & bacon

"Like an elaborate theatre production in three acts, with plenty of drama, fabulous costumes & saucy interludes." 

A description from Cooking in Spain for the dish, cocido. A description which could just as well be used for this week's fridaynightdinnerbox dish, feijoada. One comes from Spain (& Portugal), the other from Brazil, essentially though we're talking about a single pot with beans, quite a lot of meat & a vegetable or two in a soupy sauce which cooks slowly for hours. As with cocido in Spain & Portugal, feijoada is known throughout Brasil, where every region has its own version, preferring different cuts of meat, combinations of raw & cured meats, of pork beef & poultry, different pulses & vegetables. Regardless, to cook & to eat, this is a significant dish. 

To be honest, I think this dish is worth it even just for the singular experience of buying that much  from the butcher. It's a happy butcher who sees that shopping list! Ribs, bacon hock, shoulder, chorizo, bacon pieces, but that's just my feijoada; snouts, ears, tails, are quite normal in Brazil (as they are in Spain & Portugal), though perhaps not so much so from a butcher round here, still it can't hurt to ask...

Diego's recipe

My Recipe: Feijoada

Ingredients:

olive oil/butter

2 onions/1 head of garlic/a bunch of fresh thyme/parsley/a bay leaf

4 T tomato paste/2 cans tomatoes/2 cups chicken stock

2 cups black turtle beans

200g bacon/200g pork shoulder/500g pork spare ribs/1 bacon hock/2 chorizo sausage

4 cups white rice

collard greens, or a few leaves each of cabbage/silverbeet/spinach 

2 oranges

farofa - enough to fill a ramekin

Method:

Ingredients to prep: the meat cuts, dice shoulder, slice sausage, separate ribs, chop onions & garlic 

 Sweat onions/garlic/bacon pieces in butter/olive oil, throw in salt/thyme, 30 mins covered, set aside

In same pot, brown pork shoulder, diced/seasoned, in batches if necessary, & set aside with onions  

Deglaze pot, tom paste first, stir & allow to caramelise, then add water (I used canned tomatoes, draining the liquids at deglaze stage, plus a little homemade chicken stock & a 1/2 bottle of beer)

 Reduce to a smooth thick sauce, add meat, onion, add tomatoes, cover with water, heat, add beans

Bring pot to boiling point then reduce to simmer 3 or 4 hours, adding sausage about an hour to go

Basically the meat will break down over time, but cooked at a gentle simmer the flavours & textures
of the pot will improve. You just let it happen. Try it regularly, I let it cool on the stove when done.

To serve, get ready a side dish of steamed white rice, & one of greens. Peel & slice an orange or two. 

In place of the collard greens, for this Friday's dinnerbox menu, I...

shredded cabbage, silver beet & spinach, sautéed together, hot pan with vegetable oil & sliced garlic; literally throwing it all into a hot pan, hisshiss, tosstoss, maybe one more toss, throw in chopped parsley & coriander, salt, pepper, toss toss 

& its done.

The rare sight of Diego sitting still for longer than 2 minutes