Feijoada (15 April 2014)

Today I am going to prepare feijoada together with Maria who will guide me during every step.

There are two different ways of preparing this dish depending on the region of Brazil. The Cariocas, natives  from Rio de Janerio, use black beans, onion, and garlic when preparing feijoada.  
In Sao Paulo, feijoada is prepared with brown beans.  Both dishes are very good however I will prepare the light version which is simple and easy to follow! I will not add beef tongue, pork ribs, ears or tail as it might scare many of you to try to do this dish. However I encourage you to try the original feijoada at the restaurant.

6 portions

500 g carne seca (salted jerked beef that is air or sun dried) or salted corned beef

500 g black beans
200 g smoked bacon cut in slices
500 g smoked linguica- type sausage (or other smoked spicy sausage) cut in 1 cm slices
1 medium onion peeled and chopped
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

THE DAY BEFORE
In a pot, add the carne seca. Add enough cold water to cover generously and refrigerate for 24 hours, changing water minimum twice times.
In another pot, put black beans and cold water to cover and set aside. Allowed to soak for at least 8 hours, or refrigerate overnight.

DAY TWO
Wash carne seca, move to the pot and cover with cold water and bring to boil. Cook it for around 1 hour then drain the water and cook it again in cold water for another 30 minutes. If the meat feels very salty it is good to repeat the process one more time.

Drain the beans and cover them with cold water and bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. In a frying pan heat the oil over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and onion and cook for 5 minutes. In another frying pan cook bacon until it is golden brown.

Add boiled carne seca, sausage, and fried bacon to the beans, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour or until beans are tender. While cooking stir from time to time so the beans do not stick to the bottom of the pan. It is important to check the level of water so it is always 3 cm above the beans and meat. Add garlic and onion and if needed some more water.

I serve my light feijoada in a ceramic bowl together with rice, sliced oranges, farofa and as a drink I need to have Caipirinha!

Enjoy it!

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