Recipes

Black Beans with Mixed Meats and Accompaniments (Feijoada Completa)

  • Serves

    serves 12

TUCA REINES

Feijoada recipes vary, depending on regional preferences, personal tastes, and available ingredients. This is the version Maria Luciene da Silva makes for the Carneiro family. Finding the specialty meats for feijoada can be difficult in the United States; the important thing is to use a variety of meats, salted, smoked, and fresh.

Ingredients

  • 2 12 lb. carne seca (dried salt-cured beef) or corned beef
  • 1 12 lb. linguiça portuguesa, calabresa, or other smoked pork sausage, such as kielbasa, cut crosswise into 5" pieces
  • 1 12 lb. paio (Brazilian spicy pork sausage) or Spanish chorizo, cut crosswise into 5" pieces
  • 3 pig's tails, salt-cured, smoked, fresh, or a combination thereof
  • 2 split pig's feet, salt-cured, smoked, fresh, or a combination thereof
  • 2 pig's ears, salt-cured, smoked, fresh, or a combination thereof
  • 6 cups dried black turtle beans
  • 14 cup olive oil
  • 4 tomatoes, cored and chopped
  • 3 medium yellow onions, peeled and chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
  • freshly ground white pepper
  • 1 lb. pork loin, thickly sliced
  • 1 beef-flavored bouillon cube
  • sauteed collard greens
  • sauteed rice
  • toasted manioc flour

Instructions

Step 1

Put beef into a large bowl, smoked and spicy sausages into another large bowl, and pig's tails, feet, and ears into a third large bowl. Fill the bowls with cold water to cover meats and set aside in a cool place for 8-10 hours, changing water 5-6 times. Meanwhile, put beans and 7 1⁄2 quarts cold water into a very large bowl and set aside in a cool place for 8-10 hours. Drain beans, reserving the soaking liquid, and set beans and soaking liquid aside separately. Drain meats, discarding soaking liquid, and set aside.

Step 2

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add tomatoes, onions, garlic, cilantro, and pepper to taste and then cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until vegetables are soft, 8-10 minutes. Add soaked meats and pork loin and ribs to pot and cook, stirring to coat meats well, for 2-3 minutes. Add beans and just enough of the reserved bean-soaking liquid to barely cover meats (about 12 cups). Increase heat to high, partially cover pot, and bring to a boil, skimming foam as it rises to the surface. Reduce heat to medium and gently boil, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Add bouillon cube and 4 cups of the reserved bean-soaking liquid, partially cover pot, and gently boil, stirring occasionally, for 1 1⁄2 - 2 hours. Adjust seasoning if necessary and continue cooking, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until beans are soft and meats are very tender, 1 1⁄2 -2 hours more.

Step 3

To serve: First ladle some of the bean broth from the pot into shot glasses or small cups; add a dash of Tabasco to each glass, if you like. To serve beans, meats, and accompaniments, remove meats from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large platter. Transfer beans and remaining broth to a large crock or bowl. Serve beans and meats with oranges, collard greens, rice, and toasted manioc flour on the side.

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