Recipes

Brazilian Pork and Bean Stew (Feijoada Brasileira)

  • Serves

    serves 6-8

  • Cook

    2 hours

SAVEUR

This hearty dish of beans and pork is the quintessential Brazilian comfort food. It is traditionally served with garlic rice, sauteed collard greens, a tangy vinaigrette, and farofa, toasted cassava flour. This recipe first appeared in our Jan/Feb 2013 issue along with Bruno Fiuza's article Portela Samba School Feijoada Parties. Note: Allow time for soaking beans overnight.

Ingredients

For the Rice, Beans, and Collard Greens

  • 8 slices bacon, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 12 lb. smoked pork chops, cut into 2-inch peices (available from Amish Foods)
  • 12 lb. boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 12 lb. Portuguese-style linquiça sausage or Spanish-style dry chorizo, cut into 2" pieces (available from Mello's Finest)
  • 1 smoked ham hock
  • 1 lb. dried black beans, soaked overnight
  • 12 cup minced garlic, plus 8 cloves crushed
  • 5 bay leaves
  • 5 tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed
  • 15 collard green leaves, stemmed and very thinly sliced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Vinaigrette, Farofa, and Serving

  • 1 ripe plum tomato, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
  • 12 small white onion, finely chopped
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 1 cup finely chopped parsley
  • 13 cup red wine vinegar
  • 13 cup plus 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 slices bacon, minced
  • 1 cup cassava flour (available from Barry Farm)
  • 14 cup raisins
  • 3 oranges, peeled and sliced, for serving
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Step 1

Make the beans: Add the pieces of bacon to an 8-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and cook until fat renders, about 7 minutes. Add chops, shoulder, sausage, and ham hock, and brown, 8-10 minutes. Add beans, crushed garlic cloves, 3 bay leaves, and 8 cups water, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, until beans are tender, at least 1 hour. Keep warm.

Step 2

Meanwhile, make the rice: Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1⁄2 of the minced garlic; cook for 2 minutes. Add rice, 2 bay leaves, salt, pepper, and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium-low; cook, covered, until rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Keep warm.

Step 3

Make the collards: Heat 3 tbsp. oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining garlic; cook for 2 minutes. Add collards, salt, and pepper; cook until wilted, about 4 minutes. Keep warm.

Step 4

Make the vinaigrette: Mix tomato, onion, lime juice, 1⁄2 of the parsley, vinegar, 1⁄3 cup oil, and salt and pepper.

Step 5

Make the farofa: Heat minced bacon in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat until fat is rendered, about 3 minutes. Add cassava flour, and cook until toasted, 3 to 5 minutes. Add remaining parsley, 1⁄4 cup oil, and raisins and cook 2 minutes more.

Step 6

To serve: Shred meat from ham hock, discarding bone, and transfer with meat from beans to a platter. Put beans, rice, collards, and oranges around meat. Sprinkle vinaigrette and farofa over the dish.