Feijoada
Ingredients
- 1/2 T vegetable oil
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 2 chopped onions
- salt (to taste)
- 2 c cooked black beans
- 190 g pork tenderloin
- 2 bacon (slices)
- 190 g smoked pork sausage
- 1/2 c water (as needed)
- cooked white rice (for serving)
- orange slices (garnish)
Method
Add the oil, the bay leaves, garlic, onion, and salt to a medium-sized pan, empty in the tin of beans and cook until done. Remove about 2/3 the mixture, and mash the remaining mixture before removing it with the rest.
Fry off the cubed pork and chopped bacon using the remaining oil.
Slice the sausages and add to the rest of the meat, stir over a medium heat until all the meats are cooked through. Add the bean mixture back to the pan with a little water, stir well. Cook on a very low heat for a further 10 minutes or so until the beans take on a creamy texture.
Serve with boiled white rice and a platter of thinly-sliced peeled oranges.
Notes
From the chef's article: "Served with a Caipirinha cocktail as an appetizer, the dish is often accompanied by white rice and a garnish of orange segments that can be eaten later as dessert. The recipe I have used here is an intentionally simple one, with the idea of getting as many of you to cook the dish as possible. Traditionally, dry black beans would be soaked overnight before being cooked the following day, for several hours, on a very low heat. Later, some of the beans would be removed, mashed, and cooked to a paste, to use as a thickening agent in the stew. When cooking the canned beans, stir frequently, taking care to not let them "catch" on the bottom of the pan; if they burn, the whole dish will be tainted.
SJ Note 14 July 2009: Add spices and herbs next time. I upped the beans, and it is definitely 4 servings with sides. What a protein hit!