Need a feijoada recipe

I am obsessed with feijoada (Brazilian black bean and meat stew), which I had for the first time in Portugal last year. I'm trying to find an authentic recipe. Does anyone have a good one?

CanadaDan
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5 Comments

C S. September 7, 2017
It is worth looking up the recipe in the Gran Cocina Latina as she gives a lot of history of the development of this dish and many variations, some significantly different that what I have written. She also breaks it down so the preparation can be done and enjoyed by several people. Let us know if you make one and how it comes out. The other advice I remember from Brazil is not to eat this late at night it will sit heavily in your gut. It is often a Saturday mid-day meal.
 
CanadaDan September 7, 2017
amazing! thanks so much!
 
C S. September 7, 2017
Here is Rojas-Lombardi's version:
2 lbs. dry black beans
3 ham hocks
1 pig's snout
1 pig's tail, whole
10 cups beef stock
1 pig's ear sliced into 1/2 inch strips
3 Tbsp. bacon fat or olive oil
3 dried red chili peppers, seeded
3 cloves garlic
3 large onions peeled and chopped
1/3 cup amontillado sherry
2 morcilla sausages peeled and chopped
24 sprigs cilantro
3 Tbsp. chopped parsley
Wash the beans and let soak overnight.
Combine the ham hocks, snout and tail in the stock and let simmer for 2 hours
Remove the ham hocks and take the meat off the bone, return the bones to the stock. Add the pig's ear and continue cooking about 35 minutes until the stock has reduced. REmove the bones, strain and set aside the meats and you should have about 4 cups of stock.
Combine the beans and their soaking water with 6 cups of cold water, simmer for about 2 hours. When soft, drain the beans saving both beans and liquid
Heat the bacon fat and peppers, add the garlic and onions and saute until golden (about 15 minutes) Add the sherry and cook until it has evaporated. Add the sausages and saute a minute more. Add all the reserved stock, liquid from the beans, the snout, the ear and stir. Bring to a boil and then simmer 20 minutes.
Add the beans and cilantro stir and cook over low hear for 45 minutes stirring once in a while. If the beans are too dry add water. Add the meat from the ham hocks, and the tail and cook 20 minutes more. Remove and discard cilantro.
Serve directly from the casserole, or remove and slice meat onto a platter, with the beans in a tureen. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Accompaniments must include rice and should include orange slices, kale or collards, and farinha (yuca flour)
 
C S. September 6, 2017
I have made feijoada, and like many peasant inspired, hearty stews there are many variations and possibilities. In my cookbooks I just found 3 different versions, one of which runs 4 pages long (Gran Cocina Latina by Maricel Presilla which is fairly new and should be easy to find in a library). The recipe by Felipe Rojas-Lombardi in The Art of South American cooking, is much shorter but does include the line:
"Although the choice of meats rests very much on the individual cook...certain cuts are a must, including snouts, ears, tails, ham hocks, or pig's feet and blood sausages." If you are seriously interested indicate that here and I will condense and send you one of these recipes. The third recipe is in The South American Table by Maria Baez Kijac. Good luck
 
CanadaDan September 6, 2017
That would be really appreciated! Sounds authentic which is what I'm looking for. Excited to buy pig's snout! Thanks so much!
 
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