NATIONAL DISHES

 Hello ladies and gents this is the Viking telling you that today we are talking about

Feijoada (Brazilian Black Bean Stew)

• PREP TIME 15 mins
• COOK TIME 5 hrs 15 mins
• TOTAL TIME 5 hrs 30 mins
• SERVINGS 10 to 12 servings

Black beans are a must in this recipe if you want it to be authentically Brazilian. A Portuguese version uses white beans, however.

Our feijoada has tomatoes, but you wouldn’t find those in most Brazilian recipes.

Ingredients

• 1 pound (450g) dry black beans
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound (450g) pork shoulder
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 1 head garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 pound (450g) carne seca or corned beef, cut into chunks
• 1/2 pound (225g) fresh sausages, such as chorizo or Italian sausage
• 1 pound (450g) smoked sausage, such as linguica or kielbasa
•  1 smoked ham hock or shank
• 3 to 4 bay leaves
• Water
• 1 14.5 ounce can (411g) crushed tomatoes
• Kosher salt

Method

1. Pour boiling water over the black beans and let them sit while you prepare the rest of the stew.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and brown the pork shoulder. When the meat has browned, remove the meat from the pot, set aside.
3. Add the onions to the pot. Brown them, stirring occasionally, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
4. Sprinkle a little salt over the onions and add the garlic. Stir well and sauté 2 more minutes.
5. Add back the pork shoulder and the other meats. Add enough water to cover all ingredients. Add the bay leaves, cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for 1 hour.
6. Drain the black beans from their soaking liquid and add them to the stew. Simmer gently, covered, until the beans are tender, about an hour and a half.
7. Add the tomatoes, stir well and taste for salt, adding if it's needed. Simmer this, uncovered, until the meat begins to fall off the ham hock, which will probably take 2 to 3 hours.
8. Serve with white rice and hot sauce. A classic side dish would be sautéed collard greens.

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking