Feijoada: Cook-Off 38

[snowangel]

Welcome to the eGullet Recipe Cook-Off! Click here for the Cook-Off index.

As many of us in North America slog through the last bit of winter, time for a hearty and warming dish -- Feijoada.

Reseach indicates that this is a Brazilian and Portugese dish of black beans and various pork products, although an old issue of Saveur (the Jan/Feb 2005 Top 100 issue) refers to a Feijoada de Polvo, an octopus stew.

There are a few topics on eG about feijoada -- one is here and another one here. And, johnnyd made some beautiful looking feijoada during his foodblog. Scroll down in his blog to see the feijoda-making in progress, as well as the accompanying salad and cocktails.

Get out those pots, start sourcing the appropriate black beans and pork products and let's make feijoada!

[Le Peche]

well.. being brazilian, i think i have something to say about this dish.. the iconic dish of my country.

feijoada isn't like refried beans, like ive seen a few times in the US. it is more like a cassoulet. it is made only with black beans, anything else is not a feijoada to me. and while a cassoulet can be made with duck, pork, lamb, etc. the feijoada is made only with pork. although in the poorer regions of brazil they use only the offal and cheaper parts of the pig, i think almost all feijoadas include linguica which is a portugese sausage similar to chorizo (the raw kind, not cured).

what are you thinking of serving with your feijoada? perhaps a metal circle tower of crab and avocado? or serving it by itself? no! the only way to eat feijoada is with farofa and white rice! farofa is ground cassava root, cooked with butter until toasted and slightly nutty. it is similar to a gremolata from italy usually served with osso buco but made with cassava root instead of breadcrumbs. my personal favorite way to prepare farofa is to mix it with butter, herbs and scrambled eggs. very typical way.

something else typical to go along with your feijoada is 'vinagrette' which is not what the rest of the world things a vinaigrette is. in brazil it means small diced tomato, white onion, and peppers, with white wine vinager and water i believe.. something like a salsa. also alongside the plate add orange slices and collard greens.

i love feijoada, thanks for starting this topic!

ps: don't forget to enjoy it with a delicious and refreshing caipirinha!

Edited February 14, 2008 by Le Peche (log)

[wesza]

"Lisboa Restaurant" in Honolulu served a Feijoada that was based upon old traditional recipes from Portugal with several of the Brazilian adaptions.

The items consistent to all recipes seems to be "Black Beans" and "Air Cured Dry Beef" of which the best available comes from Switzerland.

Linquica Sausage aged with Bay Leaf, Morcella Sausage, Smoked Pork Butt or Ham Hocks plus Pork Tongues either cured or fresh together with every other Pork you choose to include only make it taste better.

Plenty of Onions, Garlic, with Yucca and Corn Kernels popular in Brazil but rarely added in Portugal, Kale, Leaf Parsley and Sometimes Potatoes are included. Seared Peeled Peppers either hot or sweet may be included with the dish according to your taste..

I prefer cooking the black beans in a rich pork stock together with the smoked ham hocks, onions, garlic and diced celery that almost dissolves when the beans are ready. Take the meat off the bones of the hock and hand shred for the Feijoada.

We like putting everything together in a Paella Pan with some Olive Oil then cutting the Sausages and Meats into pieces large enough not to fall apart, sometimes we even add some braised chicken pieces as well. Petite Peas tossed in before service add a nice color. Wine and a paprika seasoning also adds character to the dish.

The presentation after being finished in the oven looks great and served to your guests is colorful and delicious. Every steaming spoonfuls aroma enhances the flavors. The left overs are my favorite the next day.

Irwin

Edited February 14, 2008 by wesza (log)

[AlexForbes]

Sorry, Wesza, but what you´re describing is NOT a feijoada! Chicken? Peas? Wine? Paprika? No way, that's heresy! One more thing: there is no such thing as a traditional Portuguese recipe for feijoada. The dish is Brazilian, and it was not brought over from Portugal.

If you want to know what a real feijoada is, I think Le Peche gave a pretty good description.

[Chris Hennes]

Sorry, Wesza, but what you´re describing is NOT  a feijoada! Chicken? Peas? Wine? Paprika? No way, that's heresy! One more thing: there is no such thing as a traditional Portuguese recipe for feijoada. The dish is Brazilian, and it was not brought over from Portugal.

If you want to know what a real feijoada is, I think Le Peche gave a pretty good description.

←

lol, I think this may turn into another "food purity" thread where everyone disagrees on the "one true version" of the dish . Not that Wikipedia is exactly known for its reliability, but it definitely lists versions from both Brazil and Portugal. I notice that there are no recipes for it in RecipeGullet: someone care to put theirs up there so I can play along? I've never even heard of the stuff, but if it contains black beans and pork products, I want in!

[Lilija]

My best friend is Brazilian, lived there till he was in his late teens, has been begging me to make feijoada. His request includes all manner of pork parts, ears, feet, jowl, belly, ribs, whatever, but he was adamant about the ears and feet, said it won't taste the same otherwise. He said his mom puts sausage in it sometimes, too. Seasonings are onions, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper, as far as I know, but I really have to research it. He doesn't mention salt beef, though it's something he might overlook.

His version is made with only black beans, and served with a side of farofa or potato salad, bread, and orange slices, like his mama used to make.

This is a good thread, I'll have to show it to him. Once it gets rolling, I won't have any excuse not to make the stuff.

Edit: He's from Rio, and his mother's family is from Sao Paulo, if there's any regional differences.

Edited February 14, 2008 by Lilija (log)

[helenjp]

Love to see recipes! I've only got enough black beans for one batch, so I need to choose carefully!

My black bean supply has dwindled so fast because they were particularly tasty when cooked in a pressure-cooker.

Does anybody like to cook their feijoada in a pressure-cooker?

[Chris Hennes]

Love to see recipes! I've only got enough black beans for one batch, so I  need to choose carefully!

My black bean supply has dwindled so fast because they were particularly tasty when cooked in a pressure-cooker.

←

Is there a specific type of black bean I should be looking for, or will any bean do? I have to special-order the pork anyway, so may as well get the right kind of beans!

[helenjp]

My bag of lovely beans just says "feijao preto" - if you do a Google image search, you will find quite clear photos.

They are definitely not Chinese/Japanese black beans, which are a type of soybean, and would never get as soft and flavorful as the feijao preto.

[Le Peche]

the black bean used in a traditional feijoada is the 'turtle bean'.. it's sometimes called 'mexican bean' or 'spanish bean' but i wouldn't trust those other names because ive also seen kidney beans or pento beans named that way. black turtle beans are your best bet.

and wesza, the recipe you described im sure it is a delicious bean stew, it's not a feijoada at all. the point of a feijoada is that it is a dish that the very poor can make on almost no money, so i dont think they can afford to buy wine or paprika or other imported goods when they live in the ghettos.

i think there may be some differences by region as Lilija mentioned but I am from the northeast of Brazil town called Recife.

[helenjp]

Le Peche, the beans I have are a bit smaller than what I've seen in the past. Is that relevant, or was I just lucky to get some nice beans, regardless of size?

[Okbrewer]

We have a wonderful restaurant in OKC, Cafe do Brasil, that makes a hearty, and traditional Feijoada. It is served just as La Peche described, complete with farofa and white rice, vinaigrette and collard greens! MMMM! It is so good! I just might have to go for some this weekend!

BTW, according to the Cafe do Brasil menu, feijoada was an African dish brought to Brazil in the 16th to 19th centuries.

http://www.cafedobrazilokc.com/

Bob R in OKC

[christian_ramon]

Hello all,

First post here. Loving the forum and its interaction between everybody. Feijoada is one of those culinary things that bring out passion in people. Especially people with ethnic ties to the dish. My family is from Spain so paella has the same passionate arguments about ingredients and methods. Never made Feijoada myself but have eaten it a couple of times.

[Le Peche]

helenjp, I'm not sure what size of beans you have but if it looks anything as small as a lentil thats probably too small.. but then again i dont think i would want to eat a feijoada with something as big as pento beans or fava.. so i guess somewhere inbetween.

a good size black turtle bean is the one in the pot in the top left of this picture.

[Chris Amirault]

I think that turtle beans are the variety that is cultivated as black beans by the big companies like Goya.

[wesza]

Sorry, Wesza, but what you´re describing is NOT  a feijoada! Chicken? Peas? Wine? Paprika? No way, that's heresy! One more thing: there is no such thing as a traditional Portuguese recipe for feijoada. The dish is Brazilian, and it was not brought over from Portugal.

If you want to know what a real feijoada is, I think Le Peche gave a pretty good description.

←

Alex:

There are 2 major thoughts in Brazil about origins of Feijoada.

(1) claims it evolved from slaves

(2) claims it was adapted from the Portuguese dish, "Calderida". (Lisboa won dish of the year awards for it's version)

There are also very similar versions historically prepared in several regions of Portugal where different kinds of beans are preferred.

In my post I separated the traditional must used ever since it has become Brazil's national dish and offered suggestions as options that are acceptable to make this dish better suited for your own tastes.

Almost every Brazilian recipe uses Dried Beef, many use varietals other then exclusively pork if you go to various areas or restaurants in Brazil it often has its own taste. Even in Portugal it is now served with Turtle Beans in the Brazilian manner.

Search Google and you will find that my posting is not out of place since almost every recipe is adaptable to the eaters preference. I have many cookbooks in Portuguese some from Brazil, other from the Azores and Portugal with most having different recipes.

I enjoy your zeal and enthusiasm about things Brazilian and am proud to have introduced many dishes to the USA for the first time at, "La Fonda del Sol" when it opened in NYC Time/Life Building in the 1960's.

I'm sure that I would enjoy your preperation of Feijoada in the classical manner.

Irwin

[Abra]

The only truly authentic feijoada I've had was one made in the US with all the pork products hand-carried from Brazil. Probably smuggled in luggage, now that I think of it. Since I'm now in France where interesting pork treatments are readily available, I'd love to give it a try over here.

Le Peche, will you describe the pork parts in more detail for us?

[Le Peche]

yea abra, the way that i've seen pork prepared in feijoada has been in the form of linguica sliced on a bias into rounds.. jowl, ears, trotters (bone in), and large dice sized pieces of shoulder and belly. that doesn't go to say the other parts can't be used to make a feijoada but i don't recall ever seeing pork chops or a tenderloin cut into it.

[edsel]

Almost every Brazilian recipe uses Dried Beef, many use varietals other then exclusively pork if you go to various areas or restaurants in Brazil it often has its own taste.

←

I remember feijoada often containing beef products, especially carne seca (dried beef). Is authentic Brazilian-style carne seca available in the US?

[Chris Amirault]

So who's gonna make some of the stuff?

[Lilija]

I am actively looking for a place to get the salt beef, once I figure out what it even is. After that, I'm making it, for sure.

[edsel]

So who's gonna make some of the stuff?

←

Today I picked up some locally-cured linguiça (Portuguese sausage). I already had pig's ears in the fridge, farinha (manioc meal) in the freezer, and Rancho Gordo "Midnight" beans in the pantry. Still missing some ingredients.

[PatyGirl]

Hello hello all! I can hardly contain my excitement! I was just grumbling to myself thinking "where are all the brazilians on egullet" and so on, when I stumble upon this magnificent thread!

The descriptions so far given by Le Peche sound very accurate to me and I am looking forward to someone posting a recipe for us to get started!

Last week I made black beans for the first time,- not feijoada, just the beans, with some pork in it, but not the real stuff.... and I tell, it's an art in itself. Feijão.

And there are so many wonderful little foods tha go with it,- the orange slices, the ***perfect*** white rice,... aw... Very excited.

Hurray!

[Le Peche]

another thing i forgot, malagueta pepper. when my grandma used to make it she always threw in a couple of them whole into feijoada for a little kick. the malagueta pepper has about the same strenght as a thai chili i think, but using half of a jabanero might be the same.

[johnnyd]

Some of my favorite Feijoada ornaments,

I like the one from Cape Verde - Whiskey and Olive Oil. Below is another PiriPiri sauce and my favorite, molho picante - lime juice, garlic and minced (carefully) thai chilis that I prep up myself.

Here are a couple authentic ingredients,

Biju Black Beans and some old Tio Joao white rice I bought from a Brasilian store that opened here in Portland for about fifteen minutes. They also had authentic carne seca shipped up from Newark which I happily included in my feijoadas for the short time they were open.

They also had a couple types of farofa,

So I made some basic black beans with smoked ham hocks today to accompany some Texas Red Chili I've been trying to perfect, so I figured it was worth a contribution to the cook-off. Usually I put in all kinds of crap - the more the better to get close to an authentic feijoada - but the objective today is a side dish.

I soaked these over night, threw in the hocks and let it go for four hours. Added onion about the last half hour.

Edited February 23, 2008 by johnnyd (log)