Brazilian Feijoada: A Meal for Growing Teens
A few years ago, our son came across a dish for a school assignment that made him salivate. Later, he asked if I could attempt to make it for dinner. I said I would if he could unearth a recipe for me.
After some searching, he discovered it! As promised, I went for it.
Fejoda has all the classic ingredients our tween and teenager boys enjoys filling their tummy with: beans, rice, and meat! And it all goes into one pot making clean up a breeze.
Vegetarians look the other way! There’s pork, a little more pork, and just when you think there’s enough— add just a little more pork.
The beans root the dish in texture and earthiness but the fresh tomatoes offer a satisfying zing to the saltiness of the pork.
After browning all the meat in a Dutch oven, I toss in the onion, garlic, tomatoes. As they sauté they take on the charred, decadent bits of fat and grease from the bottom of the pan. The vegetables caramelize beautifully so there’s no need for heavy seasoning. All that meat juice flavors the entire dish!
Fejoda is warm. It’s saucy. It’s comforting. It’s satisfying. It is the kind of dish I am sure will remind all of our children of home. To cut the time down I use canned beans. If you use dry beans they require overnight attention and much more water than is mentioned in this recipe.
Here’s how I do it:
Serves: 8
Prep: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1.5 +\-hours
Grocery List:
1 Tbsp olive oil
5 slices of bacon; chopped
1 pound pork ribs; cut individually
1 chorizo sausage; sliced
1 andouille sausage; sliced
1 kielbasa sausage; sliced
1 large onion; chopped
4 garlic cloves; minced
3 large tomatos; chopped
2 cans of black beans; drained and rinsed
3 bay leaves
4 cups water
salt and pepper
cooked rice or grain for serving
Instructions:
Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high
Brown the bacon in the oil and remove to a large platter when crispy.
In the same pot of oil, sear the ribs on both sides. About 2-3 minutes per side. Work in batches and adding ribs to the bacon plate when browned.
Next brown the sausages
Drain all but a few tablespoons of grease from the pan and return the pot back to the stovetop.
On medium-high heat sauce the onion for 5 minutes before adding the garlic and tomatoes. Sauté them together another 3 minutes.
Add the beans the the pot followed by all the browned ribs, bacon, and sausages. Season with salt, pepper, and bay. Give everything a good stir.
Cover with 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Then turn down the heat to low and cover for as long as you can. Depending on how soupy I want it, I’ll let it cook for an hour, minimum. The longer it simmers the better the results. Remove the lid and let the liquid cook down for 30 minutes before serving with rice.