Feijoada

The slaves in the Colonial Brazil created the Feijoada (Black beans and pork stew). They started cooking the pork meats that farmland owners discarded such as ear, tails, and feet in a big pot with black beans. This dish became traditional all over country. Since then, the dish was altered to include pork sirloin, smoked sausages, and carne seca (Brazilian salted cured beef) that transformed the Feijoada into a famous dish.  Everbody who visits Brazil has to taste Feijoada .

How to make Elizabeth's Feijoada (Light Feijoada)

List of ingredients

8 cups dried black beans

3 pounds carne seca

2 pounds sausage (calabreza or another smoked sausage)

Some slices of bacon

1 large onion

2 cloves garlic

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt

The night before, soak the beans in a large bowl with water cover at least 3-4 inches.  Soak the carne seca in water to cover.  Next morning, cut the carne seca, sausages, and bacon into pieces.  After that, add the carne seca, sausages and the bacon to the black beans to cook (takes about 2 hour), adding water as necessary to keep beans covered. The chop the onion and garlic. Heat the olive oil, add the onion and garlic and cook until golden brown. After that, add this mis to the beans and cook fot at least one hour. Add salt if necessary.  Finally, enjoy your Feijoada.

Garnish for Feijoada:

slices from 5 oranges

white rice

farofa

couve a Mineira (Brazilian stye Collard Greens)

vinagrette

hot sauce

Before serving the Feijoada, you can serve a Caipirinha as an appetizer.  In my family we like to eat Feijoada in the winter, because it is a heavy dish.