Feijoada

The national dish of Brazil, feijoada is make in different variations all across the country. Its most authentic, oldest versions, though, are made with pig’s ears, tail and feet! Still, all across the country these days, even just a few good cuts of pork and salted beef will do. This version is a much quicker cooking, stripped-down version. By eliminating all the various pork cuts, we can cut the prep time way down. Brazilians may be aghast at this simple black bean and smoked sausage stew recipe, but it does take away hours of meat soaking and extra cooking time—and still hits the spot!

INGREDIENTS

• 3 c. dried black beans
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 large orange
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 12 cloves of garlic
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 c. cilantro, chopped
• 1-2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1-2 lb. smoked sausage 
• 3-4 tbsp. of lard, tallow or coconut oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Soak the black beans overnight in a large bowl, making sure to account for the expansion of the beans in amount of water and bowl size.
2. After they’ve soaked, rinse the beans and place them in a large stock pot, covering them with at least a couple of inches of water and then bring to a boil for a half an hour.
3. Add more filtered water, bay leaves, sea salt and orange pieces, bring to a boil again, then reduce to simmer for another 30 minutes.
4. Add the cumin, cilantro, freshly ground black pepper and sliced smoked sausage and continue to simmer for another 1.5 hours.