My husband lived in Brasil for a couple years before we were married. He LOVES all things Brasiilan. He worked at a Brasilian restaurant in college, he got a minor in Portuguese and 30 years later he still speaks it quite well.
A few years after we were married, a friend of his from Brasil moved close by to us and she taught me how to make all kinds of Brasilian foods. All my recipes from her are written in Portuguese, and even then, they are pretty vague. They say things like, “Now dump about this much of this and that much of that. Stir for about this long.”
That being said, I’ve done the best I can to put exact measurements and instructions down for how I make this delicious dish!
Start by soaking the beans according to the package or this recipe. After they have soaked and are rinsed, put them back in the pot with clean water to simmer.
Let the beans simmer while you prep the bacon, kielbasa, peppers, onion, seasonings and spices.
Add it all to the pot with the beans, except the cilantro. Let it simmer and stew for 2-3 hours or till the beans are soft. Add more water if needed to cook the beans longer. Taste test for flavor. If the flavor is good, but needs to be enhanced, add a little more salt. If it’s too flavorless add more cumin.
Serve over rice.
Feijoada is also often served with farofa, orange slices, salad with tomatoes and onions and vinaigrette, Brazilian collard greens or fried bananas.
Feijoada – Brazilian Black Beans
Ingredients
- 16 oz. dry black beans
- 14 cups water divided
- 1 pound bacon
- 1 pound kielbasa
- 1 bell pepper any color
- 3-4 Tbsp minced garlic
- 1 small onion
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 2-3 Tbsp Kosher rock salt
- 2 Tbsp cumin, ground
- 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 3 cups steamed rice for serving
Instructions
- Start by soaking the dry beans to soften them. Instructions will be on the package. You can soak for 24 hours or do what I always do – a QUICK soak. **Quick Soak – Place dry beans in a large pot. Put in 6 cups for every pound/16 ounces. Bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. SET A TIMER so you don't lose track of time. Cover, remove from heat and let it sit for 1 hour.
- Rinse the beans off in a colander. Rinse the pot out. Place the beans back in the pot with 8 cups of water. Bring to a simmer while you prep the other ingredients.
- Cut the pound of bacon into ½ inch pieces and fry up in a hot skillet. Try to evenly cook the pieces to medium well. Do not want it too crunchy or too rubbery. Use a large, slotted spoon to remove bacon pieces to a plate with paper towels to drain and cool. **Let the bacon fat cool and harden, then scrape into the trash bin.
- Slice the kielbasa into coins. Chop up the onion, bell pepper and jalapeno.**I always wear gloves while working with hot peppers like jalapenos. My skin is very sensitive to the oils. The seeds are optional. Our family loves a little more heat, so I put the seeds in the beans.
- Add the bacon, kielbasa sausage, peppers, onions, garlic, salt and cumin to the pot. Stir it in.
- Just like with any stew, it's time let it simmer and stew while stirring occasionally, over low-medium heat. Cook for about 2-3 hours. Test for doneness by chewing on a black bean to make sure they are cooked and soft enough. Taste the broth. I was taught how to make this with no measurements. I've done my best to supply good measurements of the seasonings and spices. Feijoada tends to be a little on the salty side. Taste, and if needed, add more salt, cumin, garlic or whatever you would like.
- As it simmers, if more liquid is needed, add a little more water. When the beans are soft, and most of the liquid is cooked off, remove from heat.
- Add in the fresh, chopped cilantro. Serve over rice.
- To freeze – Do not freeze with the rice. Cool completely, place in a freezer Ziploc bag. Freeze flat.
To save time, can you use canned (rinsed) black beans?
I guess you could. I’ve never done that. Try it and let us know how it goes.