Just because I cook a lot doesn’t mean I don’t still run into problems in the kitchen. This week was an example of this.
The theme was Brazil, and I decided to make Feijoada, a bean dish I knew about from the six months my family hosted a Brazilian exchange student. (See my Brazilian fudge entry). As I read up on Feijoada, I found it was a dish with a base of black beans and various pork products that was typically served on Saturday afternoons. What better dish for our Saturday night buffet?!
Many of the recipes I found called for five or more cuts of beef and pork, and I was looking for something a little easier. So I found one adapted for foods easily found in America, calling for just bacon and linguica.
I followed all the directions, cooking ingredients in bits and pieces before adding them together. I was supposed to parboil the linguica, add it to the beans and simmer for an hour. Half way through, I checked in and found the beans burned on the bottom of the pot. I don’t entirely know why, except maybe that I drained the beans and didn’t provide enough liquid, or that my pot was too big and my gas stove too temperamental. The good thing is I’d bought a second can of beans and I was able to rescue the linguica! The second attempt didn’t simmer for nearly as long, and I mixed the ingredients together earlier, but worked just as well, even if not quite as authentic!
If you want to try the recipe yourself, maybe you’ll have more luck!
FEIJOADA
1 can (15 oz.) black beans
1/2 onion, chopped
3 or 4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 lg. onions, sliced
1 or 2 oranges, peeled and sliced crosswise
1/2 c. of rice, cooked in 1 1/2 cups water
1 lb. linguica sausage
1 lb. of bacon, cooked until crisp, then crumbled
1/2 tsp. ground chilies
Salad of spinach or cole slaw
Saute chopped onion and garlic in large kettle. Parboil sliced linguica 5 minutes. Add to chopped onions. Add entire can of beans and linguica. Simmer up to 1 hour. Mash halfway through.
Peel and thinly slice the 2 onions. Saute’ gently, covered. Add salt and chilies. Cook until very limp.
Serve feijoada over rice accompanied by the onions, spinach salad or cole slaw and the sliced oranges. Crumble the bacon over the beans
