Feijoada

Ingredients

• 1 kg of black beans (or kidney beans)
• 500 g of cured pork
• 500 g of dried or smoked meat
• One foot, one ear, and one pig’s tail
• 500 g of beef
• 500 g of chorizo
• 1 ham bone
• 1 pack (large sausage for cooking)
• 100 g of smoked bacon
• 500 g of fresh pork loin (or pork chops)
• 2 onions
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 3 bay leaves
• oil
• white rice
• shredded Savoy cabbage (also known as “couve”)
• orange slices
• farofa: cassava flour, a little palm oil, diced bacon, finely chopped onion, diced tomatoes, and herbs, to taste
• Rio-style sauce: lime, chili pepper, and fresh herbs

The day before, soak the beans and dried meats separately in cold water, changing the water several times for the meats to remove excess salt.

Cook together in a large stockpot of water, the salted and dried meats, the feet, ears, tail, and ham bone, for about 2 hours, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface.

Cook the drained beans separately in fresh water with the bay leaf, until they are tender.

In a large pan, heat the oil and sauté the chopped onions and half of the minced garlic. Then, add the beef, flank steak, chorizo, paio, and diced bacon.

Combine the meats, beans, and a little of their broth in a large pot, and let it simmer over low heat for 1 hour, allowing the flavors to meld.

For the farofa, heat the cassava flour in a little palm oil with the bacon, onion, tomato, and herbs until lightly browned.

Sauté the shredded cabbage in oil with the remaining garlic.

Serve the white rice, beans, and meats separately, along with the cabbage, farofa (toasted cassava flour), orange slices, and carioca sauce. Each person can assemble their own plate.