Brazilian Bean Stew

Jan here with a delicious, savory dish. I can't believe I haven't shared this one yet!

I got this recipe from my son's friend, Eddie, who got it from his great-grandmother. Don't you love "hand me down" recipes?

As I was researching this recipe - just to give us a bit of background - I found that this is the national dish of Brazil! It's roots are a little iffy. Most people attribute it to the African slaves brought to Brazil in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, but there is some evidence that it originated in northern Portugal.

But wherever it was started, it has been made by people in Brazil for centuries.

Why is it so popular?

The biggest reason is because it's inexpensive. Beans and pork. Those are the main ingredients.

And then there's this: it's the most delicious bean stew (or soup) I've ever had.

This simple stew is traditionally made with Black Beans. The Portuguese name for it is Feijoada  (from feijao, which is Portuguese for bean.) But Eddie's version was made with white beans. Personal preference? Probably. I never asked him. But the white bean version is the one that has its roots in northern Portugal.

By the way, if you're wondering why the Portuguese names are so important: Portuguese is the language spoken in Brazil. 

This stew is perfect for using up leftovers! (Maybe that's another reason why it's so popular!)

Feijoada, or Brazilian Bean Stew

ingredients:

Beans (about 3 cups cooked)

Bacon, ham, smoked sausage (about 2 cups total) You can also use ham hocks, leftover ham from dinner, etc. Cut all of the meat into bite-size pieces.

1/4 cup diced onion

1 garlic clove, minced

3 bay leaves

4 cups broth - I used a combination of chicken and ham broth

pepper to taste (you won't need any more salt!)

If you are missing one of the ingredients, don't worry! This is a very forgiving recipe!

Dice and cook the bacon in a large stock pot over medium heat (I use my 8-quart.) When it's cooked most of the way, drain most of the grease, then add the diced onions. Cook and stir until the onions are soft, then add the garlic. When the garlic is fragrant, add the rest of the meat.

Let the meat cook until it's almost burned. You want it to be caramelized and delicious.

Add the broth, stirring and scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pot.

(I pushed the meat and onions to the side to show you the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.)

Add the beans and bay leaves, then let the stew simmer and thicken. At this point, I put mine in my slow cooker so I could forget it for the rest of the afternoon.

Serve over rice, with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice on top. It's traditionally served with oranges on the side.

Seriously, this is a delicious dish! And so versatile! I used canned beans because I was short on time, but you can also cook dry beans from scratch. You can use black beans, or great northerns like I did, or even pinto or red beans.

The meat can be anything you have. I'd like to try it with chicken sometime.

Or leave out the meat! Use the flavorings to make a savory bean dish.

Enjoy!

In other news, our weather changed again. We had a lovely autumn week last week, but then yesterday the temperatures started plummeting. Now it feels like November again!

How are things at your house?

Jan Drexler has always been a "book girl" who still loves to spend time within the pages of her favorite books. She lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her dear husband of many years and their active, crazy dogs, Jack and Sam. You can learn more about Jan and her books on her website, www.JanDrexler.com.