Feijoada - Brazilian Meat and Bean Casserole
I was once part of a Brazilian Feast, well a chef rather than an ingredient and we made an enormous brat pan full or this Brazilian Casserole - this is a simplified version but if you can add a few unusual smoked fatty meats all the better.
Preparation time: 30 minutes Quantity: Serves 6 or so Cooking time: 2 hours
Ingredients
450g / 1 lb. black beans - soaked overnight
1 smoked ham hock - whole, slightly fat trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions - diced
3 cloves garlic - sliced
225g / 8 oz chorizo sausage - diced
225g / 8 oz piece of pork - leg or loin - diced
225g / 8 oz beef - diced
1 sprig thyme
seasoning
1 & 1/2 - 2 pints water or beef stock
Garnish -
4 - 5 spring onions - top and tailed and chopped
3 tablespoons parsley - chopped
Serve with chilli sauce and rice
Method
- Soak the beans overnight
- Drain and wash well
- Place in a pan covered with cold unsalted water and the ham hock
- Bring to the boil and simmer for 40 minutes until the beans are tender
- Drain and wash the beans
- Chop the meat of the hock in large chunks and set aside
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan
- Fry of the onions until soft but not brown
- Add the garlic and chorizo and allow to cook for a minute to release all the oils from the sausage
- Add the pork and seal in the oil
- Then add the beef and seal
- Add the thyme and season well
- Place all the cooked ingredients, including the ham and beans in a large ovenproof dish
- Cover with water
- Cover with a lid or tinfoil
- Bake in a preheated oven gas 6 / 200*c / 400*f - for 1 & 1/2 hours
- Check after an hour, add more water if needed
- When the beef is tender it’s ready
- Stir in the parsley and spring onions and serve