If you’ve ever eaten at a Brazilian restaurant, or you have Brazilian friends, or you’ve been to Brazil, you’re already familiar with feijoada. It’s a black bean stew, the national dish of Brazil, and delicious! Since my mother is Brazilian, I grew up eating it.
This is how I make it, and since I’ve never actually been to Brazil, I’ll post a disclaimer. I’m not saying this is the most authentic version, but it’s got the basics. If you’ve never tried it, this is a good start.
You need to start this dish a day ahead, so let’s get going.
Black Beans (Feijoada) and Rice
Rinse and drain dry black beans in cool water.
Put them in a 6 or 8 quart pot. Completely cover them with cold water. They’ll expand as they absorb the water, so watch, and add more water, if necessary, to keep them submerged. Put the lid on, and let them soak overnight.
Twelve to twenty-four hours later, they’ll look foamy. Drain the soaked beans.
Place the ham bone in the pot.
Put the drained beans in with the bone.
Add minced garlic, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Then pour in 2 -3 quarts of water. At this point, it doesn’t look very appetizing, but it’ll get better. Cover and bring to a boil. Keep the heat just high enough to maintain a simmering boil, and let them cook for 3 hours. Watch and stir occasionally. It’s gonna smell so good!
After the beans have been cooking for a couple of hours, chop the smoked sausage.
After 3 hours. Remove the bone.
Put in the sausage, and simmer for another half hour.
It’ll look this. At first it’s a little soupy, but those beans keep absorbing the liquid.
Thinly slice the onion, and saute in a tablespoon of butter. Cook until tender. My grandmother would mix them into the stew, but I prefer to put mine on top. It’s your call.
Black Beans (Feijoada) and Rice
- 1.5 pound bag dry black beans (about 4 cups)
- Ham bone
- 12 ounce beef smoked sausage
- 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 ½ quarts water
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- cooked rice
- Rinse and drain the dry beans in cold water.
- Put them in a large (6-8 quart) stock pot, and cover with cold water. Let soak overnight. They’ll expand as they absorb water, so be sure that they stay completely immersed. Add more cold water, if necessary.
- Drain the beans.
- Place the ham bone in the stock pot. Replace the beans and add minced garlic, salt, pepper, and onion powder, and cover with 2 ½ quarts of water.
- Cover and Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Chop the smoked sausage.
- Remove the bone, then stir in the sausage.
- Return to a simmer for ½ hour longer.
- Sauté the onion in the butter, then either mix them into the stew, or serve on top.
- Serve on rice
- This recipe makes a lot; I measured 9 cups. You can feed 15-20 people, so it's a great stew for a party.
Black Beans (Feijoada) and Rice