My friend Nair Wolf, a chef who hails from Brazil, has shared her recipe for this legendary one-dish meal. The following is a restaurant-size prep that will serve 15-20 people but because there so many ingredients I’d advise you to just make the whole recipe, then freeze what you don’t eat. This “bean” dish contains a huge amount of meat, including some items you may not have at your fingertips, so feel free to substitute.
Ingredients:
2 lbs black beans, dried
½ lb dried Brazilian smoke meat (not the same as Brazilian dry meat; I’d substitute any lean smoked beef)
10 oz bacon
1 ham hock
1/2 lb smoked sausage
1/2 lb smoked pork chops
1/2 lb Brazilian dry meat (can substitute beef jerky)
1/2 lb fresh spiced sausage (I’d use a couple mild Italian sausages for this)
1/2 lb fresh pork loin, sliced
1 lb beef tri-tip, sliced
2 c onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup of cahuaça sugar cane liquor (can substitute 1 c tequila)
2 bunches of collard greens (julienne)
2 bay leaves
4 oranges, sliced
Method: Soak beans overnight. If using Brazilian dried meat which is very salty, soak that as well and then drain the next morning. Rinse the beans and put to cook in big pot with the bacon, ham hock and bay leaves. After one hour add Brazilian salt meat.
Meanwhile, in another pot sauté onions, the remaining meats, the sausages, and the smoked pork chops. Add water as necessary to cover the meat. Slice the pork loin and tri-tip and cook until the meat is done, removing any froth that forms on the top. Add the pinga or tequila. Now, combine the bean and meat mixtures.
Meanwhile, prepare the collard greens. Cook bacon in a sauté pan, remove to a paper towel leaving 2 T bacon fat. Add garlic and and julienne cut collard greens. Saute 1-2 minutes until limp; remove to a serving dish and cut bacon into small pieces and serve on top of the collard greens.
Serve the meat/bean mixture and collard greens in two bowls so guests can combine as they like. Serve with feijoada sauce.
