Submitted by Jem Natividad

Brazilian Feijoada (Meat & Black Bean Stew)
Ingredients
- 100g smoked speck
- 400g smoked pork sausages
- 400g pork belly
- 400g duck breast
- 1 bunch parsley, chopped
- 1 bunch shallots, chopped
- 1 onion, diced
- 4-6 cloves garlic, crushed
- A few bay leaves
- 400g dried black beans
- Water
- 1 cup orange juice
- Some okra (optional)
- A couple of chillies (optional)
- Cooking oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- - Slice the meats up in varying size (speck the smallest, next sausages, then pork belly, and duck breast the largest)
- - With your slow cooker on brown / sear, heat up 1 tsp of cooking oil, then brown, in order, adding the next meat into the slow cooker - speck, then sausages, then pork belly, and duck breast (Pic 3)
- - Add parsley, garlic, onions, shallots, bay leaves, and chilli (if you're using it) and sautee for a few minutes (Pic 4 + 5)
- - Add salt & pepper to taste
- - Add black beans (Pic 6), orange juice, and enough water to just about cover everything (Pic 7)
- - Slow cook on low for 6-8 hours
- - For the last hour, add okra and whole chillies (if you're using them)
- - Garnish with parsley and spring onion
- Best served with white rice, a slice of orange, and some greens on the side.
Notes
- - you can apply this to lots of different meat combinations - the general idea is to have a variety, and include smoked and salted meats where you can
- - if using chicken, use thigh, not breast
- - when adding liquid, I like adding a shot of various alcohols to increase the depth of flavour. In this one I used a shot of whiskey, a shot of rum, and a shot of white wine
- - here's what I like using as secret ingredients; a shot of espresso and a tablespoon of raw cacao powder; add in the last hour of cooking
- Every cultural tradition appears to have a 'meat and beans' recipe (pork and beans, Chinese beef & black beans, French cassoulet, and on & on).
- This is a Brazilian Feijoada. Feijoada's tradition actually carries from Roman Empire era cooking, and echoed through Portuguese colonialism. Bold, and a complexity that comes from the richness of the meats and beans. Comfort food perfect for slow cooking, be it bruisingly cold winters or caiprinha sipping summer.
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