Portuguese Feijoada-Style Bean Stew with Herb Butter

About This Recipe

Feijoada is Portugal's classic bean stew, built on beans slow-simmered with smoked sausages and cuts of pork until rich and deeply savory -- a dish with roots that later traveled to Brazil and became that country's national dish in an evolved form. This version keeps close to the traditional Portuguese style, finishing with a swirl of fresh herb butter stirred in just before serving for added richness and brightness. The technique for a good feijoada is time: the beans and meats need a long, slow simmer, often over an hour, so the beans break down slightly and the pork becomes fall-apart tender while the broth thickens naturally from the starch released by the beans. Browning the sausage and pork pieces before they go into the pot builds a deeper base flavor than simply boiling everything together from the start. Served with rice and perhaps some sauteed greens, this is substantial, cold-weather Portuguese cooking, the kind of dish meant to feed a family generously from one pot.

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 2 cupsdried red or black beans(soaked overnight)
• 200 gchouriço or linguiça sausage(sliced)
• 200 gpork shoulder(cubed)
• 1onion(diced)
• 3 clovesgarlic(minced)
• 2bay leaves
• 1.5 Lwater or stock
• 2 tbspoil
• 1 tspsalt
• 0.5 tspblack pepper
• 3 tbspbutter(softened)
• 2 tbspchopped fresh parsley
• 1 tbspchopped fresh thyme

Instructions

1. 1

   Drain and rinse the beans

   Drain the soaked beans and rinse well.

2. 2

   Brown the meats

   Heat oil in a large pot, brown the sausage and pork shoulder on all sides, about 6-7 minutes. Remove and set aside.

3. 3

   Saute the aromatics

   In the same pot, saute onion and garlic until soft, about 4 minutes.

4. 4

   Simmer the stew

   Return the browned meats to the pot, add beans, bay leaves, water or stock, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer, partially covered, for 1 to 1.5 hours until beans and pork are fully tender.

5. 5

   Make the herb butter

   Mix softened butter with parsley and thyme until combined.

6. 6

   Finish and serve

   Discard bay leaves, stir in the herb butter until melted and glossy, then serve hot with rice.

Variations

• •

  Use black beans for a stew closer to the Brazilian feijoada that evolved from this dish.

• •

  Add carrots or cabbage for extra vegetables and color.

• •

  Skip the herb butter for a more traditional, rustic version.

Storage

Refrigerate up to 4 days; the stew thickens further and deepens in flavor overnight. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions