A hearty Portuguese bean and sausage stew finished with a swirl of fresh herb butter.
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.
Serves 2
Drain the soaked beans and rinse well.
Heat oil in a large pot, brown the sausage and pork shoulder on all sides, about 6-7 minutes. Remove and set aside.
In the same pot, saute onion and garlic until soft, about 4 minutes.
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.
Mix softened butter with parsley and thyme until combined.
Discard bay leaves, stir in the herb butter until melted and glossy, then serve hot with rice.
Soak the beans overnight for even cooking and shorter simmer time.
Brown the meats properly before adding liquid -- this builds a deeper base flavor than boiling everything from raw.
Stir in the herb butter off heat at the very end so its flavor stays fresh rather than cooking away.
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.
Refrigerate up to 4 days; the stew thickens further and deepens in flavor overnight. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Feijoada originated in Portugal as a rustic bean and pork stew, later brought to Brazil during the colonial period, where it evolved with local ingredients into Brazil's national dish -- the Portuguese original remains simpler and lighter by comparison.
Portuguese feijoada is typically lighter, using red or white beans and fewer cuts of meat, while Brazilian feijoada uses black beans and a wider variety of pork cuts.
Yes, use about 5 cups drained canned beans and reduce simmer time to 30-40 minutes after browning the meats.
Any good smoked sausage, like Spanish chorizo or kielbasa, works as a substitute.
Per serving (235g / 8.3 oz) · 2 servings total
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