This recipe is from Carla who is from Portugal, a very nice friend that shared with our cooking group many of her recipes. This recipe was given to us without measurements so I filled in the amounts, I used when making the recipe recently for my family. We had enough for several meals (as we are only three) and it was enjoyed. I would say this would feed several people with the addition of rice. The Feijoada is very filling and is a meal in its own right.
Feijoada Portuguese Bean Stew
1 onion, chopped
olive oil
2-3 garlic, minced
1 lb or 454g red beans (soaked 24 hours in water before cooking) I used 3 cans of red kidney beans
500g pork, cubed
500g beef, cubed
200g Portuguese chorizo, sliced
1 large or 2 small carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 head of cabbage or bok choy, shredded
salt & pepper to taste
3 bay leaves
Wash the soaked beans well, and boil them in water with a bit of salt and bay leaves, for at least 1 hour, or until done. If using canned beans as I did omit this step.
In a separate pan cook the onion and the garlic until transparent. If using the canned beans you can add the bay leaf to the onion and garlic mixture.
Add the beef, pork and the chorizo to the onion. Mixing all the time to make sure the meat doesn’t stick, let the meat absorb the flavor from the garlic and onions. Add some of the water from cooking the beans, enough to cover the meat and let it cook for 10 minutes. Since I used canned beans, I used the water from one can of beans and used fresh water to cover the meat. I find the water in the canned beans has too much starch.
Now add the beans to the meat and cook for 15 more minutes. Then add the carrot and bring to boil again for an additional 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning, salt and pepper add more water if needed, and add the shredded cabbage. Simmer for 20 minutes.
Serve with rice.