feijoada (brazilian beef stew)

Brazil is a country known for MEAT.  I haven’t been there, however, my husband has traveled there on business.  He has a lot of fond food memories of Brazil but said you can “hurt yourself” at a churrascaria which is where waiters serve hot grilled meats tableside fresh off the skewer.

Feijoada is another popular Brazilian meat dish.  The meats used in feijoada vary by the cook, but it always includes black beans.

My version, inspired by a recipe in Cuisine at Home magazine, may not be 100% authentic, but it’s easy to make and can be made with ingredients found in your local grocery store.

ingredients

• 4 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil, divided
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 Poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
• 12 large cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 1/2 pounds chuck stew meat
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 package (14-ounce) kielbasa, halved and sliced
• 1 cup orange juice
• 3 cups beef broth
• 1 can (15-ounce) diced canned tomatoes, undrained
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, or to taste
• 2 tablespoons hot chili powder
• 2 cans (15-ounce) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 4 tablespoons corn starch mixed with 3 tablespoons water
• Brown rice (optional)
• Jalapeno slices
• Finely chopped red onion
• Orange and lime wedges
• Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in an electric pressure cooker on the "saute" setting.  Add the onion and poblano pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until beginning to soften, approximately 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook briefly until fragrant.  Turn pressure cooker off
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat.  Season the beef with salt and black pepper.  Brown the beef in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan, adding remaining 1 tablespoon oil as needed.  Transfer each batch to the pressure cooker.
3. Add kielbasa, orange juice, beef broth, tomatoes, vinegar and chili powder and stir to combine
4. Secure the lid on the pressure cooker.  Set pressure cooker to "High" and let the pressure cooker do its thing for 21 minutes
5. Release the pressure as s-l-o-w-l-y as possible.  Stir in black beans and corn starch slurry.  Set pressure cooker to "simmer" and simmer gently until thickened.  Let stew rest for 5 minutes to thicken more.
6. Serve over brown rice (optional) with jalapeno slices, chopped red onion, orange and lime wedges and cilantro sprigs for garnish.

recipe notes

• SLOW COOKER:  Saute onion, pepper and garlic as directed.  Transfer to slow-cooker.  Brown beef as directed and add to slow-cooker.  Add remaining ingredients (except black beans) and cook on High 4 hours or Low 8 hours.  Add the corn starch slurry near the end.  Stir in black beans and heat through.
• STOVETOP:  Cook on Low 2 hours or until beef is tender.  Add black beans and corn starch slurry and simmer gently until thickened.
• OVEN:  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Cover securely and braise for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until beef is tender.  Add black beans and corn starch slurry and simmer gently on the stovetop until thickened.

More Deliciouse Recipes feijoada (brazilian beef stew)@fromachefskitchen.com

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