Brazilian Food – Whats this chick pea meal called?!

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For 300 years, feijoada has reigned supreme in the Brazilian kitchen. Invented by slaves, who started mixing their masters' pork leftovers to the black beans that were used to feed the animals, it got a touch of Portuguese and Indian cuisines and today is served all over from the hole-in-the-wall little joints to the most sophisticated restaurants. And every family seems to have its own feijoada favorite recipe.

Feijoada is a traditional bean and meat stew that is widely popular in Portugal and Brazil. The dish gets its name from feij?o, the Portuguese word for “beans.” Feijoada is made with either beef or pork, which may be fresh or salt-cured. The beans used may be white beans, red kidney beans or black turtle beans.

Pronounced “fay’-zho-ah’-dah,” the dish originated in Portugal, especially in the Estremadura, Beira and Trás-os-Montes regions. Due to Portuguese colonial influences in the New World, feijoada was later introduced to Brazil. There, it became so popular that it is now considered the national dish of that country.

Feijoada is similar to European bean-based stews such as French cassoulet, Italian ribollita and Spanish fabada. With its humble ingredients and rustic presentation, feijoada was originally regarded as peasant food. It was a favorite among African slaves in Brazil and other Portuguese colonies. Since the 19th century, however, feijoada has been served in fine restaurants, often as a lunch special.

Traditional feijoada is cooked in a heavy clay pot. To tenderize the meat and fully integrate the beans with the other components, the ingredients must be slow-cooked over the course of several hours. The result is a thick, hearty stew with a rich, savory flavor.

The ingredients used to prepare feijoada vary according to the country and region of origin. In Portugal, the stew is made with fresh pork or beef and, in some recipes, with sausages. In the Portuguese coastal regions, it is made with white beans; in the inland regions, it is made with red kidney beans. Other ingredients may include vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots and cabbage, along with aromatic flavoring agents such as onions, garlic and bay leaves.

In Brazil, feijoada is prepared with salted pork or beef such as bacon, ham, smoked sausages or beef jerky. It may even be made with variety meats such as feet, ears and tails. Black turtle beans are most commonly used in Brazilian feijoada.

Side dishes for feijoada also vary according to country or region of origin. In Portugal, it is typically served with rice and assorted sausages. As a condiment, a hot sauce such as piri-piri may be served on the side. In Brazil, it is served with both rice and farofa, a dish made with toasted cassava flour. Collard greens, sliced oranges and fried bananas may also be served as accompaniments for Brazilian feijoada.
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Brasilian Feijoada (Brazilian Bean Stew) This Brazilian version is a perfect example of the evolution of food culture. The migration of the Portuguese to a newly discovered land required adaption on many levels, including substituting and improvising with available ingredients and fusing familiar methods with new ones to create close resemblance of traditional dishes which were sometimnes lost altogether. For instance, here the black beans replaced the red and white.

2 pounds black beans
1/2 pound dried beef, (optional)
1/2 pounds pork ribs
1 pound chourico, Portuguese smoked spicy sausage
4 quarts of water
1 cup olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon coarse salt or to taste
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups water
1 cup converted or long-grain rice
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 cups manioca flour, lightly toasted*
Fruity Portuguese or Italian extra virginn oliveoil as needed for serving
Extra finely chopped garlic for garnish
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Note:* Manioca is a grainy flour made from the pulp of the cassaba plant's root, also know as Yucca

Day ahead: Soak the bean overnight in cool water, enough to cover by 2 inches

Next Day:

1. Drain the beans, then rinse them. Place them into an 8-quart stockpot followed by the beef, pork ribs, sausage and water. Cover the pot tightly and bring the ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the ingredients are boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for approximately 1 hour until the beans are tender. Using the back of a spoon, mash some of the beans against the inside of the pot. Continue to simmer until the stew is slightly thickened, about 30 minutes.

2. In a small skillet, heat two tablespoons of the olive oil. Toss in 1 1/2 cups of the onions and saute them until they are translucent. Toss in 1/2 of the garlic, and simmer just until the garlic becomes aromatic. Stir the onions into the beans and meat. Season with the salt and simmer 2 to 3 minutes more.

3. Using a 2 1/2 quart sauce pan, melt the butter and saute the remaining 1/2 cup of chopped onions until they are soft and translucent. Add the water and bring it to a boil. Stir in the rice and salt. Cover tightly and simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed. Set aside.

4. Heat a small skillet. Pour in the manioca flour. Moving the skillet back and forth across the burner, toast the flour carefully, so as not to burn it, until it takes on a light golden color.

5. To serve the feijoada, place the thicken bean stew in the center of an individual serving plate. On one side of the stew place a serving of the rice and on the opposite side a scopp of the toasted manioca flour. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over all and garish with additional chopped garlic if desired.
http://www.portuguesecooking.com/recipes…
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The Portuguese word for bean is Fejo, it was a cross between the traditional Portuguese dish made with chickpea or white kidney beans and either smoked sausage like chourico or lingucia, they do not smoked there bacon it is like Italian pancetta a cured back, there is another Brazilian dish called Fejoria (I have spelled it wrong) it is a stew of black beans and salted pork products, salted tails, ribs, bacon, pork shoulder braised and mixed with spices and then stewed with black beans, it is very good and close to the one you had.

Try looking under Brazilian Bean dishes.