The Feijoada Sergipana
Feijoada is now considered a universal dish, but each region of Brazil has its own special way of preparing it, and Sergipe has its own distinct take on this dish.
The brazilian state of Sergipe is a small state with many food specialties: a wide variety of dishes that will inspire those who love trying different things, and a friendly climate that will permit many kinds of exotic fruits and vegetables to grow locally. Roasted meat, beans and flour, cassava and boiled yam, the requeijão do sertão, goat stew, fish pirão are all traditional dishes of the region.
So here is the feijoada from Sergipe: its preparation is similar to the universally known feijoada carioca, but this one differs by the type of beans used, its seasoning and the many, many vegetables included.
You can not tell which feijoada recipe is the original one, because, as Cascudo said in his book "History of Food in Brazil", feijoada is a European solution developed in Brazil. (...) Feijoada is a brazilian version of the italian bollito, the podrida olla, puchero, paella, Spanish cocido, and even the Andalusian pringá, Catalan pilots, Valencian stew, Galician pot, le cassoulet of Toulouse... Well, feijoada sergipana IS different, especially when presented in clay pot, nothing less than a national glory!
Homemade Feijoada Sergipana
* 2.2 lb (1 kg.) Pinto beans,
* 1/4 lb. (250 g) Bacon,
* 1/4 lb. (250 g) Dried meat,
* 1/4 lb. (250 g) Round Beef,
* 2 Smoked pork ears,
* 2 salted tails of pork,
* 1 Smoked pig's foot,
* 1/4 lb. (250 g) Linguiça sausage,
* 1/2 lb. (500 g) Paio sausage,
* 1/4 lb (250 lb) Smoked meat,
* 2 Sweet potatoes,
* 2 Carrots,
* 1/2 Cabbage,
* 4 Maxixe (Cucumis anguria),
* 4 Scarlet Eggplant (Jiló)
* 1/3 lb (300 g) Okra,
* 3 Plantains,
* 3 tablespoons (50 ml) Corn oil,
* 1 whole garlic head,
* 1 tablespoon salt,
* 5 bay leaves
* 3 Onions,
* 20 Mint leaves,
* Water, as needed,
* Cassava flour, (for the pirão)
Procedure:
1) We will start by soaking the salty meats, to desalinate them, by leaving them in the water and changing the water at least 3 times in one day. Slice the bacon in small pieces then, fry them in a pan with very little oil.
2) Press-crush the garlic with the salt, rub the dry meat and beef and place in pan. Let it brown all sides, then add water, bay leaf, pig ears and tails and foot. Simmer for 40 minutes.
3) Meanwhile, using a blender, puree the mint, the onions until creamy and set aside.
4) Now looking again to pan with meat, once the 40 minutes is up, add the linguiça, the paio and smoked meat. If necessary, add more water.
5) Pour in the onion/mint cream and simmer for another 20 minutes. Add the beans and cook for another 30 minutes. It is time now to put in the sweet potatoes, then the whole carrots, and cook for another 10 minutes.
6) Put in the rest of the ingredients, fill with water and cook until the beans are cooked and all the vegetables.
7) In another pan, ladle a little of the cooking broth and let it cool down; then add the manioc flour to make the manioc polenta (the pirão), always stirring with a wire whisk while heating back up. If it gets too thick, add more broth and, if it is too liquid, add more manioc flour.
Serve your feijoada Sergipana accompanied by some manioc polenta (pirão).
