Chef’s Note: My love for feijoada is hard to put into words. This is the ultimate comfort food and in winter, its hands down my favourite thing to eat. There are quite a few ingredients in here that you probably won’t find at your normal grocer, but a trip to the butcher is really worthwhile.

INGREDIENTS

• 250g red kidney beans (dried)
• 250g white beans (dried)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• Olive oil, for frying
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chilli flakes
• 200g chourico, chopped
• 350g smoked pork loin
• 500g stewing beef
• ½ cup chopped tomatoes
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 1 litre warm chicken stock

METHOD

1. Soak the beans overnight in hot water from the tap, replacing the water two or three times.
2. Place the onion and garlic into a large pot and fry in olive oil until translucent but without burning the garlic. Add the bay leaves, cumin and chilli flakes and fry until all are well mixed.
3. Add the chourico, pork loin and stewing beef and brown – add ¼ cup of water at a time if you find the meat sticking to the bottom of the pot.
4. Once the meat is nicely browned, add the tomatoes and allow to simmer on low heat until the sauce starts to thicken.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add the diced carrots and the chicken stock. Then, after 10 minutes of simmering with the lid on, add the beans and stir well.
7. Cook for a further 20-30 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally to sure the feijoada doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
8. When ready, discard the bay leaves and serve with rice.

By J’SOMETHING