Feijoada

Stew

• black beans500 g
• smoked pork ribs400 g
• pork shoulder400 g
• smoked sausage200 g
• streaky bacon150 g
• onions2
• garlic cloves8
• bay leaves3
• olive oil4 tbsp
• salt
• black pepper

To serve

• white rice400 g
• oranges2
• spring greens or kale300 g
• cassava flour (optional)100 g
• water600 ml

Stew

1. 01

   The night before, rinse the black beans and leave them to soak in plenty of cold water for at least 8 hours.

2. 02

   Drain the soaked beans and put them in a large pot with the smoked pork ribs, the pork shoulder cut into 4 cm chunks, and the bay leaves. Cover generously with cold water and bring to the boil, skimming off the foam.

3. 03

   Lower to a bare simmer, cover partly, and cook for 90 minutes until the beans are tender and the meat is loosening.

4. 04

   Dice the bacon and fry it in 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a separate pan until the fat runs. Finely chop the onions, add them and cook for 10 minutes until soft. Crush 6 of the garlic cloves and add them 1 minute before the end.

5. 05

   Ladle a cupful of beans into the onion pan, mash them into the bacon and onions, and stir the whole panful back into the pot. The mashed beans are what thicken the broth.

6. 06

   Slice the smoked sausage, add it and simmer uncovered for a further 45 to 60 minutes, until the stew is dark and thick enough to coat a spoon and the pork shoulder is falling apart. Season with black pepper, then taste before adding any salt — the smoked meat brings plenty.

To serve

7. 07

   While the stew simmers, rinse the white rice and put it in a pan with the water and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes, then leave it covered off the heat for 5 minutes.

8. 08

   Finely shred the greens, discarding any tough stalks, and slice the remaining 2 garlic cloves. Fry them quickly in 1 tbsp of the olive oil, so the greens stay bright.

9. 09

   Peel the oranges and slice them into rounds. For the farofa, if using, toast the cassava flour in the last tablespoon of olive oil with a pinch of salt, stirring, for 4 to 5 minutes until golden and sandy. Serve the feijoada over the rice with the greens, the orange slices and the farofa. The orange is not a garnish: the acid cuts the fat and is part of how the dish is eaten.