Chef’s Recipe

chef’s recipeBOX

A favorite from our International Menus: Feijoda

by Jared McElroy, Executive Chef

For the past three years we have put a focus on foods from a host of different countries. We aim to create menus that have a good mix of items that are familiar to everyone and dishes that are less known globally, but beloved within the country of origin.

Each year there are dishes and recipes that we know are going to be great, but there is always one recipe that surprises us. This year the entire Brazil menu surprised me, and the Feijoda is the one that surprised me the most.

FEIJODA

INGREDIENTS

Dried Black Beans (soaked overnight)

1 lb Oil 2 Tbsp Slab Bacon, Medium Diced 4 oz Baby Back Ribs, Cut into individual ribs 12 ea (about 1 rack) Mexican Chorizo, ¼ inch slices 1 ea Smoked Sausage, ¼ inch slices 1 ea Yellow Onion, Diced 1 ea Garlic, Chopped 4 cloves Fire Roasted Tomato (Canned) 1 can Kosher Salt 1 tsp Black Pepper Bay Leaf 1 tsp 1 ea Chicken Broth 2 Qt Whole Orange, cut in half 1 ea

METHOD:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or

Dutch oven pan, add the bacon and cook over medium heat until the bacon fat renders down and you have lardons. Once cooked, remove the lardons and leave the fat in the pan. While cooking the bacon, season the ribs with salt and pepper. 2. Once bacon is removed, sear the ribs in batches until browned. Remove the ribs and hold with the lardons for later. 3. Add the sausages to the pan and sear. Once seared, add the onion and the garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent. 4. Drain the beans and add them to the skillet along with the ribs, bacon, tomatoes, bay leaf, chicken stock and orange halves. 5. Bring the feijoda to a simmer and then reduce the heat to keep it at a simmer.

Cover and allow to simmer for 2 to 2 ½ hours or until the beans are tender. 6. Serve with rice, collard greens and slices of peeled oranges.