Plan Your Weekend Around This Brazilian Recipe

 

 
Friday afternoon has always had an incredible allure. The potential of the weekend is palpable. The next few days are guaranteed to be full of good times, good drinks, and good food. There’s nothing more disappointing, however, than realizing on Sunday evening that the Friday-afternoon anticipation was the best part of the last two days. Just to ensure that this doesn’t happen to you this week, we’ve decided to share a little Brazilian Saturday afternoon tradition with you: feijoada.
 
This stew traditionally combines a variety of salted pork products, which could include anything from “trimmings” (read: ears and feet) to bacon, with at least two types of smoked sausage and jerked beef. Mix all this meat with some black beans, throw the whole thing in a clay pot over a low fire, and congratulations, you’ve made your first feijoada. If this puts you in the mood to try an make one yourself, here’s a recipe courtesy of Food & Wine’s senior recipe developer, Grace Parisi:
 
You’ll need:
 
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for brushing
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
12 ounces andouille sausage, cut into 1/3-inch-thick rounds
4 ounces spicy, smoked beef jerky, cut into 1/2-inch squares
2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons low-sodium beef broth
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
2 cans black beans with liquid
1 pound precooked rice
2 very ripe plantains, peeled and sliced on the diagonal 1/2 inch thick
 
Then follow these steps:
 
1. In a large flameproof cast-iron casserole, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat until softened. Stir in the andouille and beef jerky. Add 2 1/2 cups of the broth, the bay leaf and oregano and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the beans and their liquid and simmer for 15 minutes longer. Discard the bay leaf.
 
2. Meanwhile, light a grill. Mound the rice on the bottom half of a large sheet of nonstick heavy-duty foil. Fold the foil over the rice; fold up 2 of the sides and crimp. Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of broth into the rice packet and crimp the remaining side. Set the packet on the grill and heat the rice until warm.
 
3. Brush the plantains with oil and grill over moderately high heat, turning once or twice, until lightly charred and tender, about 5 minutes. Carefully open the rice packet and serve with the feijoada and plantains.
 
As you’re preparing your Brazilian stew, you should probably keep in mind that it’s best to pair this dish with a cold caipirinha , a drink that’s just as good at tasting delicious as it is at getting you drunk.
 
Now take this recipe, get out there, and make this weekend count.