Ellen Kanner

soulful vegan writer

  • About
  • CONSULTATION
  • PUBLICATIONS
  • RESOURCES
  • RECIPES
  • Video
  • Shop
  • Appearances
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT
  • $0.00
You are here: Home / MAIN COURSE / Feijoada Before the Feast

Feijoada Before the Feast

November 22, 2021 by Ellen Kanner Leave a Comment

A pot of slow-cooked feijoada is nourishing and will keep you and your family well fed and happy in the days leading up to Thanksgiving.

If you host Thanksgiving, holiday week can be tricky meal-wise. Cleaning, shopping and Thanksgiving prep may muscle out making dinner tonight. One year in the run-up to Thursday night’s feast, my husband wanted something to eat. Alas, I was up to my elbows, quite literally, making my family’s elaborate cornbread dressing recipe. I stopped to make my husband toast, bread being the only thing in the fridge not reserved for Thanksgiving dinner. He was not pleased.

So now I make a big pot of something wonderful to have on hand during the week, like this feijoada, the beloved Brazilian stew, or rather, my vegan version of it. Feijoada is both nourishing (beans, baby) and sumptuous, a slow-cook wonder. Got the holiday hurrieds? You could probably fast-forward it with an Instant Pot. I like slow-cooking, though. I think it produces the richest, most tender beans, and a pot simmering on the stove makes for good company in the kitchen. Go even richer and slower and cook overnight in a slow cooker.

Wishing you a happy Thanksgiving, plus a big pot of feijoada, made fast or slow, steaming hot, and enough for everyone to enjoy.

How to serve: Serve feijoada the way it deserves, with rice*, sliced oranges, and shredded collards with lemon, garlic, and olive oil.  Now it goes by the name of feijoada completa. Bonus points if you make farofa, yuca dumplings. A big, bold rioja would not be out of place here, either.

As with so many of the other slow-cooking hot pots I love, feijoada’s flavors get richer and more complex a day or two after you make it.  Enjoy it today, enjoy it even more tomorrow, and freeze a portion to enjoy later when the time’s right.

Feijoada

A hearty and nourishing bean stew.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

For the beans:

  • 1 pound dried black beans rinsed and picked over
  • 1 large onion peeled and halved
  • 1 orange halved
  • 6 garlic cloves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 sliver Scotch bonnet pepper or pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano or a sprig or two of fresh oregano
  • 1 teaspoon cumin

For the sofrito:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 red pepper chopped
  • 1 sliver Scotch bonnet pepper or pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon achioté optional
  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • zest of 1 orange
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions
 

  • Tip black beans into a large soup pot. Cover with about an inch of water. Drop in the onion, orange, garlic cloves, bay leaf, oregano, cumin, and Scotch bonnet or red pepper flakes.
  • Bring to a boil over high heat and continue boiling for 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to low, cover pot, and let the beans cook for about an hour, or until the beans have soaked up most of the water, and are just shy of being tender and done. Most of the orange will have melted into the feijoada, but press any orange flesh that remains into the bean mixture, then discard the orange rind, and the bay leaf.
  • This is Feijoada Phase One. If you’ve had a busy day, you can allow the beans and their broth to cool, then pour into a large airtight container and refrigerate overnight before continuing. But if you’re feeling the feijoada, move straight on to Feijoada Phase Two: the sofrito.
  • Make the sofrito. In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions, Cook for a few minutes, giving them an occasional stir until they soften and turn golden. Reduce heat to medium and add the minced garlic, chopped pepper, Scotch bonnet or red pepper flakes.
  • Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for another 8 to 10 minutes, so the vegetables soften and turn fragrant, and are lightly gilded with olive oil. Add all the black beans, and about 2 cups of their own inky bean broth, reserving any additional broth. Gently stir the beans into the sofrito.
  • Add the achioté, if using, along with the smoked paprika, tomato paste, and orange zest. Give feijoada another stir or two,
  • When it starts to bubble, reduce heat to low, cover, and let the stew simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, so flavors meld and become friendly. Give a stir. If feijoada is too dry for your liking, add the reserved bean broth, 1/2 cup at a time until you achieve flawless feijoada.
  • Add the cider vinegar and season generously with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Notes

Serves 6 to 8.
*White rice is traditional but you know me by now — brown rice offers extra whole grain goodness, and I’ve already flouted convention by skipping feijoada’s many meats.
How to keep: Keeps covered and refrigerated for up to 5 days. Freeze it and it keeps for months. Thaw gently at room temperature.
Keyword black beans, feijoada, thanksgiving

dividerEK


dividerEKThank you for reading my vegan stories and plant-based recipes. I sincerely love to connect with listeners and would like to hear your feedback, takeaways, “ah-ha!” moments, etc in the comments.

Connect with me for discounts, exclusive tips, and other freebies:
• Join my NEWSLETTER for exclusive content & offers
• Join my social networks on LINKEDIN, TWITTER and FACEBOOK

Want to learn more?
Explore more of my VEGAN RECIPES, and my COOK BOOKS.
Do you want a happier life, a greener plate, and a delicious world? Then sign up for VEG THERAPY.



Filed Under: MAIN COURSE, stew Tagged With: beans, black beans, sofrito, Thanksgiving

« The Answer is Beans – Farinata
The Artichoke Heart of the Matter »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Ellen Kanner ELLEN KANNER is a soulful vegan writer on food, wellness and sustainability with over 15 years' experience. She's a recipe developer for numerous publications...[Read More] .

~ Work With Ellen ~

She is available for speaking engagements, consultations, and cooking demonstrations. To book a paid speaking gig, contact her.

~ available Cookbooks ~

Ellen Kanner

buynow

Ellen Kanner

buynow

Upcoming Events

Feb
9
Thu
6:00 pm Online Event: Roots! An Edible E... @ Online: Via Miami-Dade Public Library
Online Event: Roots! An Edible E... @ Online: Via Miami-Dade Public Library
Feb 9 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Online Event: Roots! An Edible Exploration of the Vegetable Underground with Chef Ellen Kanner @ Online: Via Miami-Dade Public Library
  Vegan chef Ellen Kanner shares easy ways to enjoy root vegetables in all their glory – not just potatoes but also fennel, carrots, beets and many more winter vegetables. Taste the sweetness you’ve been...

Read More »

View Calendar
Add
  • Add to Timely Calendar
  • Add to Google
  • Add to Outlook
  • Add to Apple Calendar
  • Add to other calendar
  • Export to XML

Recent Publications

What Is British Cheese Rolling? | The Cheese Professor

Around the World in Cornmeal Mush | Whetstone Magazine

Adaptogens and Healthful Botanicals Trend in Cocktails | The Alcohol Professor

Discovering A Brave New World of Vegan Chocolates

Is Olive Oil Good For Us? | Huffpost

VegNews Jan 2022

Edible South Florida Winter Issue

Edible South Florida Fall 2021

VegNews Holiday 2021

Thanksgiving Without Turkey? A Valid Argument For Skipping The Bird.

Why This Latin American Chef Rejects The Term ‘Latinx’

The Diva of Daufuskie

SoFloVegans Podcast

Is Wine Vegan?

The Best Artisanal Cheese and Why We Love Them

Food Rescue U.S.: ‘Hunger Doesn’t Take A Holiday’

Art Friedrich: Food Insecurity Is A ‘Weakness That Will Be Exploited By Adversaries’

Broccoli Rising|October 2020 – Breathe, Nourish, Rise

What is Vegan Cheese and is it Legit?

The Germans Have a Word for That Snack

From Cucina Povera to Conscious Cookery: Timeless Garden-to-Kitchen and Back Again Smarts

Thinking Outside and Inside the Box: Growing Greens in Miami

Diet for a Large Pandemic

Currently Featured On

Vegan Cinco de Mayo: Vegan Date-Sweetened Chocolate Love Bites & Mango Black Bean Salad

Vedge Your Best – The Plant-Based Podcast – Michele Olender

Professional Associations

~Contributing Columnist ~

Ellen Kanner
Ellen Kanner

~ Search Site ~

RSS Newsletter

  • February 2023 February 1, 2023
  • A Little Ask and a Little Delight January 17, 2023
  • January 2023 December 29, 2022
  • December 2022 December 1, 2022
  • November 2022 November 1, 2022

~ Signup for my Newsletter~

~ Follow me on Twitter ~

© 2023 ELLEN KANNER - site by Kapok Graphics