Recipe: Brazilian Black Bean Stew (Feijoada)

BRAZILIAN BLACK BEAN STEW (FEIJOADA)

1 (3 to 4 pound) smoked beef tongue
8 cups cold water
2 (12 ounce) packages dried black beans
1/2 pound dried beef
4 smoked chorizo links
1/2 pound sliced bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
Sauce
1 large orange, thinly sliced
Hot cooked rice

Place beef tongue in Dutch oven; add enough water to cover beef. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until tender, about 3 hours.

Heat water and beans to boiling in Dutch oven or large kettle; boil gently 2 minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 1 hour.

Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 1 hour.

Remove and mash 2 cups beans and liquid; reserve mashed beans for Sauce.

Plunge beef tongue into cold water. Cut lengthwise slashes in skin; peel off skin. Remove any fat and cartilage. Cut beef tongue into 1/4-inch slices; stir into unmashed beans.

Cut dried beef into bite-size pieces; prick chorizos thoroughly with fork. Stir dried beef, chorizos and bacon into beans and tongue. Add just enough water to cover. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 1 hour.

Prepare sauce (recipe follows). Stir half the Sauce into meat-bean mixture. Cover and cook until beans are mushy, about 1 hour, adding 1/2 to 1 cup water if necessary.

Heat remaining Sauce over low heat.

Arrange beef tongue slices in center of platter; arrange remaining chorizos around tongue slices. Pour Sauce over meats. Cut orange slices into halves; arrange around meats. Pour remaining beans into tureen; serve with rice.

SAUCE:
1 chorizo, cooked with beans
4 jalape o peppers, finely chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Cut reserved chorizo into 1-inch pieces. Cook and stir chorizo and remaining ingredients in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 3 minutes. Stir 2 cups reserved beans into chorizo mixture; heat until hot.

Yields 12 to 14 servings