Tag: main course
Feijoada
Feijoada
Feijoada might be the ultimate meat stew bestowed upon mankind. It is so popular that many Brazilians consider feijoada the national dish. This dish consists of black beans stewed with a variety of pork and beef cuts. There is always bacon or pork belly. Their rendered fat is used to brown the rest of the meats. Cubed pork shoulder is sautéed in the fat then added to a slow cooker. Then some cut of beef that is good for stewing is sautéed in the fat and added to the slow cooker. Beef shanks, beef ribs, even cubed chuck can be used. There is always some cut of smoked meat added such as a ham shank or smoked linguica sausage. Real authentic versions of feijoada will include chopped pigs ears and feet. They add a gelatinous component to the stew. Onions, garlic, chicken stock, and spices are added to the slow cooker. The entire process takes a good 10 hours to make.Feijoada is always served with steamed rice. Some people like their feijoada soupy, so more stock is added. The rice helps soak that up. The feijoada is garnished with green onions and cilantro. Orange wedges are always present on the side. Squeeze the juice over the feijoada. The acidity helps cut through the richness of the meats.
Servings: 8
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 12 oz bacon or pork belly cubed
- 1 1/2 lbs pork shoulder cubed
- 2 beef shanks or English cut short ribs
- 1 large smoked ham shank or 4 smoked linguica sausage
- 1 large white onion diced
- 1 head garlic peeled; cloves left whole
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds ground
- 8 bay leaves
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 lb dried black beans soaked overnight; or 2 cans of black beans
- 1/4 cup fresh oregano, thyme, and basil chopped
Garnish and Accompaniments
- oranges cut into wedges
- cilantro chopped
- green onions chopped
Instructions
- Heat up a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté and render out the fat from the pork belly or bacon. Place in a slow cooker.
- Sauté the pork shoulder in the rendered pork fat. Season with salt and pepper. Place in the slow cooker.
- Sear the beef shanks or short ribs on all sides. Season with salt and pepper. Place in the slow cooker.
- Deglaze the sauté pan with the chicken stock. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
- Pour in the stock, along with the ham shank or smoked linguica, onions, garlic cloves, bay leaves, coriander, and vinegar. If using dried black beans, add them in now. If using canned, don’t add in yet. Place on the cover and set the slow cooker to low for 10 hours.
- At the 9th hour of cooking, take out any of the meat with bones and strip off the meat. Add back into the slow cooker. If using canned black beans, add them in. Place the cover back on and continue cooking for 1 more hour.
- Mix in the fresh herbs.
Pernil-Style Grilled Pork Tenderloin
Pernil-Style Grilled Pork Tenderloin
This is the same marinade that would be used on a skin on pork leg or shoulder when making pernil, but on pork tenderloin. It tastes best when marinated for 24 hours. You can use either a gas or charcoal grill. The tenderloin will need to be seared on all sides, then moved to indirect heat to finish the cooking. It will take a total of 15-20 minutes to cook through from beginning to end. 155 degrees is the internal tempature you are looking for. Pull off the grill and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing into it. Once it’s sliced, squeeze fresh lime juice over the tenderloin. If you don’t have a grill, you can roast the pork tenderloin in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 small shallots
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 pork tenderloin 1lb – 1 1/4lbs
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Purée all of the marinade ingredients in a blender or food processor.
- Marinate the pork tenderloin for at least 24 hours.
- Get your grill hot. Place the pork tenderloin over the flames. Sear on all sides.
- Move the tenderloins to indirect heat. Let cook for 15-20 minutes in total. Let rest before slicing.
- Sqeeze lime juice over the sliced pork tenderloin.
Sofrito Pasta
Sofrito Pasta
Have a bunch of extra sofrito and don’t know what to do with it? It is great as a light sauce tossed with pasta. I recommend using pasta that isn’t spaghetti noodle shaped. Something that has some type of ridge to catch the sauce like penne rigatta, gemelli, bowtie, etc. You can also add chicken, shrimp, or pork to the pasta and eat it as a main course.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups sofrito
- 1 lb dry pasta cooked according to directions
- 2-3 tsp creole seasoning
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
Garnish
- parsley chopped
Instructions
- Heat up olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add in the sofrito. Cook for 5 minutes to get the raw flavor out.
- Add in the cooked pasta and toss in the sofrito. Season with the creole seasoning. Cook for 5 more minutes.
Sofrito
Sofrito is used as a base for soups, stews, beans, and rice in many Spanish speaking countries such as Cuba and Puerto Rico. It is typically made out of a lot of green ingredients such as green bell pepper, cilantro, green onions, and culantro; similar to green seasoning used in African/Caribbean cuisine. Sofrito adds aromatics to whatever you add it to.Sofrito can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month. I like to freeze it in ice cube trays and store in gallon sized freezer bags. You can then keep your sofrito for up to a year.
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 2 small green bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 1/2 cup cilantro
- 1 1/2 cup culantro
- 1 head garlic
- 1 medium white onion
- 4 green onions chopped
- 2 roma tomatoes
- 2 tbsp oregano
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor.
- Purée until smooth. Store in the refrigerator for up to a month or in the freezer for put to a year.
