Feijoada is the child of Brazilian slavery. The dish evolved from a pot of black beans boiled up with all the lesser bits of the pig. It eventually developed into an elaborate stew built around the beans cooked with assorted meats, smoked pork, sausages, and so on. The meal is served in courses, commencing with the bean liquid, or soup, followed by separate platers of beans, meats, rice, shredded kale, and accompanied by citric fruits, hot peppers, and toasted farofa, which are mixed as the diner wishes at the table. The dish is as sophisticated as a good French cassoulet.

The Meats
• 1 pound carne seca or salted corned beef
• 1 smoked beef tongue (about 1 3/4 pounds) or cured beef tongue
• 1 salted pork butt (about 1 3/4 pounds)
• 1 pound salted pork ribs (all attached)
• 1/2 pound salted slab bacon
• 1/2 pound fresh pigs’ ears
• 3 fresh pigs’ tails
• 1pound (about 3) fresh pigs’ feet, split in half lengthwise
• 1/2 pound paio (a fatty blook pork sausage, available at Brazilian specialty shops)
• 1/2 pound linguiça sausage (or other swee Italian pork sausage)
• 1/2 pound smoked calabrese-type sausage (or other smoked spicy sausage)

The Beans
• 2  pounds dried black beans, washed and picked clean
• 1 medium onion, peeled
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Side Dishes
• Simple Boiled White Rice
• Sliced or whole peeled oranges
• Couve Kale (or collard greens)
• Simple Farofa
• And preserved malagueta peppers

The Day Before
In a very large stockpot, add the carne seca, beef tongue, pork butt and ribs. Add enough water to cover generously and refrigerate for 24 hours, changing the water once or twice. At the same time, in a separate stockpot, add the salted bacon, pigs’ ears and pigs’ feet. Add enough water to cover generously and refrigerate for 24 hours, changing the water once or twice.

In a large kettle, combine the beans and cold water to cover and set aside. Allow to soak for at least 6 hours, or refrigerate overnight.

Day Two
Remove the meats and beans from the refrigerator. Wash out the meat kettles and add the carne seca, beef tongue, ribs, pigs’ ears, tails, and feet to one. In a separate kettle add the pork butt. Fill the kettles with cold water to generously cover and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Remove the meats, drain the water, and repeat the process 4 times more with fresh water.

Add the bacon to a saucepan of cold water, bring to a boil over high heat, and boil for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Prick the sausages with a fork in 4 or 5 places and set aside. In 3 separate saucepans place the paio, linguiça for 10 minutes, and the calabrese for 5 minutes. Remove the sausage from the saucepans and drain the water. Return the largest pan to the heat, add all the sausage and lightly brown on all sides. Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside. When the boiled meats are cool enough to handle, remove the soft bones from the pigs’ ears and discard.

Drain the beans, combine them with the onion and bay leaves in a large kettle, and cover with cold water by 8 inches. Place the beans over high heat, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered for 30 minutes. Add the bacon and continue to simmer the beans, partially covered , for 1 to 1 ½ hours (see note).

In a small skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 5 minutes, or until golden. Add the garlic mixture, salt and pepper to the beans.

Add all the meats and sausages to the beans, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, partially covered, for 1 to 1 ½ hours, or until the beans are tender but not thoroughly cooked. Stir from time to time, adding boiling water as needed to keep the level at 8 inches. Remove the meats from the beans and cool. Cover the meats and beans separately and refrigerate. This should be done a day ahead to ensure greater flavor.

Serving Day
Remove the beans and meats from the refrigerator. In a large heavy-bottomed kettle, add the beans and meats and enough cold water to cover by 8 inches. Cover and bring the mixture to a simmer over low heat for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 200 F.

Remove the ears and slice in julienne, the tails in 1-inch pieces, the bacon in thin strips, and the feet in 1-inch pieces. Slide off the tongue casing and slice the tongue in ¼-inch slices, cut the sausages in 1-inch pieces, and cut the carne seca or corned beef in small flaked pieces and arrange them in heatproof serving dishes (you may place them in individual dishes or pair 2 or 3 meats together on heatproof platters). Remove a cup or more of bean liquor from the pot and moisten the meats. Cover with foil and keep warm in the oven if not serving immediately.

Place the beans in a large, warmed, glazed ceramic bowl or whatever large oven-proof bowl you have and serve the meats and rice, oranges, kale, farofa and preserved malagueta peppers.

Note: Cooking time for dried beans varies according to the freshness of the beans. Most beans will cook in 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The good Brazilian cook removes one bean from the pot and presses it with his tumb on a board, then rubs it in a long brush stroke line. If it is smooth and pasty the beans are cooked.

Side Dishes
Couve (Kale / Collard Green). Serves 10

The Brazilian cook rolls the couve leaves like a long tight cigar. She holds them from the top in one first, carefully slicing over her thumb and forefinger with a sharp knife in the other. The needlelike ribbons are perfectly shaped as she moves down the rolled greens.

• 1 1/2 young kale, washed and dried
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Fold the kale leaves in half lengthwise and cut away the stems and inner ribs. Pile about 5 to 6 leaves on top of one another, folded in half lengthwise. Starting at the top, and cutting across the leaves, julienne the leaves in needle-thin strips.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the kale, season with salt and pepper, and toss. Cook just short of the wilting point. It should retain its color and remain slightly crisp.