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Brazilian Black Bean Stew with Collards and Sausage
Feijao tropeiro is one of Brazil’s most popular dishes. A hearty stew of black beans, spicy sausage, and collard greens, it is something of a mixture between feijoada and caldo verde. Like American hash, feijao tropeiro has traditionally been a way to use up leftovers, making it a simple and economical dish. Of course, you don’t have to use leftovers. This stew is plenty delicious to warrant fresh ingredients as well!
Where Does Feijao Tropeiro Come From?
Feijao tropeiro is known in English as “cattleman’s stew.” This is because it originated among the tropeiro: cattle drivers of 17th century Brazil. Long months of travel necessitated foodstuffs that would not spoil: dried beans, cured meats, and cassava flour. The cattleman combined all three into a simple but satisfying dish that became known as feijao tropeiro (“feijao” means “beans”).
Today, feijao tropeiro incorporates fresh ingredients, like collards, and adds sausage and other meats. Contemporary Brazilians also like to put crispy pork rinds (“torresmos”) on top for added crunch and comfort.
You can customize your feijao tropeiro with anything you like; but to remain authentic, you must start with the three traditional requirements: meat, beans, and cassava flour.
Brazilian Sausage Substitute
Our feijao tropeiro recipe today calls for calabresa linguica sausage, a distinctly Brazilian cured meat that is both zesty and sweet. It can easily be purchased online through Texas de Brazil’s Butcher Shop; however, you can also use smoky kielbasa or chorizo.
Where to Find Manioc Flour
Manioc flour is also known as cassava flour. It can be found in most specialty grocery stores, and even in some mainstream ones. If you cannot find cassava flour, you can substitute tapioca starch. Both are made from the yuca root, but manioc contains more fiber than tapioca starch. Keep this in mind, since it will contribute to the final texture of the feijao tropero.
Dried vs Canned Beans for Cattleman’s Stew
Traditional Brazilian feijao tropeiro calls for dried pinto beans. Presumably, they have already been soaked and used in another dish, since the stew is usually made with leftovers. That being said, you can just as easily use canned pintos for convenience. Any foodie will tell you that the flavors will never be as good as with dried beans, but this is hash for cowboys-no time to get snobby.
Feijão Tropeiro Recipe
Ingredients:
1 lb pinto beans, soaked and cooked (or 1 can pinto beans)
1 lb Braziliain sausage, cut into ½” slices
½ lb bacon, diced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
8 oz cassava flour
1 large bunch of collard greens, cut chiffonade style
4 large eggs
1 tsp salt (more to taste)
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
One 4 oz packet of pork rinds/chicharrones
Directions:
- Heat a skillet over medium and fry the bacon until crispy. Remove it from the pan and strain it on a paper towel.
- Discard the bacon fat and put a drizzle of olive oil in the same pan you used to cook the bacon. Brown the sausage for a minute or two and set it aside with the bacon.
- Add another drizzle of oil to the pan and saute the onions until they are fragrant and translucent (about 2 minutes). Add in your salt and pepper.
- Add in your garlic and pinto beans and cook for a few minutes more.
- Stir in the sausage, bacon, and strips of collard greens.
- Add the cassava flour a little bit at a time, until it is toasty and well-incorporated.
- Reduce the heat to low and heat another skillet over medium heat.
- Add a drizzle of olive oil, and crack your eggs into the skillet. Fry them sunny side up, then put them on top of the feijao tropeiro mixture.
- Serve immediately garnished with the crispy pork rinds and some fresh parsley or cilantro. A little hot sauce wouldn’t go amiss, either.
