Cassoulet and Feijoada
Dishes for a Cold Winter Day
When winter and cold weather roll around, it’s time to cook heartwarming, savory dishes: casseroles baked in the oven or simmered for hours on top of the stove in iron skillets. A pot of flavorful homemade bean soup is another fine example. Two rustic dishes fit the winter bill and make substantial meals: the French cassoulet and the Brazilian feijoada. Both Brazilian Grill and Fogo Brazilian BBQ (next to Gol Supermarket) in Hyannis prepare and serve feijoada every Wednesday and Saturday, following the Brazilian tradition of serving it only on those two days of the week.
This Portuguese feijoada recipe was altered for the slave trade of the sixteenth century and uses different parts of the pig: tail, ear, rib and loin, and chorizo or smoked sausage (some use both). Beans play a big part in this dish. Brazilian cooks make it with black beans, while the Portuguese may use pinto or kidney. Feijoada could be called the Brazilian version of cassoulet and the pork-and-bean stew of Portugal. It also is considered the national dish of Brazil.
Cassoulet also features beans—cannellini, tarbais, or haricot—along with the meats, flavored with goose or duck fat. I use pork belly, sausage, lamb and sometimes confit duck legs, all of which combine to produce the perfect winter fare. I usually make a cassoulet for Christmas dinner. It is my new tradition for holiday eats and it’s perfect to serve a large group of friends.
Resources for recipes on following page
Alemão’s Butchery and Gol Supermarket have all the meats and ingredients for making the feijoada.
Brazilian Grill
680 Main Street, Hyannis
508-771-0109
Alemão’s Butchery
(Brazilian Grill Butchery)
672 Main Street, Hyannis
508-827-4632
Fogo Brazilian BBQ
39 Iyannough Road, Hyannis
508-775-1000
Gol Brazilian Supermarket
55 Iyannough Road, Hyannis
508-771-5862
