A classic Portuguese stew from Trás-os-Montes, packed with red kidney beans, cuts of pork, and smoked sausages. The sauce is deep and richly bound by the starch of the beans, fragrant with chouriço, bay leaves, and cabbage.
Ingredients
- 350 g dried red kidney beans
- 400 g salted pork spare ribs
- 250 g salted pork belly
- 300 g fresh pork shoulder
- 150 g Portuguese chouriço
- 120 g Portuguese morcela
- 150 g Portuguese farinheira
- 300 g savoy cabbage
- 2 pieces carrots
- 1 piece yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 leaves bay leaves
- 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- to taste ground black pepper
- to taste fine salt
- 2 l water
- 600 g cooked white rice
- 0.25 bunches flat-leaf parsley
Method
- The day before, soak the dried red kidney beans in a large bowl of cold water; they should plump up and their skins should become smooth. In a separate bowl of cold water, soak the salted pork cuts to desalt them, changing the water if it tastes very salty.
- Drain the beans and meats. Place the beans in a large Dutch oven with the ribs, pork belly, pork shoulder, bay leaves, and plenty of fresh cold water to cover generously. Bring to a gentle simmer, skimming the surface until the broth runs clear.
- Simmer gently over low heat with the lid slightly ajar until the meats begin to turn tender and the beans can be crushed easily with a spoon without falling completely apart.
- Meanwhile, sauté the chopped onion in olive oil until golden and fragrant. Add the garlic, tomato paste, and sweet smoked paprika, stirring until you have a dark red, aromatic paste.
- Stir this aromatic base into the Dutch oven. Add the sliced carrots and continue simmering gently until the sauce coats the back of a spoon and the pork is melt-in-your-mouth tender.
- Prick the sausages lightly with a tip of a knife, add the chouriço and morcela to the pot, and let them perfume the broth at a low simmer without boiling vigorously; they should remain whole and tender.
- Add the shredded cabbage and lay the farinheira on top so it steams gently above the stew. Once the cabbage is tender yet vibrant and the farinheira is heated through to the center, carefully remove the sausages.
- Slice the meats and enchidos into serving pieces. Return them to the pot, season with black pepper, taste before adding any salt, and let rest off the heat until the cooking juices settle and the flavors meld.
- Serve piping hot in shallow bowls alongside cooked white rice, a sprinkle of chopped flat-leaf parsley, and a generous ladle of bean sauce.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 484.7 kcal
- Protein
- 28.55 g
- Carbohydrate
- 44.02 g
- Fat
- 22.12 g
- Fibre
- 7.02 g
- Calcium
- 74.96 mg
- Iron
- 3.06 mg
- Magnesium
- 64.82 mg
