Feijão Tropeiro com Linguiça

The trail food of the mule drovers who crossed the mountains of Minas Gerais in the 18th and 19th centuries, now one of the defining comfort dishes of Brazilian interior cooking. Carioca beans, fried calabresa, eggs, farofa, shredded kale, and fried garlic all come together dry in a single pan. The linguiça provides the fat base. Nothing here is subtle.

Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

40 min

Servings

Difficulty

Medium

Ingredients

400 g linguiça calabresa, sliced into coins
400 g canned or pre-cooked carioca beans (feijão carioca), drained
200 g cassava flour (farinha de mandioca)
4 eggs
200 g couve mineira (curly kale or cavolo nero), stems removed, leaves thinly shredded
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
100 g bacon, diced
1 medium white onion, diced
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Steps

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large, heavy frying pan over medium heat. Fry the bacon until the fat renders and the pieces begin to crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the linguiça slices and cook for a further 4 minutes until browned on both sides. Remove the bacon and sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the fat in the pan.

In the same fat, fry the garlic slices over medium heat until golden and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Watch carefully — sliced garlic burns in seconds once it starts to colour. Remove half the garlic and reserve for garnish. Add the onion to the pan and cook for 5 minutes until soft.

Add the drained beans to the pan. Stir to coat in the fat and cook for 3 minutes until heated through. Season with salt and black pepper. Add the cassava flour and fold it through the beans — the flour absorbs the fat and the pan should look dry rather than wet. Return the bacon and linguiça to the pan.

Push the bean mixture to the sides of the pan, creating a clear space in the centre. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the centre and crack the eggs in. Scramble them loosely, then fold into the bean mixture before they fully set. The eggs should remain in visible pieces throughout.

Add the shredded kale and fold through. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes — the kale should wilt but keep its colour. Taste for salt. Turn out onto a large plate, scatter the reserved fried garlic over the top, and serve immediately.

Tips

The dish should be dry, not soupy. If the beans have absorbed a lot of their cooking liquid, drain them well. The cassava flour is what creates the characteristic texture: it binds the fat and makes the whole pan hold together. Toscana does not work here; the fennel conflicts with the smokiness the dish is built around. Use calabresa.