"Feijoada" - Brazil's National Dish

I don't know about you, but if I see one more cheeseball, plate of fudge, or rich cookie - I just might roll over and moan.  We have a tradition in my husband's family where we get together on New Year's Eve and have an amazing soup buffet.  There are the family fav's (taco soup, clam chowder, etc...) - but we always enjoy making a "mystery soup" each year.  I've been planning to try this out on the relatives since last Fall.  So forgive me if this doesn't look the "part" of a holiday soup...  But it is delicious!

My LDS ward Relief Society held a chili cookoff last October, and there were some really fun variations of chili I had never tasted before.  As I was browsing along the tables that held the pots of chili, I didn?t think this one was much to look at...  But my opinion changed with the first spoonful. 

I?m sure you thought the same thing when you glanced at this photo - and you said to yourself ?recession food?, right?   If you have meat-lovers in your house - you must try this, and it really appeals to the men in my family.   My neighbor?s son served a mission in Brazil and taught her how to make his favorite dish when he returned.  She says ?this takes time, but it?s worth it!?  She is right...

I tried to find a little background on this dish and found that the slaves in the colonial Brazil created the "Feijoada.?   This was the way they cooked the pork meats that farmland owners discarded - such as ears, tails, feet in a big pot with black beans.

This dish became traditional all over the country. Since then, it has evolved by changing from the traditional ?leftover? meats, to pork sirloin and sausages.  It has become a famous entrée that everybody who visits Brazil wants to experience.

This recipe is an easy-to-do version of Feijoada made with pork tenderloin, bacon, and sausage - and is preferred by busy people that don't want to handle the salted pork ears, tails and feet found in the original recipe for Feijoada.