Gammon and white bean stew

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This brilliant gammon stew is inspired by Brazilian national dish, Feijoada, using white beans instead of the usual black beans, and smoked gammon for a heady depth of flavour.

Beans and meat are staple foods at the Brazilian table. This recipe is inspired by the famous and traditional Brazilian National dish, Feijoada a recipe steeped in history.

It’s a thick bean stew that can be served with all sorts of pork meat. It was invented by the slaves who were brought from Africa, during colonisation to work in the large estates and plantations in Brazil. The dish gave them energy to work all day long.

One of the most popular and much loved dishes in Brazil, it's usually made with black beans, but there’s a variation of white beans, but always using pork meats. Here is my version using smoked gammon and bacon.

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Gammon stew

Tempero Baiano

Method

1
Add the gammon and a sprig of thyme to a large pan and pour over enough water to cover. Cook over a medium heat for 20 minutes, then drain
2
Meanwhile, add a splash of oil to a medium-large pan. When hot, add the onion and garlic and fry until translucent, then stir in the bacon and cook for a further 5 minutes
3
Combine the Tempero Baiano ingredients in a small bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon of Tempero Baiano and fry for 3 more minutes, then stir in the bay leaf and drained cannellini beans. Pour in enough water to cover and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside
4
When the gammon is cool enough to handle, dice the meat into 3cm cubes and add to the pan with the beans, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste
5
Return the stew to the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened nicely. Stir in the parsley, spring onion and chilli (if using) and serve with rice and some shredded greens

Brazilian food and travel blogger, living in London.

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