Olé, Olé, Olé! It’s World Cup Time!!
There really is no international sporting quite like the FIFA World Cup, which kicked off this week. The World Cup seems to dwarf all other events on a global scale, save for the Olympics, and elicits such fervor and passion from fans like I don’t know what! It’s really cool to wander around and see people wearing jerseys from all over the world. The US is a melting pot, after all — people are from everywhere and this is a great opportunity to show support. Indeed, fans all over the world are overflowing with enthusiasm, if not all-out craziness, and a sort of tribalism that the World Cup brings out in us all.
The World Cup is taking place at 6 different venues throughout Brazil, home of the summer Olympics in 2 years from now, home to one of the most exciting teams to watch, and a great place to paaaartay! Olé!
This week has already brought several surprises in the round robin play. Just this morning we saw Brazil tie (scoreless) Mexico, Cristiano Ronaldo and team Portugal fall in an embarrassing 0–4 loss to Germany, the fall of Uruguay to Costa Rica, and even a Team USA win over Ghana! Having just left four days in Vegas, I can tell you the sports books are buzzing as games end in surprising upsets and victories. Nothing is scripted in this World Cup and my guess as to who will triumph this year is as good as yours.
As a historical aside, it’s worth noting that the last time Brazil hosted the World Cup was in 1950. Team Brazil made it to the final but fell to Uruguay. Neither team came out swinging…
I’ve already shared on of my favorite Brazilian recipes to get you into the Brazilian/World Cup spirit! Here’s another great Brazilian recipe (and in, fact, Brazil’s national dish)! Happy watching and happy eating!
Brazilian Feijoada
Feijoada, which in Portuguese means “beans”, is literally a stew of beans with pork and often beef. The pig parts traditionally used are usually some of the weirder ones such as salted ears, salted trotters, salted belly, back fat, snouts, faces, and tails. As many of you prefer not to eat these parts, I’ve used more mentally-friendly pig parts for this recipe. If the odder stuff is your thing, feel free to use those bits instead!
Ingredients
(Serves 8–10)
1 (12 ounce) package of dried black beans, soaked overnight
1/2 pound thickly sliced bacon, diced into cubes
1/2 pound grass-fed sirloin, cut into pieces
2 large smoked pork sausages, chopped into chunks
1 large spicy pork sausage, chopped into chunks
6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 yellow onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
5 bay leaves, crushed
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
Sea salt
1 shot of cachaça (optional, but recommended)
1 orange to serve, peeled and segmented
Preparation
In a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, combine the olive oil with the half the onions, and all the garlic and green onions. Season with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, then stir and cook until softened and the onions begin to turn translucent. Then add in the soaked beans (drained of the soaking water), beef, sausages, cilantro, and crushed bay leaves, and then enough water to cover the beans by about 3 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered until tender — about 2 hours.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. In a baking dish, combine the bacon and the remainder of the onions and crisp in the oven for about 15 minutes. Once done, add to the beans, sausage, and beef mixture on the stove top. Give enough sprinkle or two of black pepper and continue simmering!
The simmering should take about 2 hours, as aforementioned. Top with water as necessary while the mixture cooks.
Before serving, fish out any larger chunks of bay leaves if necessary and add a shot of cachaça, if desired.
Serve over brown rice with orange segments. Enjoy the orange in between bites!
