Entrevero de Pinhão

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Pressure cooker, at least 4 liters, for raw pinhão
• •Large heavy skillet or wide 5-liter pot
• •Tongs or a sturdy wooden spoon
• •Large plate for holding browned meats

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the pinhão

   If your pinhão is raw, rinse it, put it in a pressure cooker with water to cover by 2 inches, and cook under pressure for 35 to 40 minutes. Let the pressure come down naturally, then peel while warm and halve lengthwise. The seed should be tender enough to bite cleanly, not chalky in the center. Pinhão is dense, so it needs its own cooking time before it meets the skillet.

2. 2

   Season the meats

   Pat the beef and pork dry with paper towels, then season them with 1 teaspoon of the salt and the black pepper. Dry meat browns. Wet meat spits, steams, and makes you think the pan betrayed you. It didn't. Water did.

   Cut the meats about the same size so they cook at the same pace. Big pieces stay raw in the middle while small pieces dry out, and then everybody is unhappy for a preventable reason.
3. 3

   Brown the bacon

   Set a large heavy skillet or wide pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until the fat melts and the pieces turn browned at the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Scoop the bacon to a plate and leave the fat in the pan. That fat is the first layer of flavor, so use it instead of buying a packet that pretends to know what pork tastes like.

4. 4

   Brown the sausage

   Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the sausage slices in one layer and brown them on both sides, about 3 minutes per side, then move them to the plate with the bacon. Give each slice space to touch the pan. If they pile up, they sweat instead of dourar, and browned sausage is the difference between a skillet and boiled circles of sadness.

5. 5

   Sear the beef

   Add 1 tablespoon oil only if the pan looks dry. Add the beef in a single layer and leave it alone until the bottom gets a deep brown crust, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn and brown the other sides, then move the beef to the plate. Work in batches if needed. I know you want to dump it all in. Don't. Crowding is how good meat becomes grey meat in grey liquid.

6. 6

   Sear the pork

   Add another small spoon of oil if needed, then brown the pork the same way, in one layer, until golden at the edges and still juicy inside, 4 to 6 minutes. Move it to the plate. The pork will finish later with everything else, so don't cook it to death now. First color, then tenderness.

7. 7

   Build the refogado

   Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion to the same pan with a pinch of salt and cook, scraping the browned bits from the bottom, until it murcha and turns soft and glossy, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 1 minute, just until you smell it. Onion needs time to sweeten. Garlic needs attention because burnt garlic is bitter and unforgiving.

8. 8

   Add the vegetables

   Add the red and green peppers and cook until their raw smell fades and the colors brighten, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook until they soften and leave a little juice in the pan, 3 to 4 minutes. This little bit of liquid loosens the browned flavor stuck to the pan without turning the whole thing into sauce.

9. 9

   Finish the skillet

   Return the bacon, sausage, beef, pork, and any juices on the plate to the pan. Add the cooked pinhão and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Toss everything together and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, until the pinhão is glossy, the meats are cooked through, and the vegetables cling to the pieces instead of pooling at the bottom. That's the ponto: mixed, juicy, but not soupy.

10. 10

    Brighten and serve

    Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley, green onion, and vinegar or lime juice. Taste and adjust the salt. The acid wakes up the fat and browned meat so the pan tastes lively, not heavy. Serve with arroz soltinho, feijão, and couve or a green salad, because even a generous skillet still wants the everyday plate around it.

Chef Tips

• •Pinhão is best in autumn and winter in southern Brazil, when it's local, cheaper, and tender. Want it out of season? I won't stop you. Just don't blame the recipe if the seed tastes tired.
• •The honest shortcut is buying already cooked and peeled pinhão, if you can find it. The cost is flavor and texture: it can be softer and less fragrant, but a Tuesday is a Tuesday.
• •Use a wide pan, not a narrow pot, if you have one. Browning needs surface area. A crowded little pan turns a lively entrevero into a wet pile, and we are not doing that to dinner.
• •Do not add powdered meat seasoning. Salt, onion, garlic, browned bits, sausage fat, and a little acid at the end do the work. Real food has its own voice when you stop covering it with dust.
• •Leftovers keep well for 3 days in the fridge. Reheat in a skillet, not the microwave if you can help it, so the pinhão and meat get their edges back.

Advance Preparation

• •Raw pinhão can be pressure-cooked, peeled, and refrigerated up to 3 days ahead.
• •The meats can be cut and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead. Keep them covered, then pat dry before seasoning and browning.
• •The finished entrevero keeps 3 days in the fridge. Reheat in a hot skillet with a spoonful of water only if it looks dry.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 540g)