Chef Margarida
Açorda de Camarão
The peasant bread soup of Alentejo dressed for company, sweet pink prawns swimming in a broth of garlic, coentros, and golden azeite. Humble origins, elegant result. This is who we are.
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Feijoada à Transmontana
Created by
The mountain feijoada of Trás-os-Montes, where every part of the pig goes into the pot with white beans and whatever the garden offers. Winter survival food that became a celebration.
Main Dishes
Portuguese, Trás-os-Montes
Comfort Food
Make Ahead
One Pot
30 min
Active Time
3 hr cook•3 hr 30 min total
Yield8 servings
This is not Brazilian feijoada. Não mexas nisso. This is the original, the mountain version from Trás-os-Montes, the remote northeastern corner of Portugal where winters are brutal and cooking evolved to keep people alive through them.
I didn't grow up with this dish. Avó Leonor was Alentejana, and her feijoada was simpler, more beans than meat. But when I started documenting recipes from grandmothers across Portugal, I spent two weeks in the villages around Bragança. Those grandmothers taught me what real feijoada looks like: a pot so full of different pork cuts you can barely see the beans, sausages bobbing on the surface, the smell of smoke and fat filling a stone kitchen.
In Trás-os-Montes, they use white beans, not the black beans you'll find in Brazil. They add everything: ear, trotter, belly, ribs, and then the sausages. Chouriço for smoke. Farinheira for texture. Morcela because nothing is wasted. Each element cooks at its own pace, which is why this dish takes time. You're conducting an orchestra of pork.
This is not weeknight cooking. This is Sunday cooking, winter cooking, the kind of meal you make when the family is coming and you want the house to smell like home. The pot feeds eight easily, and it's even better the next day. As avós sabem. The grandmothers know.
Feijoada à Transmontana predates its more famous Brazilian cousin, which was adapted by Portuguese colonizers using local black beans. The dish emerged from Trás-os-Montes' matança traditions, the annual pig slaughter that provided preserved meats to survive the harsh winters. Every family made their own sausages, and feijoada became the dish that brought all those preserved treasures together in one pot.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
dried white beans (feijão branco)
Quantity
500g
soaked overnight
pork ribs
Quantity
250g
cut into sections
pork belly (entremeada)
Quantity
200g
cut into chunks
pig ear
Quantity
1
cleaned and halved
pig trotter
Quantity
1
split lengthwise
chouriço de carne
Quantity
200g
farinheira
Quantity
150g
morcela
Quantity
150g
presunto or smoked bacon
Quantity
200g
in one piece
onion
Quantity
1 large
quartered
garlic cloves
Quantity
4
smashed
bay leaves
Quantity
2
fresh parsley stems
Quantity
1 small bunch
sweet paprika (colorau)
Quantity
1 teaspoon
Savoy cabbage
Quantity
1/2 small head
cut into wedges
carrots
Quantity
4 medium
peeled and halved lengthwise
sea salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
cooked white rice
Quantity
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| dried white beans (feijão branco)soaked overnight | 500g |
| pork ribscut into sections | 250g |
| pork belly (entremeada)cut into chunks | 200g |
| pig earcleaned and halved | 1 |
| pig trottersplit lengthwise | 1 |
| chouriço de carne | 200g |
| farinheira | 150g |
| morcela | 150g |
| presunto or smoked baconin one piece | 200g |
| onionquartered | 1 large |
| garlic clovessmashed | 4 |
| bay leaves | 2 |
| fresh parsley stems | 1 small bunch |
| sweet paprika (colorau) | 1 teaspoon |
| Savoy cabbagecut into wedges | 1/2 small head |
| carrotspeeled and halved lengthwise | 4 medium |
| sea salt | to taste |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
| cooked white rice | for serving |
Equipment Needed
- •Very large heavy pot (at least 8 liters)
- •Large cutting board
- •Large warmed serving platter
- •Deep serving bowl for the beans
Instructions
- 1
Start the meats
Drain the soaked beans and set aside. In a very large pot, combine the pig ear, trotter, ribs, pork belly, and presunto with cold water to cover by about 8 centimeters. Bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off any foam that rises. Reduce heat to a steady simmer. These tough cuts need a head start. Let them cook for about 45 minutes while you prepare everything else.
The ear and trotter give body to the broth. Don't skip them. This is nose-to-tail cooking the way it was meant to be, nothing wasted. - 2
Add the beans and aromatics
After 45 minutes, add the drained beans to the pot along with the onion, garlic, bay leaves, parsley stems, and paprika. Add more water if needed to keep everything submerged. Return to a simmer. Cook for another hour, stirring occasionally. The beans should start to soften but still hold their shape. The broth will begin to turn creamy from the starch.
- 3
Add the sausages
Pierce the chouriço and farinheira a few times with a fork. Add them to the pot. Do not add the morcela yet. It's delicate and needs less time. Continue simmering for 30 minutes. The kitchen will smell like smoke and pork and comfort.
Pricking the sausages prevents them from bursting and lets them release their fat into the broth. That fat is flavor. - 4
Add vegetables and finish
Add the cabbage wedges and carrots to the pot. Nestle them down among the meats. Gently place the morcela on top. It should poach, not boil. Simmer for another 30 to 40 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the beans are completely soft but not falling apart. Taste the broth and season with salt and pepper. Go carefully with salt. The presunto and sausages have already contributed plenty.
- 5
Rest and serve
Remove from heat and let the pot rest for 10 minutes. This allows everything to settle and the flavors to come together. Remove the meats and sausages to a large cutting board. Slice the sausages into thick rounds. Cut the presunto into chunks. Arrange the meats on a large warmed platter. Ladle the beans into a deep serving bowl, placing the cabbage and carrots around the edges. Serve with white rice on the side. Everyone builds their own plate.
Chef Tips
- •Soak the beans overnight. No shortcuts. Unsoaked beans will never cook evenly, and you'll end up with some that are mush and some that are bullets.
- •The meats go in stages based on how long they need. Tough cuts first, delicate sausages last. The morcela especially needs gentle treatment or it falls apart.
- •Ask your butcher for the ear and trotter. They may need to order them, but a good butcher will respect that you're cooking properly. These cuts give the broth its body.
- •This dish is better the next day. The beans drink the broth overnight and everything melds together. Reheat gently.
Advance Preparation
- •Beans must soak overnight, at least 8 hours. Plan accordingly.
- •The entire dish can be made a day ahead. Cool completely, refrigerate, and reheat gently the next day. It improves overnight.
- •Leftover feijoada keeps refrigerated for 4 days. The beans will absorb more liquid; add a splash of water when reheating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 560g)
Calories
845 calories
Total Fat
49 g
Saturated Fat
18 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
27 g
Cholesterol
165 mg
Sodium
1345 mg
Total Carbohydrates
57 g
Dietary Fiber
15 g
Sugars
7 g
Protein
45 g
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