A Brazilian Kind of Day

Even though we are not taking a hike through the base of the balmy Andes Mountains, we are enjoying a little taste of Brazilian fare tonight for din din. Today I made a dish called Brazilian Feijoada  & I paired it with a Spanish wine called Panarroz 2010. This wine is a blend of the following grapes : Monastrell, Syrah, and Garnacha. Even though this wine is not a Portuguese wine, to follow the lines of my Brazilian themed meal, it is still a delicious one. It tastes plummy and has some spicy undertones. Very smooth on the palate. It pairs so lovely with the Brazilian Feijoada because of the mild smokey flavor of the pork, the rich buttery rice and the silky and bright taste and texture of the citrus beans. Below I have included the recipe and a few pictures. Cheers and enjoy!!

2 cups canned black beans, drained and rinsed
4 slices of smoked bacon, cooked and crumbled
2-3 lbs of boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-3" cubes
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 1/4 cup of chicken stock
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 orange, zested and squeezed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups chicken stock or water
1/2 cup Jasmine rice
Salt and Pepper to taste

•  Drain black beans and rinse them. Set aside to be used later in recipe.
• Cook bacon until crisp and then remove them from pain and crumble the pieces, set aside.
• In the pan where you cooked the bacon place the salted and peppered pork shoulder pieces. Sear them until most pieces have a good amount of brown on them. 
• Cut up the onion and garlic, place on the bottom of slow cooker. Pour chicken stock over the onions and garlic.
• Transfer seared pork into slow cooker and place top of onions and garlic. Stir all components found in slow cooker. Place the slow cooker on high and cover with a lid. Let it cook for at least 6 hours. 
• The last 30 minutes before the pork shoulder is finished cooking add the beans and white vinegar.
• Melt butter in small sauce pan. Place 1/2 cup of rice in small sauce pan and coat all grains with butter. Let the rice brown very slightly. Add 2 cups chicken stock or water to pan and let boil. Once it has boiled reduced to a simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes. 
• To plate: Place a large spoonful of rice on plate. Then place 1 cup of items in slow cooker on top of rice. Crumble bacon on top, orange zest, and 1 tablespoon of juice from an orange. Serve. 

 After I seared the pork shoulder cubes I placed in slow cooker. 

 Panarroz 2010

 The finished plate of the pork roast, Jasmine rice, and citrus beans.

 I served the dish with  buttery croissants, it was delicious!

Spouse liked it so much that he cleaned his plate.