In collaboration with Tasty, Easy Lamb.
As a foodie, I spend a lot of time browsing recipes online looking for new dishes and flavour combinations to try out. Earlier on this month saw the annual Rio Carnival in Brazil, and so my Facebook timeline was filled with all sorts of fabulous Brazillian recipes and photos (wouldn’t it be amazing to see that carnival in person one day?!).
Brazil’s national dish is feijoada, a black bean meat stew. Like any national dish, there are as many recipe variations as there are families who make it. The one thing that all the recipes have in common, though, are black beans and at least three kinds of meat – fresh, dried and salted and smoked. These are usually fresh pork or beef, and a jerked beef called carne seca. This is not to be mistaken for beef jerky, which is an entirely different meat product, but this salted, cured and dried beef reminded me of our own, more local, reestit mutton.
Reestit Mutton is a variation of the Scandinavian skerpikjøt, an air dried mutton, or vivda, Norse for ‘leg meat’. It is a traditional Shetland way of preserving mutton with salt for consumption during the winter months. The mutton is first salted in brine and was then traditionally hung in the rafters (reest) of houses, where the peat smoke with add flavour and help preserve the meat. It could very likely be called Shetland’s national dish, and this led me to think – could I recreate Brazil’s national stew with some local lamb and reestit mutton? Well worth experimenting, no?
For my recipe, I’ve used fresh cubed lamb shoulder, lamb ribs that my local butcher kindly cut down to size, shredded reestit mutton and some smoked pancetta. To save time I’ve used tinned black beans, but if you want a more traditional looking stew use dried beans, soak them overnight and then cook them in the stew itself.
My local Shetland butchers, Anderson Butchers in Brugarth, Whiteness, do mail order – they’ll ship reestit mutton to the mainland for you if you ring them and ask nicely. You could always substitute this dried, salted mutton with some dried pork or smoked sausages, depending on what you can find in your own local butchers. I’ve seen some recipes use chorizo, while others include pig’s trotters, ears and feet. Like I said, there are many variations – I suppose there’s no right or wrong way to do it – just throw in what you fancy!
The resulting slow cooked stew is rich and hearty, and not too spicy either. Serve with a side of white rice, sauteed greens and orange slices for a traditional meal, or, like I’ve done, with a side of mango salsa and an extra dash of chilli flakes. Oh, and don’t forget the Brazillian beer and the football match!
For more lamb recipe inspiration visit the Tasty Easy Lamb website, and follow them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Brazilian-inspired Lamb Feijoada with Mango Salsa
Ingredients
for the lamb feijoada
- 4 tbsp sunflower oil divided
- 2 onions finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 fresh red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
- 50 grams plain flour
- Shetland sea salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 600 grams cubed lamb shoulder
- 1 kg lamb ribs cut into 4 inch segments
- 175 grams reestit mutton cooked, cooled & shredded (see recipe notes)
- 100 grams smoked pancetta chopped
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 900 ml lamb stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 400 gram tinned black beans drained and rinsed (see recipe notes)
- 1 handful fresh coriander leaves leaves only
- 1 lime juice only
- chilli flakes to serve (optional)
for the mango salsa
- 1 mango finely chopped
- 140 grams fresh ripe tomatoes finely chopped
- 50 grams red onion finely chopped
- 1 green chilli deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 handful fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 large garlic clove finely chopped
- 1 lime juice only
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
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Instructions
for the lamb feijoada
- Heat oil in a large, heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat. Saute the onions, garlic and chilli until they begin to soften but not colour - between 5-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, dredge the cubed lamb shoulder in seasoned flour. Add the remaining sunflower oil to a heavy based skillet and brown the dredged lamb on all sides, and then brown the lamb ribs and then the pancetta. If you're running short of time (or inclination) just add all the unbrowned meat to the onion mixture and skip the browning step.
- Add the smoked paprika and tomato puree to the onion mixture and stir well.
- Add the lamb shoulder, ribs, reestit mutton and pancetta to the onion mixture. Add the lamb stock and the bay leaves.
- Reduce the heat and simmer, on medium-low with the lid on for 1.5 hours.
- Remove the lid and simmer for another 30 minutes, until the liquid has reduced a bit.
- Mash 1/4 of the black beans and stir through the stew to thicken it, and then add the remaining black beans. Cook for a further 15-30 minutes until thick and glossy.
- Stir in the chopped coriander leaves and the lime juice. Serve with sauteed greens, mango salsa and orange slices.
for the mango salsa
- Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl, stir well and keep in the fridge until needed.
Notes
OTHER LAMB RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE
Slow Cooker Lamb Chilli with Pasilla Peppers
Argentine-inspired Lamb Chops with Chimichurri
Lamb Casserole with Ale
Lamb Tagine with Pomegranate
Pistachio & Orange Crusted Mini Roast
Mediterranean-inspired BBQ Koftas, Couscous Salad & Baharat Yogurt Dip
Greek Lamb Shepherd’s Pie with Feta Mash
Slow-cooked Shetland Lamb Casserole with Creamy Herbed Polenta
Pastitsio – Greek Macaroni Pie
Moroccan-inspired Slow-cooked Lamb
Yiouvetsi – One Pot Greek Lamb with Orzo
Lamb KeemaÂ
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This is a sponsored recipe post in collaboration with Tasty, Easy Lamb. All thoughts and opinions expressed are our own. Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me to do what I love: mess up my kitchen and share recipe stories.Â
Homemade Muesli Flapjacks #GiveUpBinningFood
This dish looks worthy of a restaurant menu. That’s so delicious, I’m hungry now. Thanks for recipe.
What a great combination of a healthy ingredients!!! It looks amazingly delicious in those beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing:)
This looks like a hug in a casserole dish to me… YUM! Sadly my veggie husband and casserole averse children would not appreciate this, but next time we have my mum to stay I might just have to make it coz I know it’s the kind of thing, like me, she’d LOVE!
Love exploring different cuisines and have not tried nearly enough South American recipes yet. This looks fab!
what a combo of flavors you got there! Loved your clicks too!
Aw thanks! I thought it was a rather photogenic dish 🙂
This looks amazing. I have had pork feijoada before but not lamb. This is making me rather hungry!
Thanks! It was so scrummy, but then again I’m a big fan of lamb. I’ll have to try making it the traditional way with pork some time.
Great post, pictures and recipe! I am very much looking forward to trying this dish out!
Thank you! 🙂 Do let me know how you get on!
Wow Elizabeth, this dish looks worthy of a restaurant menu, you are lucky to have such a fine butcher and plentiful supply of local lamb and mutton:-)
Aw thanks Camilla! 😀 I am very lucky to have such fab butchers. They’re lovely folk and I’d highly recommend that everyone shops at their local butchers!
This looks like a big hug in a bowl – so comforting. Your photos are awesome too!
Aw thanks Dannii! 😀 That means a lot coming from you xx
i have not heard of this dish but looking at all the texture and ingredients, i am sold. i love lamb in general so this is definitely my idea of comfort food.
So glad you like the sound of it! It’s definitely a meat lovers dish! 🙂
I’m drooling over here! This lamb dish looks sos good…and that salsa, oh my word! Can’t wait to make this!
Thanks Sarah! 🙂 I confess I scoffed the leftover mango salsa the next day with some spicy taco beans – it was SO good! 😀
The sweetness of the mango sounds perfect!
It really does pair very well with the salty meaty stew, that’s for sure! 🙂
You can keep the beer & football, but I’ll happily indulge in this dish – it looks amazing!
Jane x
Haha, I know what you mean Jane! 😀 I’m getting more into beer myself these days though. Football, not so much. 😉
I went to Brazil a couple o years ago and absolutely loved feijoada, but never attempted to remake it at home. Love your interpretation of feijoada, and I think the mango salsa pairs perfectly, I’ll definitely give it a try!
I would love to visit the country and try the authentic dish for myself one day. Glad you like my interpretation. Do let me know how you get on if you do make it yourself! 🙂
I love lamb and this looks absolutely delicious! It would be interesting to try this dishes with the mango salsa yum!
Thanks Diana! Let me know how you get on if you do make it one day! 🙂
Wow, so many incredible flavors in this dish! Now you have me craving a hot and filling meal.
Haha! My work here is done! 😉