Feijoada- Brazilian Black Beans

Happy Monday! This is the most popular dish in Brazil. Growing up, this was a must at all meals, with some farofa (cassava powder, cooked up with butter), but I couldn't find the cassava powder here.
This is my mom's recipe-- can you tell I miss my mom? :) I typically make these beans on the pressure cooker, but as I know most people don't have pressure cookers, I did it the old-fashioned ways. In order to make these, you need to soak the beans overnight. You will also need a slow cooker, like a crock pot, to allow for the flavors to brew overnight. Two 15 oz bags of black beans will work.


Ingredients
2 15oz bags of dried black beans
1 package of Linguica sausage (Winco sells these)
1 8 oz package of bacon
9 dried bay leaves ( do not compromise- you need these)
6 tomatoes, chopped and seeded
3 garlic cloves
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth

Directions
Leave the beans soaking overnight. In a large saucepan, turn up to medium heat and add the olive oil, saute the tomatoes, garlic and chopped bacon. Once the tomatoes are melted and well-blended, add the sliced Linguica sausage. Cook until the bacon is well cooked, but still tender. Add the beans and enough chicken broth to cover the beans, and cook on medium heat until they are soft, for about 90 minutes. Transfer them to a slow cooker, and cook them overnight. As you are transferring the beans, mash some of the beans and add it to the slow cooker. Cook it for about 10 hours. You should have lots and lots of beans. I freeze them, and when I am ready to defrost it, I just add a bit of chicken broth and let it simmer.

In Brazil, we add smoked pig's ears and pig's feet, but I cannot find the same delicacies here. I add salted pork when I can find it at the store, but they were out of it at Winco.

These will make your entire house smell like heaven :) Enjoy!