Brazilian · main

Tutu à Mineira

Tutu à Mineira reads richness 6.1, umami 5.9 and salinity 5.1 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Brazilian main, about 1 hr 46 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 6.6 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 0.8 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 0.0 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 3.8 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 6.3 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.8 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 6.1 · Umami 5.9 · Salinity 5.1 · Allium 4.5 · Smoke 3.5 · Heat 1.7 · Warm Spice 1.7 · Funk & Ferment 1.7 · Bitterness 1.1 · Earthy 0.8 · Sweetness 0.8 · Nutty 0.7

What's in it (13)

• dried feijão carioca — 500 g
• bacon — 200 g
• linguica sausage — 150 g
• farinha de mandioca — 200 g
• onion — 180 g
• garlic — 32 g
• bay leaf — 2 g
• couve mineira — 400 g
• eggs — 200 g
• oil — 41 g
• salt — 10 g
• freshly ground black pepper — 5 g
• torresmo — 150 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 46 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 68.7 kcal, 2.7 g protein, 5.7 g fat, 1.6 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

1. Tutu is what Minas Gerais does with yesterday's beans: mash them, thicken them with cassava flour into something between a purée and a polenta, and put pork on it. The name is said to come from a bogeyman used to frighten children, which tells you it is nursery food that grew up.
2. Drain the soaked beans, cover them with 2 litres of fresh water with the bay leaves, and simmer 60 to 75 minutes until they are collapsing soft. Season with half the salt only at the end — salted early, the skins toughen. Keep all the cooking liquid.
3. Fry the bacon lardons in the oil in a wide pan over medium heat until the fat runs and they crisp, about 8 minutes. Add the linguiça for 3 minutes more. Lift both out with a slotted spoon.
4. In the same fat, soften the onion for 6 minutes and then the garlic for 1 minute, until it is pale gold and smells sweet.
5. Blend or mash the beans with enough of their liquid to make a loose purée, about the consistency of thin cream, and pour it into the pan with the onion. Bring it to a simmer.
6. Now rain the farinha de mandioca in through your fingers in a thin steady stream, whisking hard the whole time — dumped in, it lumps immediately and no amount of beating will save it. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring, until it thickens to the point where a spoon dragged through leaves a track that closes slowly. Season with the rest of the salt and the pepper.
7. Wilt the couve in a very hot dry pan with a spoonful of the bacon fat for 90 seconds — no longer, or it goes olive-coloured and sulphurous. It should stay emerald and squeaky.
8. Fry the eggs in the remaining fat, sunny side up. Serve the tutu in a wide bowl with the couve, the bacon and linguiça, an egg on each portion and the torresmo scattered over, and white rice alongside.
9. Substitutions: pinto beans can stand in for the dried feijão carioca; lombo defumado can stand in for the smoked bacon.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Migas — Spanish
• Feijao Tropeiro — Brazilian
• Feijoada Fritters With Collard Greens — Brazilian
• Kulen (Paprika-Cured Pork Sausage) — Serbian
• Croquetas de Jamon (Ham Croquettes) — Cuban

Keep reading: what richness, umami, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

See how this dish fits your palate — take the short taste test →

Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.