Tutu à Mineira (Tutu de Feijão)

Tutu à Mineira is the soul of Minas Gerais cooking: carioca beans simmered to a thick purée, thickened further with toasted cassava or maize flour until they hold the drag of a spoon, then anointed with a sizzling torresmo (crispy pork skin crackling) and slices of linguiça sausage. The name tutu is said to derive from a Bantu word meaning porridge or paste, a reminder of the deep African imprint on Mineiro food. It is the quintessential Saturday lunch side dish, potluck staple, and comfort food of Brazil's highlands.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 400g (14 oz / 2 cups) dried carioca (pinto) beans, soaked overnight
• 1 head garlic, 6 cloves smashed, remainder kept whole
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt to taste
• 3 tbsp (45g) cassava flour (farinha de mandioca) or fine maize flour
• 2 tbsp neutral oil or lard
• 1 tsp sweet paprika

Toppings

• 200g (7 oz) pork belly skin (or store-bought torresmo/pork crackling)
• 200g (7 oz) linguiça or smoked pork sausage, sliced
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, halved
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• Handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Instructions

1. Drain soaked beans. Place in a pressure cooker with the quartered onion, smashed garlic cloves, bay leaves, and cold water to cover by 5 cm (2 inches). Cook under pressure for 25 minutes (or simmer in a regular pot for 75–90 minutes) until beans are very soft.
2. Remove bay leaves. Use an immersion blender or potato masher to purée beans to a smooth-ish paste — a few whole beans add texture. Return to medium heat.
3. Heat oil or lard in a small pan over medium. Add remaining whole garlic cloves; fry until golden, 2–3 minutes. Add paprika; sizzle 30 seconds. Pour garlic oil directly into the bean purée; stir well.
4. Stir cassava flour into the bean purée over low heat, a little at a time, cooking 5–8 minutes until the mixture is thick enough to hold the impression of a spoon dragged through it. Season generously with salt.
5. Meanwhile, fry pork belly skin in a dry pan over high heat until blistered and crispy (15–20 minutes), or use ready-made torresmo. Fry linguiça slices in the same pan, 3–4 minutes per side.
6. Spoon tutu into a wide serving dish. Top with crackling, sausage, hard-boiled eggs, spring onion, and parsley.

Cook's Notes: Cassava flour is authentic — it absorbs moisture and thickens with a slightly gritty, satisfying texture unlike cornstarch. Do not add the flour too quickly or the tutu seizes. Leftovers thicken further overnight; thin with warm water when reheating.