Feijoada with Collards and Orange

From the garden

• 1 lb dry black beans, soaked overnight and drained
• 2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bunch collard greens, stems stripped, leaves rolled and cut thin
• 2 oranges, peeled and sliced into rounds · cold, for serving

From the pantry

• 6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 lb smoked sausage (linguica or kielbasa), cut into 1/2-inch coins
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp neutral oil · for the greens
• 2 cups rice · steamed, for serving
• salt · to taste
• black pepper

1. Drain the soaked beans into a heavy pot, add the bay leaves and enough fresh water to cover by two inches, and bring to a boil. Lower to a bare simmer and leave it alone.
2. Fry the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until the fat runs and the edges crisp, 6–8 minutes. Lift the pieces into the beans and keep the fat in the pan.
3. Brown the sausage coins in that fat, 4–5 minutes, then scoop them out and soften the onions in the same pan for 8 minutes, adding the garlic for the last minute.
4. Scrape the sausage, onions, and garlic into the beans with a spoonful of the pan fat, saving the rest for the greens. Simmer uncovered 90 minutes to 2 hours, adding hot water as needed, until the beans are creamy.
5. Mash a cup of the beans against the side of the pot and stir them back in: that is what turns the broth glossy instead of watery. Pull the bay leaves and season well with salt and pepper.
6. Wilt the collards in a hot skillet with the reserved fat and the oil, 3–4 minutes, until bright green and barely tender. Serve the beans over rice with the greens, and cold orange slices alongside.