Authentic Brazilian Beans

This dish is a staple of Brasil (and yes, that is how Brasilians spell it). We eat these beans every day of the week, and when the weekend comes we tweak the recipe to make other delicious bean dishes.

Beans are a cheap way to get good nutrition.  I make mine in a pressure cooker, but you don't have to. You can use a crock pot or plain old stove top pan.

Ingredients:

- 1Lb of beans of any color: black, pinto, kidney, fava... This is an equal opportunity recipe.
- Water (varies per recipe)
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 garlic clover peeled and chopped really small
- 1 cube of Knorr chicken bullion (or veggie bullion if you are making a vegetarian version)
- 1 onion peeled and choped real small
- 3 scallion stalks cleaned and cut.
- A pinch of black pepper.

And the secret ingredient:
-2 tablespoons of bacon fat (or plain old olive oil for a vegetarian version)

Step 1:

Step one: 

Do this the night before you plan on having this dish.

- Wash your beans in a colander, the beans are dusty and you want to get rid of that. 

- Put the beans in a large bowl.

- Cover the beans with water, plus 2-3 cups more. I know it is not an exact measurement but each different bean will take different amounts of water.

-  Let them soak for a few hours, preferably overnight.

Comments

[bluemoon6]

I have had beans like this but were made with the black beans and they added some sausage ..I am sure chorizo or pepperoni and all the rest you have and they were great..they cooked thiers til some of the beans mushed up so it was kind of like porridge when it was done..it was all all day simmer..

[nadialtbr]

Bluemoon6, yes, that is called Feijoada. A very typical weekend dish in Brasil.

Some of the ingredients in a feijoada would be: one or two types of sausage, salt pork, bacon, pigs feet and ears, ham, parsley, cilantro, scallions....

There are many traditional ways of making it. Served over white rice with fried plantains and collard greens. YUMMY!

[bluemoon6]

Yes nadialtbr that was the name that my neighbor gave it too...I just remember it being yummy...thanks for validating my old memory...lol

[zomfibame]

Looks yummie

[nadialtbr]

Good idea! I never thought of it.
This is the way my grandma showed me how to make them, so just followed. I'll try it next time.

[frac]

I usually salt the water when soaking overnight. It helps the beans to keep their shape. They still get creamy!

Great instructable!