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.

Step 2:

Step 2:

Your beans are all happy and soaked, now it is time to cook it. I will tell you how to make it in the pressure cooker, crockpot and stovetop.

Drain your beans and rinse them again.

Pressure cooker:

-Add the beans to the pressure cooker, cover with water then add 2 more cups.
-Add the bay leaves
-Cover pressure cooker, bring the pressure up and cook on low pressure for about 40 minutes.

Crockpot:
-Add the beans to the crockpot, cover it with water then 2 more cups.
-Add the bay leaves.
-Cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until the beans are soft but not falling apart.

Stove top:
-Add the beans to a stock pot, cover with water then add 2 more cups.
-Add the bay leaves
-Simmer for at least 3 hours, or until the beans are soft but not falling apart.

Step 3:

Step 3:

Keep the beans hot while you prep your seasonings.

In a deep stock pan:

-Sautee the garlic in the bacon fat until it turns golden,

-Add the onion, sautée for a minute or so.

-Add black pepper

-Add the hot beans, one ladle at the time. This is where the bean magic happens. Your beans need to be hot for this step to work well.

-Add the bullion cube,

-Simmer for 40 minutes

Step 4:

Step 4:

- Add the scallions,

- Shut the heat off and serve with your authentic Brasilian rice: https://www.instructables.com/id/Authentic-Brazilian-rice/

Leftover beans can be used to make refried beans, soups and if you drain them you can use on quesadilas, salads etc, etc, etc. Once you learn this recipe the possibilities are endless.