Feijão
Beans are a staple in Brazil, and an artform. The nuances are endless; the qualiity of the bean, the age of the bean, soaking time, cooking time, how much liquid to leave in the pan, how to handle the garlic. It’s a shame that Baked Beans have such a stranglehold on the UK. Europe has a much finer appreciation, with dishes like cassoulet, fabada, cocido and feijoada. Mastering beans is a worthwhile endeavour, and for that, you need to make friends with a pressure cooker.
Method
- Pressure cook the beans and Bay Leaves for 1 hour, or ~40 minutes if pre-soaked.
- Sauté the garlic and lardons in olive oil until fragrant.
- Add the sautéed mixture to the cooked beans and pressure cook for a further 15 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Ingredients
- Black turtle beans
- Garlic
- Lardons
- Bay leaves
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Hints & Tips
- Any pork sausage or smoked meat can be used instead of lardons.
- Don’t overcook the beans; they should be tender but not mushy.
- Don’t add too much water, otherwise the beans will be soupy.
- Adding some dried chilli in with the garlic mix is unconventional, but has become standard in our house.
- Add chili sauce and farofa (manioc root powder) on top, for a true Brazilian experience.