Arroz e Feijão

Feijão

• dried black beans400 g
• onions1
• garlic cloves4
• smoked bacon (optional)100 g
• bay leaves2
• vegetable oil2 tbsp
• salt

Arroz

• rice400 g
• garlic cloves3
• onions½
• vegetable oil2 tbsp
• salt1 tsp
• water700 ml

To serve

• farofa (optional)
• spring greens (optional)200 g
• vegetable oil (optional)1 tbsp

Feijão

1. 01

   The night before, rinse the black beans and leave them to soak in plenty of cold water for at least 8 hours.

2. 02

   Drain the soaked beans, cover with fresh water by 5 cm, add the bay and simmer for 60 to 75 minutes until completely soft.

3. 03

   Dice the bacon, if using, finely chop the onion and crush the garlic. Fry the diced bacon and finely chopped onion in the oil in a separate pan until golden, then add the crushed garlic.

4. 04

   Ladle in a cupful of beans with their liquid and mash them into the onion until it is a thick paste.

5. 05

   Stir this back into the pot. That mashed ladleful is what gives Brazilian beans their body — no flour, no cornflour.

6. 06

   Simmer for another 15 minutes and season well with salt.

Arroz

7. 07

   Finely chop the onion and garlic. Fry the finely chopped onion and garlic in the oil for 3 minutes without browning the garlic.

8. 08

   Rinse the rice in a sieve under cold running water and drain it well. Add the rinsed and drained rice and stir for 2 minutes until the grains are glossy and smell toasted.

9. 09

   Pour in 700 ml of boiling water and the salt, bring to the boil, then cover and cook on the lowest heat for 15 minutes.

10. 10

    Rest off the heat for 10 minutes and fork through.

To serve

11. 11

    If serving greens, shred the spring greens finely and fry them in the vegetable oil over high heat with a pinch of salt for 1 to 2 minutes, until bright green and just wilted.

12. 12

    Serve the beans spooned beside or over the rice, with farofa and greens.