Rice & Beans (Arroz com Feijão)
The combination of rice and black beans in Brazil is like the combination of yellow and green on the national soccer team's shirts - it is inseparable, it is part of Brazil, it is the essence of Brazil. The gentle fluffy feeling of rice mixing with the stingy sour taste of black beans is like the mixture of living neighborhoods and mountains covered with tropical forest in Rio de Janeiro, like the joy and sadness mixed in samba. In many Brazilian restaurants rice with beans is the default side dish you will be served, even if you ordered pasta for the main course. It must be mentioned that this combination is a good source of protein and other important nutrients.
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Rice:
3 cups Basmati or jasmine rice
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium white onion
3-4 cloves garlic
6 cups boiling water
salt
pepper
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Beans:
2 cups black beans
2 bay leaves
3 tbsp. olive oil
100g (3.5 oz) bakon
1 medium onion
5-6 cloves garlic
salt
pepper
Preparation time: 45 mins. + soaking the beans overnight
Difficulty level: Easy
Servings: 10
Ingredients
Preparation
For preparation of the rice see this.
Wash the beans well in a colander until the water comes out clean.
Remove any damaged beans and stones.
Put the beans in a bowl and cover with water (3 fingers above the beans). Soak overnight.
Wash and drain the beans before cooking. Put in a pressure cooker (or in a pot), cover with water (8 cups), add the bay leaf and cook 30-40 minutes (2 hours in a pot) until the beans are al dente.
Dice the bacon and the onion. Slice the garlic.
Heat a skillet or a wok. Put 3 tbsps. olive oil and sauté the bacon until it starts to get brown. Add the onion and sauté until it is translucent. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute more. Take about 1/2 cup of beans and add to the skillet. Mix well together and put the contents of the skillet in a food processor.
Pulse 4-5 times, then add to the pot with the rest of the beans and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.