Rice and Beans Recipe

By Request…

Brazilian Rice

Ingredients:

• 2 cups white rice
• 3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil (My mother used vegetable oil most of the time.)
• 1 onion, thinly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups hot water
• 1 tablespoon salt

Directions:

1. Place the rice in a colander, and rinse thoroughly with cold water.
2. Add the oil to the saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion, and stir until the onion is yellow and the garlic is golden.
3. Add the rice, and stir frequently until the rice begins to turn a golden color.
4. Add the hot water and salt. Add more salt to taste, if you like.
5. When the water comes to a boil, lower the heat, cover the saucepan, and cook for about fifteen minutes or until the water has been fully absorbed.

My Mother’s Beans

Ingredients:

• 1 bag (12 ounces) dry black beans or brown beans
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large piece chorizo or smoked sausage, cubed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 onion, diced into ¼-inch pieces
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 green pepper, diced into ¼-inch pieces
• 1 tomato, diced into ¼-inch pieces (Add only if you aren’t going to freeze the beans.)
• Parsley
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar (secret ingredient)

Directions:

1. Soak the beans for at least two hours.
2. Add two tablespoons of the olive oil to a large saucepan at medium heat.
3. Add the chorizo, and cook it until it turns brown.
4. Add the presoaked beans, and cover them with water up to twice the amount of the beans.
5. Add the bay leaves.
6. When the water starts to boil, cover the pan, lower the heat, and cook for two hours.
7. In a separate saucepan, add the remaining olive oil, onion, and garlic, turning the heat to low. Cook until the onion and garlic are golden brown.
8. Add the green pepper and tomato, and cook until the vegetables are soft.
9. Add three ladles of the cooked beans, and smash them with a wooden mallet.
10. Add the black pepper, cumin, and salt to taste. Cook for ten minutes on low heat.
11. Add the onion, garlic, and vegetables to the large saucepan.
12. Add the vinegar, stir, and cook for another thirty minutes on low heat.
13. Add parsley to taste and more salt, if you like, and serve.

PS: Make it vegan by removing the chorizo.