Natalia Middleton’s feijoada
I was adopted from Sao Paulo at six days old, then moved to the UK and later New Zealand, so I’m pretty multicultural in terms of my roots. My godparents are Brazilian, and we always have Brazilian dishes when we visit them. My godmother has taught me a lot. When I was 12, we went to Brazil for the first time and had feijoada – I remember feeling a really special connection to the dish, which has continued to this day. I now make it regularly at home, and it’s even on the menus in the prisons we work with as part of Food Behind Bars (see opposite). It’s traditionally garnished with orange slices and served with farofa, which is made from ground cassava. If you can’t find this, rice is a great accompaniment, too.
Feijoada
SERVES 6 PREP 10 mins plus optional overnight soaking COOK 3 hrs 30 mins EASY
500g dried black beans, or
2 x 400g cans black beans
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, roughly chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely grated or crushed
500g meats of your choice, such as chopped pancetta, pork belly pieces, chorizo and sliced blood sausage (optional)
800g smoked pork ribs, separated (available from Brazilian grocers, or use unsmoked; see tip, right) 4 bay leaves
To serve steamed rice or farofa handful of roughly chopped coriander
1 If using dried beans, tip into a large bowl, cover with water and soak overnight. The next day, drain and rinse, cover with fresh water, then bring to the boil in a large pan over a medium-high heat and cook for 10 mins. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Remove from the heat and set aside. (If using canned beans, skip this step).
2 Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat and fry onions with a pinch of salt until soft and just golden, about 15 mins. If the onions begin to brown too quickly, add a splash of water. Add the garlic, cook for 1 min more, then stir in all of the meat and the bay leaves.
3 Tip in the beans and 200ml of the cooking liquid (topping up with cold water if there’s not enough), or the canned beans and their liquid – everything should be covered with water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 2-3 hrs.
4 When the sauce has thickened and the beans are cooked, spoon into bowls with rice or farofa and sprinkle over some chopped coriander before serving.
GOOD TO KNOW folate • fibre • iron • 1 of 5-a-day • gluten free
PER SERVING 489 kcals • fat 16g • saturates 5g • carbs 37g • sugars 3g • fibre 19g • protein 40g • salt 1.4g