Holidays at the sea – great times!
Leisure, pleasure, duties left behind. Welcome change of scenery, warm salty air dancing around your nose, carrying cherished memories of the last visit to the ocean long before you even catch a glimpse of the glittering blue. Then, watching the local fishermen do their work on their little colorful boats, thoughts of home are suddenly far away. No wondering anymore, whether or not I emptied the bin before leaving and worries of every day life are drifting off on the cooling waves around my feet.
That’s when I know, I have arrived. Brazil.

Whenever I am here, I’m not just enjoying the magic of the ocean with it’s sandy beaches and palm trees, but also to experience the culture of the Brazilian people. It makes you think about how we are different in our ways and how we go about our daily life. Something like being very late is not a big deal there, while here in Austria it would be considered horribly rude, just to give one example. But then you talk with the people and you joke and laugh and share stories of your life and you realise just how much you have in common too.
You can find all kind of characters: the good-hearted granddad who nevertheless likes to complain about everything and everyone that crosses his way; as well as the busy mum managing her kids, work and household; or the naive child who has to learn much about our world yet… Some 9,500 km apart, but what moves us on the inside and what motivates us, the big questions about life: all the same.

Also: the love for good food :–)
And there is loads of that here – lucky me :–D If there is one thing to know about Brazilian cuisine it is “arroz e feijão”  [a.ˈho(j)s i  fɐj.ˈʒɐ̃w̃] which translates “rice and beans”. It lands on the tables at least once per day (as a general rule). Or even twice, which is great, as it is sooo delicious and satisfying food. Especially served with fresh cilantro green and Farofa. It comes with a variety of other foods, such as meat, raw and/or cooked veges, salads or eggs.

As the Austrian cuisine is surly not famous for beans (there are local exceptions), I had not much idea about beans, except how to prepare a salad with canned ones. And when I ate them, well… let’s say my skirt was flying without any wind machine around ;–) That did not exactly excite me about beans. It took quiet a lot for fate to set me on a course to experience how amazing beans can be AND without flatulence too: I had to do a job that wasn’t right for me, to make me go abroad for some adventure time, to meet a Brazilian heartbreaker-guy in a Dublin-Pub, to fall in love with him and finally him taking me to see his home. And there we are: Brazil, country of beans – no way around them here ;–)

So, what is the secret of cooking beans without the ingredient potential gas? The truth is: it’s not so much a matter of preparation. What counts most is the frequency of eating beans in general. You see, the “wind-power” (by humans undigestible complex carbon-hydrates) can neither be switched off by soaking, nor by cooking beans. BUT the more we eat them, the more we train our gut flora to work on the carbs. The bacteria in our gut are well able to get some “food” out of those complex carbs and the better they get to know their food, the more effective they dine. As a result the gut flora produces less gas in the process. Finally, you won’t recognise yourself anymore: two helping of beans and… nothing! No gentle breeze, no hurricane to report!

I have never met a Brazilian with bean-gas-problems. And their opinions on the correct preparation differ widely. From soaking beans 30 minutes, to soaking overnight, to not soak at all and just cook dried beans in the pressure cooker. Or in a pot with lid. Or without lid… and the result concerning flatulence is the same: none.

There is however one important fact, that many people are not aware of. Soaking beans is absolutely eligible and important. The reason not primarily being the reduction of flatulence, as often believed, but to break down naturally contained poisons into harmless components of the beans. Soaking triggers this process. Now, please, don’t be afraid of unsoaked beans! I mean, who has ever heard of a jealous Brazilian wife, who tried to kill her cheating husband with a plate of rice and beans, right?!? It’s not like the bite of a cobra. Our body can handle it, but we would save ourselves from an unnecessary burden. So, soak them!

And that, my friend, is how to make yummy beans:

1. Soak them, making sure the beans are well covered with water  – approx. 1 part beans plus 3 parts water (Soaking time depending on the kind of beans – better longer that shorter. I generally do overnight. Big beans would even need 24 hours.)
2. Cook them in a big pot with lid ajar or without or use your pressure cooker. Cook until they are soft. “Al dente” is not goal here! For optimal digestion they should be completely cooked through = soft (Again, depending on the type of beans as well as their size and age. Add salt, citrus or vinegar only towards the end of cooking time, as it is supposed to hinder them getting soft in a timely manner.)
3. From there you can take them anywhere: Season them to your liking, smash a few and cook for a bit longer to get a creamier consistency and serve with rice or a chunk of bread; drain them and use in salads, soups, as base of your hummus-like spread/dip, your veggie-burger…

Beans are so versatile! Good to know: they freeze well, which means any leftovers popped into the freezer could easily replace canned beans, saving money (as dried beans are usually much cheaper) and aluminium.
By the way, beans are not just delish, but also a very healthy food choice with a great profile of vitamins and minerals, unsaturated fatty acids, fibre and the “smart” kind of carbs. Also, they contain a great amount of protein which makes them very interesting for all of you who want/have to reduce animal-based foods in their diet. Just make sure you eat your beans with grains (rice, bread, sweetcorn… ) to reach a complete set of the essential proteins. The beans alone cannot give you that, but in combination with grains, they are an amazing source of proteins! (Read up on “bioavailability” if you’d like to know more about that.)

2 more tips for good digestion:

• Certain add-ins such as ginger, pepper, chili, beanweed, citrus, vinegar, mustard, caraway, cumin or coriander can support us.
• Chew well and take your time to savour this gorgeous food! The digestion of carbohydrates already starts in your mouth.

Obviously, I have a bean recipe for you today. Feijoada [fej.ʒuˈadɐ]. I would call it Brazil’s “Wiener Schnitzel” as it is considered the country’s national dish. It is basically a stew of black beans, different (smoked) parts of pork, sausages, dried beef, onion and garlic. The traditional recipes even call for stuff like ears and feet of the pig. A rather “heavy” dish that is cooked for gatherings of family and friends (to watch that mega-important soccer game, birthdays…) or whenever they want to enjoy this hearty meal ;–) It comes with rice, a type of kale, farofa and sometimes oranges (helps with digestion). There are many different versions available in restaurants these days, reaching from the traditional kind to the “skinny” type with meat and sausages that contain less fat and even vegetarian feijoadas can be found. If you look into the pots of Brazilian “Donas”, you will realise that every family seems to make their stew a bit different and each is proud of their “best” feijoada ;–)

The feijoada on the fotos here was prepared by Dudu and his wife Jaqueline, who work at the beach-house were we spent our holidays. They did a great job creating an authentic Brazilian meal for us – thanks guys! :–)

In the meantime I came up with my own perfect family-recipe, as in Austria the available meat products are somewhat different (…and I can simply never leave a recipe alone… ;–)  ). I tried to come as close as possible to the original, while simultaneously reducing the fat and salt amount somewhat. Then I had it taste-tested by my personal Brazilian: my husband. He ate two helpings and went on about how OUR feijoada is the BEST :–D My family came over for a Brazilian lunch and enjoyed it a lot too. Eventhough they are normally no “bean-eaters” (just as I was). So, full success! And therefore definitely share-worthy. Hope you will have a great taste experience as well! And feel encouraged to go ahead and create your very own version to be proud of!

Here we go:

Ingredients:

• 400 g black beans, soaked overnight in a big bowl or saucepan/casserole
• 350 g smoked ham
• 75 g smoked bacon
• 125 g hearty parboiled sausage (I used “Austrian Braunschweiger“)
• 500 g smoked ribs (pork)
• 2 big onions
• 1/2 bulb of garlic
• 1 bay leave
• some springs of fresh bean weed
• 1/4 tsp caraway seeds unground
• 1/4 tsp coriander seeds unground

In case you were wondering: no salt needed! The meat-products already contain enough.

Directions:

1. The evening before you plan your dinner, soak your beans. You should also decide whether you will be using a pressure cooker, a regular (big!) saucepan or casserole, as this will make a great difference for your next day’s schedule.
2. The day of: put the beans in a colander and wash them under tap-water. Then transfer to your saucepan/casserole or pressure cooker and cover with 1 litre fresh water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the beans are almost soft. That would take around 20 minutes in the pressure cooker and somewhere between 1 and 1 1/2 hours in a regular saucepan/casserole. Also have around 1 litre of boiled water (use your kettle) ready, in case you need to add some to your beans. They should always be covered by water.
3. In the meantime, heat up a big pan on the stove and once hot, throw in caraway and coriander to roast them (no oil/fat needed) until they release their gorgeous smells. Careful not to burn them! Put them on a plate as you will reuse the pan.
4. Peel the onions and cut in half, then in approx. 3 mm half-rings. Peel and finely chop or press garlic.
5. Dice the bacon in around 1 cm pieces and transfer to the hot pan. Fry (without additional oil/fat) until the bacon has released it’s fat and turned nicely brown and crunchy. Add onions and fry until golden and soft. Add garlic and fry around a minute longer – carful not to burn the garlic (as that would result in a bitter taste). Set aside.
6. Cut sausage in around 1 cm slices, smoked ham into roughly 3 cm junks and cut the ribs through after every second bone or so.
7. Once the beans are almost soft, lightly crush coriander and caraway in your mortar and add them to the beans along with all other ingredients. Bring to a boil again and let simmer until beans are soft or at least for another 1/2 to 1 hour to make sure all the amazing tastes of the ingredients have time to mingle and create this amazing soul-food. The longer you cook, the better, not just for taste-fusing, but also for the beans to partially break down and bring about this creamy, comfy consistency. Just make sure you stir on and off at this stage, to prevent the beans from sticking to the bottom.
8. Serve with rice, some blanched and sautéed kale (great with some additional garlic) or fresh green salads. And farofa, if you can get it :–) Enjoy!

Yields 8 to 10 servings. Or a family of 4 with space left in the freezer ;–)