Brazilian Rice and Beans

Alana tipped me off to this More-With-Less recipe.  I'm not sure what makes it Brazilian, but it made enough to feed the multitudes so be prepared to freeze, or better yet - share with friends!  We liked it.




2 cups dried pinto or kidney beans (or 6 cups cooked beans)
4 cups total of 2-4 of the following vegetables, chopped:
- potato
- chayote
- cabbage
- pumpkin
- okra
- carrot
1/2 lb ground meat (beef or pork)
1/4 lb smoked meat (bacon, sausage, etc.)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped (optional)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp coriander
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste



Soak beans overnight. Drain.  Bring 6 cups water to a boil then add beans and simmer until tender, about 2 hours.


In large dutch oven, heat 1-2 Tablespoons of oil and cook together about 4 cups of 2-4 of vegetables listed above. Cook just until tender.  Remove from pan.  Set aside.

In the same pan, saute ground meat, smoked meat, garlic, onion, green pepper, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, coriander, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer 30 minutes (I just cooked mine until the meat was done.  There weren't many juices to simmer in).

Add cooked beans and vegetables back to the pan with the meat mixture and heat together 2 minutes. Serve with rice.