The recipe is part of a trio that belong in the Brazilian Evening menu in Diet for a Small Planet.
In Brazil, they make their national dish, feijoada, (pronounced fay-ZHWA-da) out of black beans with various kinds of pork, served with orange slices.
This is a vegetarian version that intrigued me because the pot of beans is flavored by cooking it with an orange, whole or cut in half.
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dried black beans
3 cups stock or water (or substitute wine for up to half of the stock)
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 orange, whole or halved
½ teaspoon salt
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
Sauté the chopped onion and garlic in heavy, large pot, using oil as needed. Add beans, the stock, bay leaf, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer 2 min. Let sit covered, unheated for one hour. Now add the orange, salt, celery, and tomato.
Simmer covered, with lid ajar, for 2 – 3 hours or more, until the beans are tender. Remove a ladle full of beans, mash them, and return to the pot to cook until the mashed beans thicken the mixture.
Recipes out of the Blond Box 