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Monday, March 16, 2009

White Beans with Rosemary (Feijão Branco com Alecrim)

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Beans have a lot going for them. They are nutritious, inexpensive and easy to make ,but somehow they are not very popular here in the U.S. They are slowly getting more popularity these days as people look for ways to shorten their grocery bills without compromising on nutrition. If cooking beans from scratch sounds daunting, think about this: if you can make pot roasts, then making beans isn't much different. It's actually easier.

I grew up eating beans as they are a staple of Brazilian cooking, and for that I am so very grateful. Black beans are probably the most common type of beans found on Brazilian's tables, but today I am sharing a recipe for white beans. I call them aromatic beans because they are cooked along with fresh rosemary, cloves and plenty of onions and garlic. It smells and tastes wonderful.

This is a vegetarian recipe, but you can add some meat to it if you like. Maybe a piece bacon ,pork or beef or a combinations. This recipe makes a lot of beans and I like to freeze leftovers on freezer bags in individual portions. I like eating these beans with some brown rice alongside and salad. It can be a side dish for meats and it's also delicious by itself with a chunk of good country bread.

Just add water and walk away...It's that simple.

beans

White Beans with Rosemary Recipe:

serves 6 - 8

You will need:

1 lb white beans, any type you like

3 large onions, peeled

6 whole cloves

3 garlic cloves, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

Preparing the beans:

Pick the beans and remove any pebbles, broken beans and any visible dirt. Rinse well under running water and place it in a large bowl. Top it with water by 2 inches and let it soak overnight (6 - 8 hours).

Cooking the beans:

Press the cloves into one of the onions until they stick and chop the remaining two onions. Place the beans with water enough to cover them (you can use the same soaking water as long as the beans were well rinsed in advance), add all the onions, garlic, carrots, tomatoes and rosemary. Add salt and pepper to taste (I usually start with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and increase it if necessary). Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer it until beans are tender, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Time will depend on the quality of the beans and how young (or old) they are. Old beans take longer to cook.

If you like a thicker sauce, scoop out some beans (about one ladle full) and mash them with a fork. Return it to the pot and cook it for a while longer until desired consistency is achieved.

Enjoy it!

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10 comments:

pigpigscorner said...

Looks so delicious! I love beans too, so satisfying.

Not Another Omnivore said...

That looks great and the photos area fantastic!


NAOmni

Karen said...

Beautiful photographs! I love beans like this... just load up the pot with goodies and you're all set for some delicious stuff in a few hours :)

Anonymous said...

I am one of those people you mentioned in your post that is a little shy about preparing beans from scratch at home. The truth is I never realized it was so easy, thanks for sharing this yummy yet informative recipe! :)

Anonymous said...

This is a great budget cooking recipe. Thank you for the recipe and photos.

Anonymous said...

Those look great. Mine tasted good but I cooked them a tad bit too long and they broke apart.

Rita said...

pigpigscorner - thanks, satisfying is a good word to describe them

NAOmni - Thanks :)

Karen - easy, isn't it?

Des - you have to try it! I am sure it won't be a problem for atalanted cook like you.

Hyllary - beans are very cheap, one more reason to love them.

Ellen - I keep cheking every once in a while to avoid over cooking them, but it happens I really don'y mind it that much.

amanda k.c. said...

i love your site, seeing all the work that you do makes it obvious that you are passionate about food. This dish looks delicious !!! Once i am in my cooking mode again I wil surely give it a try. Thanks for great ideas.
Amanda k.c.

Rita said...

Amanda- Thanks! Hope you get into cooking gear soon!

Anonymous said...

Not much flavor

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