Easter Sunday

We just had Easter; and so, naturally, food was a big deal on Sunday. Well, OK, food is always a big deal to me, a big-time foodie.

Anyway, we started the day with a delicious, raspberry-filled coffeecake. Then, after church, we had a simple meal of scrambled eggs and toast for lunch.

A humble dish of scrambled eggs. This is what happens when you dye the eggs before you cook them!

And for dinner we had a . . . non-traditional Easter meal: an excellent pot of Feijoada (Brasilian black beans), served with Farofa and rice, cucumber salad, a tossed green salad, and a lovely salmon fillet, seasoned with an orange-zest rub. It was truly a most excellent meal. So, for your culinary delight, I'll give you the recipe for the Feijoada.

I grew up eating "Rice and Beans," made by my Brasilian mother. She used to tell us that in Brasil they would serve it with every dinner. She also told us—almost every time that we ate it—that the rice with the beans make a complete protein. Hmm; ok. All I know is that it's probably my favorite meal; it is comfort food to me.

All right, here is the recipe:

FEIJOADA

1 lb. black beans, rinsed, with the little rocks and yucky-looking beans picked out
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1-2 good-size smoked ham-hocks or ham-shanks
1 stick (about 6-inches long) of pepperoni [optional—but I always use them]
1 red-wine sausage link (about 6-7 inches long), sliced [actually, this is the first time I used one of these in my beans, and it was fabulous!]
dried onion, to taste [probably about 1-2 Tbsp.]
garlic powder—a few dashes
1/8 tsp. baking soda
salt, to taste

In the evening—the night before you want to eat the beans—clean them, rinse them and put them in a large pot. Cover them with water, so the water-level is two to three inches above the beans. Stir in 1/8 tsp. baking soda, put a lid on the pot and go to bed.
In the morning, drain the beans in a colander and rinse them with clean water. Rinse the pot too.
Put the beans back into the pot and cover with water the same as before (about 2-3 inches above the beans). Put your ham-hocks/shanks down into the beans; add the dried onion and garlic. Stir in the other 1/8 tsp. baking soda. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low; cover and let it simmer for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally and periodically making sure there's still some water in there.
After 3-4 hours, remove the ham. Remove the meat from the bones and return it (meat, not bones) to the pot of beans. If you're using a ham-hock, discard the skin along with the bones. [Actually, Mom leaves the skin in her beans—she thinks it's yummy. I heartily disagree.]
If you're using it, slice the pepperoni stick into thin slices and add them to the pot. Add the browned sausages slices to the pot, too. Continue to cook for another hour or two—until the beans are tender enough. Taste it. Add salt, if needed.
Serve hot, over hot rice. With lemon or lime juice, and nice salads on the side. Yummy!