come to brazil!

or come to my substack for vegan feijoada.

When I was freshly 18, I set sail (well, flight) for Canavieiras, an unsuspecting seaside town, on the wild North-eastern coast of Brazil. Canavieiras became my home for a few months. I would spend the majority of my time cycling around the town, volunteering at the local creche, and looking for something to do in this sleepy town, along with my friend Lucy. It was there that I first tried plantain and yuca, two of my favourite foods to this day. Every now and then, I get that feeling of “saudade” for that strange and wonderful time.

went digging for pics of canavieiras, but this is itacare!

So, this week I made a (mostly) traditional Brazilian meal, including all of my favourites. One of the first times I ever ate fake meat was in Canavieiras. My host mum made “carne de soja refogada” and I was so amazed - and grateful. Mince?? Made out of soy?? It was revolutionary for 2016, and here it was in this pretty remote place. 

I loved cooking this, as the smells and tastes of Brazil are so reminiscent of that time, even now. Plus, looking up the recipes helps me brush up on my Portuguese!

I veganised the feijoada recipe from ‘The Latin American Cookbook’ (Virgilio Martinez), and I found the others online. Most of them aren’t vegan, but I adapted with substitutes. Adapting non-vegan recipes is one of my favourite things to do, cooking wise!

Today’s very extravagant vegan meal includes -

- Feijoada (black bean stew)

- Arroz de alho (garlic rice)

- Purê de batata (mashed potato)

- Farofa (crunchy fried cornmeal, but it’s usually cassava meal)

- Acarajé (black eyed bean fritters ) 

- Carne de soja refogada (Soy mincemeat stew) 

- Couve a minieira (collard greens)

- Abacate (avo!)

But let’s get on with the Feijoada, shall we?! This recipe serves 2-3, generously as always.

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ingredients.

4 tbsp vegan butter or olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1L veggie stock

3 cloves garlic, minced

Seasonings, to taste: 3 bay leaves; pinch of cumin, ground coriander, smoked paprika, fresh or dried oregano

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp vegemite or 3 tbsp nutritional yeast

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how to.

1. Heat the oil or butter and fry onion until translucent.

2. Add garlic and spices, fry for a further 2 minutes or until fragrant.

3. Add beans and stocked, bring to a gentle boil.

4. Simmer for 20-30 mins or until the flavour is robust. Add salt and pepper, red wine vinegar, and vegemite or nooch.

5. Serve with the works from above or just with rice and orange slices!

6. Bom apetite!