Feijoada

The Barefoot Contessa  has done two shows on roasted fruits and vegetables today.  On one of her shows, she said roasting is a great trick for the wintertime when vegetables have less flavor, because it concentrates the flavor.  I've been on a roasted vegetable kick lately, so it's all I can do not to go to the grocery store, buy a bunch of veggies, and spend the day roasting away.

Anyway, Mom is feeling much better today.  She's buzzing around like a very annoying little bee, putting away all the Christmas decorations.  I told her if she'd chill for a bit, I'd gladly help her.  Her response was, "I can do it.  And, if I'd a felt like it yesterday, it'd already've been done, ya'll."  Buzz, buzz.

Although she's feeling better today, yesterday was probably the worst of Mom's cold, so I was on my own to concoct dinner with a house full of food.  Brother Jason and I ate at a Brazilian restaurant in OKC last week and I had an amazing dish called feijoada, which is Brazil's national dish.  It's a black bean stew with pork and beef served with rice and collard greens.  Since I didn't have access to all the ingredients included in a typical recipe, I came up with my own using the ham leftover from Christmas dinner.
  
Ingredients:

2 pounds black beans
2 ham hocks (though I used the leftover bones from the ham)
1/2 pound ham, shredded
1/4 pound smoked beef sausage, sliced
1/4 pound salted pork
3 pieces of bacon
one large onion, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, finely sliced
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon coriander
salt to taste
1-1/2 quarts water

If you're using dry black beans, you'll need to start the night before by soaking them in water.  I used canned black beans, which I drained and rinsed.

In a dutch oven, cook the three strips of bacon.  When the bacon is crispy, remove from the pan and set aside.  Slice the beef sausage and add to the pan of bacon drippings.  Cook until brown, then set aside with the bacon.  Finely slice the onion and garlic and add to the bacon drippings, cooking until soft.

When onions are soft, add the beans, ham hocks, water, bay leaves, and coriander to the pot.  Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, and allow to cook covered for 30 minutes.  Add all the meats and allow to cook for an hour or until the meats are cooked and the beans are tender.

Remove the salted pork, ham hocks, and bay leaves from the stew and discard.  Simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes to allow the juices to reduce.  Serve over rice.