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Caldinho de feijão
Caldinho de feijão: smooth little cups of black-bean soup with bacon, from Rio's botecos
BrazilianOrder a round at a Rio de Janeiro boteco on a cool evening and a tray of caldinho de feijão is likely to follow: small glasses of smooth, thick black-bean soup, sipped hot, topped with crisp bacon, spring onion and a few drops of pepper sauce. It is earthy, smoky and silky, halfway between a soup and a dip, and often comes with a hard-boiled quail egg or cubes of fried cassava on a cocktail stick. This version is made with pork: smoked bacon cooked into the beans and crisped on top. Leftover feijoada beans make the best caldinho; tinned black beans work fine. People often fail to blend it long enough, leaving it grainy; it should pour like thick cream. For a vegetarian caldinho, leave out the bacon, fry the onion in olive oil and add 1 tsp smoked paprika. Chef's tip: pass the blended soup through a sieve if you want the glossy finish botecos serve.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
To serve
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (6)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Fry 4 oz smoked streaky bacon in a saucepan over a medium heat for 6–8 minutes until crisp. Lift out half for the topping and leave the rest in the pan.
8 minStep 2: Add 1 onion and 3 cloves garlic to the fat and cook for 5 minutes until soft and golden.
5 minStep 3: Add 1 bay leaf, 1 ⅔ lb cooked black beans and 1 ¾ cups hot water or stock, bring to the boil and simmer on a low heat for 15 minutes until the beans are very soft.
15 minStep 4: Remove the bay leaf and blend until completely smooth, at least 2 minutes with a stick blender. Add a splash more water if it is thicker than double cream.
2 minStep 5: Return to a low heat, season with ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp ground black pepper and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring.
2 minStep 6: Pour into small glasses or cups and top with the reserved bacon, 2 spring onions, a few drops of 1 tbsp malagueta pepper sauce and a 6 quail eggs half on a stick, if you like.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does caldinho de feijão take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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