Brazilian-Style Black Beans and Rice

Combine the beans, bones, water, mustard seed, oregano, garlic, and oregano in a large pot. Cook uncovered over medium-low heat 3-4 hours or until the beans are soft, stirring occasionally.

Remove the bay leaves and the ham bone. Use a stick blender to puree some of the beans, leaving most of the beans whole.

Remove any meat from the ham bone and add it back to the beans. Add the raisins. Let cook again over low heat another 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes or so to prevent sticking.

Wash the oranges carefully and remove the zest in long thin strips. Then peel the oranges and remove the segments. Squeeze the juice from the segmented oranges over the segments.

Immediately before serving, top the hot cooked rice with the beans. Sprinkle all the zest over the beans.

Serving Ideas: Serve the beans and rice with the orange segments.

cook's notes

I recently read about a Brazilian black bean and rice dish -- various meats and stewed black beans. The unique thing was the orange zest and orange segments with which the dish was served. Tried this tonight for dinner, and my steak-a-holic husband loved it!