A taste of HOME

We share recipes that conjure fond childhood memories

- CASSIE BEST, NATALIA MIDDLETON, GEORGINA HAYDEN, OLIA HERCULES, KALPNA WOOLF

Natalia Middleton’s feijoada

I was adopted from Sao Paulo at six days old, then moved to the UK and later New Zealand, so I’m pretty multicultural in terms of my roots. My godparents are Brazilian, and we always have Brazilian dishes when we visit them. My godmother has taught me a lot. When I was 12, we went to Brazil for the first time and had feijoada – I remember feeling a really special connection to the dish, which has continued to this day. I now make it regularly at home, and it’s even on the menus in the prisons we work with as part of Food Behind Bars (see opposite). It’s traditionally garnished with orange slices and served with farofa, which is made from ground cassava. If you can’t find this, rice is a great accompaniment, too. 

Feijoada

SERVES 6 PREP 10 mins plus optional overnight soaking COOK 3 hrs 30 mins EASY

• 500g dried black beans, or 2 x 400g cans black beans
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely grated or crushed
• 500g meats of your choice, such as chopped pancetta, pork belly pieces, chorizo and sliced blood sausage (optional)
• 800g smoked pork ribs, separated (available from Brazilian grocers, or use unsmoked  see tip, right)
• 4 bay leaves

To serve