• 2 lbs. white navy beans
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1/2 block salted pork
  • 1 tablespoon pimento moida
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons white pepper
  • 1 cup of ketchup (or until mixture is pink)
  • 1/2 stick butter

I love Wednesdays because on this day, bloggers and the folks at the Food Network get together to share their favorite recipes utilizing fruits and vegetables. This week we are sharing our favorite recipes featuring peppers. I didn’t have to think too hard about which pepper or recipe I would share.

Like Emeril Lagasse, I grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts and I enjoyed the wonderful flavors of Portugal. It is often said that the quickest way to Portugal is over the Braga Bridge which is located in Fall River, Massachusetts! Much of the city’s residents immigrated from Portugal particularly from the islands in the Azores.

One of the very flavorful staples in Portuguese cooking is Pimento Moida.  The pimento, or pimentão, is a bell pepper, also known in Latin as Capsicum. The “pimentão” or  large  bell pepper, are botanically known as fruits, although  generally considered in the culinary world to be vegetables.  There is also the cherry pepper which has commonly been referred as pimento in the English speaking world. The pepper is mainly used in creating the red filler for Spanish olives and not to be confused with the Pimento traditionally used by the Portuguese in their paste.  In fact,  it’s the red bell pepper that has been widely used in the making of pimento pastes within the Portuguese community. Some Portuguese natives refer their paste as  ”Pimenta Moida” the second word pronounced mo-wee-da, which translates to ground or puréed pepper.

In my cookbook You Never Cook Alone I recall memories of my grandmother and parents in my grandmother’s tiny basement kitchen preparing this spicy and unmistakable paste:

“One of the canned goods found in my grandmothers’ basement kitchen was “Pimento Moida” or crushed red pepper. The crushed red pepper was what gave this dish its unique spicy flavor. Once a year my parents would help my grandmother can the peppers.  On that day children were not allowed in the house. A sign that read “Do Not Enter-Canning Peppers” would be taped onto my grandmother’s front door.

The heat from the peppers was so intense that anyone who helped with the canning had to wear gloves and mask their faces. If you weren’t careful you could badly burn your eyes, skin and throat. When the canning was completed, Vavo’s shelves would be full of beautiful red glass jars filled with Pimento Moida. Today I have my fresh red crushed pepper shipped to me from my hometown of Fall River, Massachusetts.

I have substituted dried red pepper flakes for Pimento Moida when in a pinch. When doing so, I use a fraction of what I would use with the wet mixture.”

My grandmother would often make Portuguese Baked Beans. Pimento Moida was one of the ingredients that gave her beans incredible flavor. Before placing the beans in the oven to bake, my grandmother would call me downstairs to eat the “bean soup” with a big piece of Portuguese bread. How I loved that!

Here’s how my Vavo made her baked beans flavored with pimento moida or fresh red crushed pepper of course.

As I made this recipe the aroma reminded me of my time with my grandmother in her home. I knew I was doing something right!

Soak your white navy beans overnight. Place the pan with the beans and water on the stove and add your onion, salted pork, red crushed pepper, salt and white pepper.

Allow the ingredients to simmer over medium heat for one hour.

Add ketchup until the mixture is pink in color. Now add your butter. Stir. Once the beans are cooked ,most likely 40 to 60 minutes, place in a large baking dish.

Bake in a 350 degree oven uncovered until the beans are bubbling. Turn off the heat and let sit in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes longer. Remove and enjoy!

Due to Hurricane Sandy, this week’s Fall Fest has been delayed. Be sure to come back to see other pepper recipes.