Brazilian Style Flan

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup milk, plus
2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Melt the sugar in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Once the sugar becomes a golden brown syrup after about 10 minutes, pour it immediately into a round baking dish, swirling so that the syrup coats all sides of the dish. Set aside to cool.

Place the egg yolks into a blender and blend on medium for 5 minutes, then add condensed milk, 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk, and egg whites. Continue to blend until all ingredients are combined. Pour egg mixture into the baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel. Place baking dish on towel, inside roasting pan, and place roasting pan on oven rack. Fill roasting pan with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the baking dish.

Bake in the preheated oven until a knife inserted 1 inch from the edge comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. The center of the flan will still be soft. Allow flan to cool before unmolding onto a plate. Refrigerate before serving.

Mineiro-style Oxtail Stew

 

Ingredients:

4 lbs (2 kg) oxtail, cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick slices
1 cup (250 ml) fresh-squeezed lime juice (can substitute lemon juice)
1 cup (250 ml) cachaça
1/2 cup (125 ml) neutral vegetable oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 large manioc root (macaxeira), peeled and cut into chunks (can substitute potatoes)
salt to taste
1 Tbsp. annatto powder (can substitute sweet red paprika)
2 bay leaves

Directions:

Wash the oxtail well in warm water. Place in a large heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, cover with cold water, then add the lime juice and cachaça. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat and cook at a slow boil for 15 minutes. Remove the oxtail from the cooking liquid, rinse it well in hot water and reserve.

In another large saucepan, heat the oil until hot but not smoking. Add the garlic and onion, turn down heat and saute for a minute or two. Increase the heat, then add the reserved oxtail. Stirring constantly, cook until the oxtail is nicely browned on all sides. Sprinkle the oxtail with annatto powder, add the bay leaves to the pot, then add water slowly - add just enough to half-cover the meat. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan, and cook for about 1 and 1/2 hours at lowest heat, adding water as needed to avoid the dish drying out. Add the vegetables, then continue to cook for about 30 minutes.

When the oxtail is very tender (almost falling off the bone) and the vegetables are cooked remove the pot from the heat. Let rest a minute or two, then correct the seasoning with salt. Serve immediately accompanied by white rice and angu, or other side dishes of your preference. Red wine is the drink of choice in Minas Gerais when rabada is served.

Shrimp Bobo

Ingredients:

For the manioc cream:
2 lbs (1 kg) cooking onions, peeled and chopped
2 lbs (1 kg) firm, ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
4 Tbsp finely cilantro, finely chopped
2 lbs (1 kgs) manioc/cassava/yuca root, peeled, boiled and mashed
2 cups (500 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups (1 liter) coconut milk

For the shrimp:
4 lbs (4 kgs) medium or large shrimp, peeled, deheaded and deveined, with tails left on
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
3 medium onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup (125 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups (1 liter)coconut milk
2 Tbsp dendê oil

Directions:

Prepare the manioc cream:  In a large heavy saucepan, combine the onion, tomatoes, green pepper and cilantro with the mashed manioc. Stir in the olive oil and coconut milk, then heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring constantly, or until the cream begins to pull away from the bottom of the pan when you stir. Remove from the heat and reserve.

Prepare the shrimp: Rinse the shrimp well in plenty of cold running water. Drain. In a large, deep saucepan combine the drained shrimp, chopped garlic, salt, cilantro, tomatoes, onions, green pepper and the olive oil. Heat over medium high heat, stirring frequently. When hot, add the coconut milk in 1/2 cup amounts, stirring after each addition to completely mix. Continue to cook for 5 minutes more, stirring constantly.

Add the reserved manioc puree to the shrimps and continue to cook for 5 more minutes, stirring frequently. Just before removing from the heat, add the dendê oil and mix it in completely. Remove from heat, pour into a decorative deep serving platter, sprinkle with additional cilantro if desired and serve immediately.

Dobradinha

Ingredients:

2 cups dried white beans - Navy beans, cannellini beans or similar
2 lbs (1 kg) tripe
juice of 2 large limes
1/2 cup (125 ml) cachaça
2 unpeeled limes, sliced
white or yellow cornmeal
4 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
Italian parsley and green onions (green part only), to taste
1/2 cup lard or neutral vegetable oil
8 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 Tbsp. ground annatto (urucum) - sweet paprika may be substituted
1 clove garlic, peeled and pounded to a paste with 1 tsp. salt
2 bay leaves

Directions:

Prepare the beans: Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water. Alternatively, put the beans in a large saucepan, cover with plenty of cold water, place on medium high heat on the stove and bring to a boil rapidly. Boil for one minute, then remove from the heat, cover the pan, and let stand for one hour. Once soaked or pre-boiled, put the beans in a heavy pan, cover with fresh water, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and let the beans slowly boil (just a few bubbles appearing at any time) for 40 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Cooking time depends on size and age of beans, so begin checking beans after about 40 minutes. The beans are done when they are fully tender but not falling apart. Once cooked, remove the beans from the heat and reserve.

Prepare the tripe: Cut the tripe into small 2 inch squares. Put the squares in a large saucepan, cover with water, then add the lime juice and cachaca to the pan. Bring to a full boil and boil for five minutes. Remove from heat. Drain the tripe into a colander, rinse with plenty of running water and reserve. Wash the pan, then return the drained tripe to the pan and cover with fresh water. Again bring to a boil, cook for five minutes, then drain and reserve. Repeat the process a third time. After draining a final time, rub the tripe with the lime slices and cornmeal to clean it thoroughly and remove all dirt. Rinse under a thin stream of water, scrubbing the lime and cornmeal into the tripe as you rinse. (This process eliminates the strong odor of unwashed tripe and is essential to a successful dobradinha.)

Make the dobradinha: In a pressure cooker with the top off, melt the lard or add the vegetable oil. Then add these ingredients in order: garlic, onion, annatto or paprika, salt to taste, tomatoes green onion and bay leaf. Stir and cook over medium heat for a few minutes, or until the onion and pepper begins to soften. Add the tripe, mixing it in thoroughly until it begins to color from the annatto. Slowly add water - just enough to cover the ingredients by about one inch. Close the pressure cooker, and cook for approximately 30 to 40 minutes, or until the tripe is tender (If not using a pressure cooker, cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours). When the tripe is tender, add in the beans, and cook, with the pressure cooker uncovered, for about 5 minutes, or until everything is heated through and the beans have been flavored by the tripe. Remove from heat.

Place in a decorative serving bowl, and sprinkly chopped parsley and green onion over the top. Serve immediately.

(Note: some recipes call for additional meats - sausages, pork ribs, or bacon. If adding these, put them in the pressure cooker at the same time as the tripe, and cook as directed above.)

Sweet Banana

Ingredients:
 
5 small bananas or 2 large bananas, peeled and cut in half
1 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
2 cups water

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.
2. Cook slowly over low heat for 2 hours. If the syrup becomes too thick, thin with a little water.
3. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Feijoada recipe

Brazilian feijoada is made of mix black beans, meat and is served with farofa, rice, cabbage and sliced orange. The most popular origen of feijoada is from slaves. They used rest of pigs, given by their owner, and mix it with beans and other ingredients.

Feijoada 

1 pound of black beans

1 pound of smoked sausage

1 pound of carne seca or 1/2 pound of bacon

4 pork shoulder bones and ears

2 small onions

2 garlic cloves

2 large bay leaves

2 cups of beef stock

olive oil

salt and fresh pepper

very hot pepper sauce

How to prepare:

Wash beans well and then leave them soaking in 1 liter of water overnight. On the next day, cook the beans and water on low heat for about an hour with the beef stock.

While the beans are cooking, cut the meats into bite size chunks, put them all in a pan, cover them with water and boil them for about ten minutes.

Chop the onions and the garlic finely and mix in random herbs and spices (a spice mix for salads would work well here). Heat three spoons of oil in a frying pan and fry the onion mixture until it caramelizes. Add a ladle full of beans (which at this point should be soft) and mash it together with the fried onion mixture. Put the bay leaves into this mush and let it fry for a few minutes. Pour everything back into the beans.

Put the strained meats into the beans and add a cup of water. Stir.

Add salt and hot pepper sauce to taste.

Serves 5 over rice. Can and should be served with peeled oranges and boiled, salted and shredded collard greens. To drink, prefer beer or caipirinha.



Brigadeiro recipe

Brigadeiro is a brazilian candy, created in 1940 in honor to Brigadeiro Eduardo Gomes, candidate for the presidency of the republic. This candies were served in meetings to promove the candidature. So this candy was called Brigadeiro.

Brigadeiro Recipe

Ingredients:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2-3 Tablespoons chocolate milk powder
1 Tablespoon butter
Chocolate sprinkles or granulated sugar
Tiny paper candy cups

Method:
Combine first three ingredients in a heavy pot and stir constantly over medium heat, bringing to a boil.
Continue stirring about two minutes - or until mixture thickens enough to coat the bottom of the pan.
Remove from heat and carefully scoop hot mixture out of pot into a separate bowl to cool.
Cool completely.
Coat hands with butter and scoop out a tablespoon sized amount into the palm of your hand. Roll into a small ball, roll the ball in sprinkles or sugar and let rest in paper cup.

Brazilian food: a little bit of history

The Brazilian cuisine it’s a mix of European ingredients, and other people like Indians and Africans. Many of techniques to prepare the dishes, and many ingredients, are of Indian origin. They’ve been adapted by slaves and Portuguese, over the years, by replacing of local ingredients. A great example about this is Feijoada, a tradicional dish.

The Indian feeding was based on cassava, in form of flour and beijus (a kind of cassava’s pancakes), but also fruits, fishes, corn, potato, hunting and mash. The African feeding includes rice, beans, different kinds of meal (like elephant and buffalos) and couscous. This people preparing their foods baking, roasting, besides using pepper, sauces, vegetable oils such as olive oil-for-palm.