Brazilian Chicken with Coconut Milk

"This simple chicken in a vibrant coconut milk sauce will fill your kitchen with the enticing aromas of South American cooking. It's great served over pasta or rice."





What to Drink? Chardonnay or Beer

Prep Time:15 Min
Cook Time:30 Min
Ready In:45 Min

Original Recipe Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 (14 ounce) can light coconut milk
1 bunch chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1.In a medium bowl, mix the cumin, cayenne pepper, turmeric, and coriander. Place the chicken in the bowl, season with salt and pepper, and rub on all sides with the spice mixture.

2.Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken in the skillet. Cook 10 to 15 minutes on each side, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Remove from heat and set aside.

3.Heat the remaining olive oil in the skillet. Cook and stir the onion, ginger, jalapeno peppers, and garlic 5 minutes, or until tender. Mix in the tomatoes and continue cooking 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk. Serve over the chicken. Garnish with the parsley.

Brazilian Fish Stew

"This super easy but hearty dish is full of flavor and absolutely delicious! It's a simplified version of a common Brazilian dish. This can be made easily on the stovetop or in the slow cooker for a no-fail convenience meal. Use salmon in place of tilapia for a stronger fish flavor. Serve with hot rice or warm tortillas."



What to Drink? Sauvignon Blanc

Prep Time:20 Min
Cook Time:25 Min
Ready In:1 Hr 5 Min

Original Recipe Yield 6 servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets, cut into chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 large bell peppers, sliced
1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 (16 ounce) can coconut milk
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Directions

1.Stir together the lime juice, cumin, paprika, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add the tilapia and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 20 minutes, up to 24 hours.

2.Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Quickly fry the onions in the oil 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add the bell peppers, tilapia, and diced tomatoes to the pot in succeeding layers. Pour the coconut milk over the mixture. Cover the pot and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cilantro and continue cooking until the tilapia is completely cooked through, another 5 to 10 minutes.

Brazilian Cheese Bread (Pao de Queijo)

"These yummy gluten/wheat free breads are good for those with Celiac disease or gluten intolerance. These are good either served plain, or with marinara sauce. For more variety, try adding a variety of herb seasonings, such as Italian seasoning or try substituting other cheeses for the Parmesan."

Prep Time:10 Min
Cook Time:20 Min
Ready In:40 Min

Original Recipe Yield 6 breads

Ingredients

1/2 cup olive oil or butter
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup milk or soy milk
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups tapioca flour
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 beaten eggs

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2.Pour olive oil, water, milk, and salt into a large saucepan, and place over high heat. When the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat immediately, and stir in tapioca flour and garlic until smooth. Set aside to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

3.Stir the cheese and egg into the tapioca mixture until well combined, the mixture will be chunky like cottage cheese. Drop rounded, 1/4 cup-sized balls of the mixture onto an ungreased baking sheet.

4.Bake in preheated oven until the tops are lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes.

Brazilian Brigadeiro

"There is a great Brazilian sweet that is like a bonbon and extremely scrumptious and delicious called brigadeiro! This is a great type of sweet that is loved here in Brazil! Try it! You can make it in the microwave too, just remember to stir every minute."


Prep Time:10 Min
Cook Time:10 Min
Ready In:45 Min

Original Recipe Yield 20 servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon butter
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Directions

1.In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine cocoa, butter and condensed milk. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 10 minutes.

2.Remove from heat and let rest until cool enough to handle.

3.Form into small balls and eat at once or chill until serving. Accent with Chocolate sprinkels.

Brazilian White Rice

"White rice is the main side dish made in Brazil. What makes this so different is that we fry it in oil with minced onion and garlic before adding water. You can also use part water, part chicken broth. The secret is to not let it overcook because it should come out loose and not sticky."



Prep Time:15 Min
Cook Time:30 Min
Ready In:45 Min

Original Recipe Yield 8 servings

Ingredients

2 cups long-grain white rice
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups hot water

Directions

1.Place the rice in a colander and rinse thoroughly with cold water; set aside.

2.Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion in the oil for one minute. Stir in the garlic and cook until the garlic is golden brown. Add the rice and salt and cook and stir until the rice begins to brown. Pour hot water over rice mixture and stir. Reduce heat to low, cover the saucepan, and allow to simmer until the water has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.

Brazilian-Style Beef Ribs

"Whenever I go to Brazil I must eat at a Brazilian churrascaria and have some beef ribs. The meat is so tender and flavorful, it's hard to believe it's only seasoned with salt. Here's my version of Brazilian-Style Beef Ribs, enjoy!"


Prep Time:10 Min
Cook Time:6 Hrs
Ready In:6 Hrs 20 Min

Original Recipe Yield 3 servings

Ingredients

1 (3 pound) rack of whole beef ribs (not short ribs)
2 tablespoons sea salt, or more if needed
3/4 cup water

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).

2.Place the rack of beef ribs in front of you on a work surface with the shiny white membrane facing up. Slip the blade of a sharp knife under the membrane at one end, and slice the membrane off the meat in a single piece, if possible. Discard the chewy membrane. Rub the ribs thoroughly with sea salt, front and back. Place the ribs onto a cooking rack in a roasting pan.

3.Bake in the preheated oven until very tender, about 6 hours. Lightly baste the beef with water (use beef broth if you prefer) after the first 1 1/2 hours, being careful not to dislodge the salt. Baste again every 45 minutes to 1 hour; after 6 hours of total cooking time, remove from oven and allow to rest 10 to 15 minutes before slicing up into servings.

Brazilian Peanut Fudge

"You can make this easy fudge-like sweet using salted peanuts if you like. This will give it a slightly salty bite which is common in Brazil."




Original Recipe Yield 12 servings

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) jar roasted peanuts, skins removed
1 (8 ounce) package tea biscuits (such as Marie Biscuits)
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

Directions

1.Line a 9-inch square dish with waxed paper.

2.Pulse the peanuts and biscuits together in a food processor until the mixture resembles coarse flour. Add the sugar and pulse to mix. Pour the sweetened, condensed milk into the mixture and process until the mixture forms a ball that pulls away from the sides of the food processor bowl.

3.Transfer the mixture to the prepared dish and press with your hands into an even layer. Allow to sit at least 15 minutes, up to overnight. Remove from the dish and cut into squares to serve. Store in air-tight containers between uses.

Brazilian Picanha

Picanha is the classic Brazilian steak/roast that is served by churrascarias (brazilian steakhouses) everywhere. It also happens to be very easy to make at home and incredibly tasty. If you can not find tri-tip, you can use a sirloin roast instead, though it is not quite as tasty. Most groceries will cut you a tri-tip roast to the approximate size you want if you ask.

Ingredients

1 Tri-tip roast 2-3 lbs
6 cloves garlic or 4-5 tablespoons of prepared crushed garlic
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup coarse sea salt
1/4 cup oilve oil

Instructions
Trim excess fat from the meat: Once isde of your roast happens to be a large slab of fat; trim this down to 1/4" approx. Cut meat into roughly 3" thick chunks so that one side has the slab of fat and the other side is lean red meat.

Mix salt and garlic together to make a paste, rub over each piece of meat - fully coating. You can add a dash of olive oil if the paste doesn't want to stick. Marinate the meat for a minimum of 3-4 hours, turning it over once an hour or so. Liquid should come out of the meat. Remove most of the marinade mixture from the meat. Then rub the meat with a little olive oil, and more garlic (to taste).

You can also skip the garlic and just use sea salt - which I have been informed is more "true" to the style, no marinating required - just rub sea salt onto the meat every time you rotate it. (Last time I went to the Gaucho down here, there was garlic...)

Cooking Option 1 - On the Grill
Grill over very high heat - in this case, the slices are usually grilled with the thick layer of fat on the side or on top until most of it melts away and the remaining fat becomes crispy. Each of the other sides is then grilled for about 20 seconds.

If cooking directly on grill - only turn ONCE - and that's when the side that's near the fire looks like it's almost burnt.

Cooking Option 2 - Above the Grill
If you want to do the grilling churrascaria style, skewer each piece of roast so that it forms a "C" shape on the skewer - the fat should be facing the outside and the red meat on the inside of the "C". Take 4 bricks, place 2 on each side of the grill and put hardwood charcoal in the middle. place the skewers (espetu) across like a bridge and rotate them every 2-3 minutes.

For Both:
Cook until rare using a meat thermometer - or your standard guess work. Take off heat and let sit for 5 minutes before carving. Carve perpendicular to the grain in 1/4" slices. Remove the fat trim before eating. Then grilled the now newly exposed meat for a short time and then repeat the process.

Note: Do not cook this steak more than rare for the initial cooking. The outside slices will be medium-well to medium. If you want your personal slices a little more done, slice and then toss slices back on the grill. Since you're constantly moving the meat back to the grill it will cook to more than rare (if you want it to) as it moves back and forth.

This is great for outdoor BBQ'ing with friends since you can carve meat from the Picanha as needed.

Serve with hot crusty bread and any side dishes you prefer. I don't recommend a sauce for the meat, it doesn't need it - however if you must, a horseradish cream goes very well. It also goes very well on Picanha sammiches tne next day...

Brazilian Lemonade

"This recipe for 'lemonade' actually uses limes. It is best served immediately."





Prep Time:10 Min
Ready In:10 Min

Original Recipe Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

2 limes
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
3 cups water
ice

Directions

1.Wash limes thoroughly. Cut off the ends and slice into eight wedges. Place limes in a blender with the sugar, sweetened condensed milk, water, and ice.

2.Blend in an electric blender, pulsing 5 times. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove rinds. Serve over ice.

Brazilian Black Bean Stew

"This easy yet wonderful stew can be made any time of year. The meat can be omitted without compromising the dish. Serve hot with a great bread and a nice spinach salad."


Prep Time:15 Min
Cook Time:30 Min
Ready In:45 Min

Original Recipe Yield 6 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil
1/4 pound chorizo sausage, chopped
1/3 pound cooked ham, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 (1 pound) sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 small hot green chile pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups water
2 (16 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 mango - peeled, seeded and diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1.Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, and cook the chorizo and ham 2 to 3 minutes. Place the onion in the pot, and cook until tender. Stir in garlic, and cook until tender, then mix in the sweet potatoes, bell pepper, tomatoes with juice, chile pepper, and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, until sweet potatoes are tender.

2.Stir the beans into the pot, and cook uncovered until heated through. Mix in the mango and cilantro, and season with salt.

Brazilian Passion Fruit Mousse (Maracuja)

"This is Brazilian favorite (and an old family recipe), and takes no cooking at all. It's a little tart and tangy for those of you who don't like your desserts to be too sweet."




Prep Time:15 Min
Cook Time:1 Hr
Ready In:1 Hr 15 Min

Original Recipe Yield 6 servings

Ingredients
8 passion fruits
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups cream

Directions

1.Break passion fruits in half, and empty contents into a bowl. Use a little water to help rinse the juice out of the skins. Mix with hands to soften pulp. Strain through a sieve or cheesecloth. Stir in sugar and sweetened condensed milk.

2.In a chilled bowl, beat cream until stiff peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the cream into the passion fruit mixture, then quickly fold in remaining cream until no streaks remain. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Brazilian Feijoada

"Feijoada is a traditional Brazilian black bean stew which can incorporate as many as 15 types of meat, including tongue (lingua), beef (carne de vaca) and pork (carne de porco). Enjoy it with a caipirinha."




Prep Time:45 Min
Cook Time: 5 Hrs
Ready In: 5 Hrs 45 Min

Original Recipe Yield 6 servings

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds whole beef tongue
1 quart water
1 (12 ounce) bag dried black beans
4 ounces dried chipped beef
1 chourico, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 ounces bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, minced
1 large tomato, chopped
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 large orange, thinly sliced

Directions

1.Place tongue in a large pot, pour in enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 3 hours.

2.Pour 1 quart water and black beans into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, and boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 1 hour.

3.When tongue is done, drain and plunge into cold water. Make a lengthwise cut in the skin, peel off, and discard. Slice the tongue into 1/4-inch slices, and stir into beans along with dried beef, chourico, and bacon. Add water if needed to cover, then bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.

4.Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat, and stir in the garlic and onion. Cook until the onion has softened and turned translucent, then stir in the jalapeno and tomato. Season with salt, and cayenne pepper, then cook until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir half of the vegetables into the cooking beans. Continue cooking the beans until tender, about 1 hour more.

5.Once tender, remove 1/2 cup of beans, and mash with some of the cooking liquid to create a sauce. Stir in reserved vegetables.
6.To serve, arrange the tongue and sausage onto a serving platter, pour the sauce overtop, and garnish with orange slices. Serve the remaining beans in a separate bowl.