Brazilian Lunch

The big meal for Brazilians is lunch, not dinner. This may or may not have something to do with very low occurrence of obesity in Brazilians. This is a photo of a typical Brazilian lunch. I made this yesterday.

• Batatas fritas (fried potatoes)
• Fanta laranja (Fanta orange - my store was out of Guaraná)
• Pão de queijo (Cheese bread - my store had this in the original Brazilian packaging COOL!)
• Feijoada (Black beans with pork)
• Arroz (Rice)
• Couve (Fried Kale or Collard Greens)

What I'm missing here are some orange or mango slices. Recipes for all of the above, except rice and fried potatoes, have been posted on the blog. I will post the rice recipe and the potato recipe, but I figure most people already know how to do this.

PÃO DE QUEIJO

PÃO DE QUEIJO

(Cheese rolls from scratch)

Like many Brazilian foods, Pão de Queijo from scratch is tricky to prepare.

It is difficult to make the balls rise as much as the prepared mix. Also, the rolls can harden very easily if left overnight.

Then, after years making pão-de-queijo we came up with this recipe from one friend in our city of Belo Horizonte. Now we just make pão de queijo using this recipe because there’s no need to cook the manioc starch and the rolls will rise guaranteed. The secret is to use mashed potatoes in the dough.

Ingredients:

2 lb of manioc starch (can be bought under the name "Tapioca Flour") (polvilho). You can use either sweet or sour manioc starch. Some people complain that sour manioc starch causes heartburn, however sour manioc starch makes the rolls rise more. It is your choice.

1lb of mashed potatoes (just cooked potatoes, mashed with no salt or oil).

2 tablespoon margarine

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 oz grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups (500ml) milk

Preheat oven to 350° F

The mashed potato should be cool before using.

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except the milk. Then add the milk slowly while you mix until you get a soft dough.

Place 1 inch balls spaced in a unbuttered cookie sheet and bake at moderate oven (350 F) for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes about 50 rolls.

Feijoada

FEIJOADA

(Black beans and pork stew)

The slaves in the colonial Brazil created the "Feijoada".

They started cooking the pork meats that farmland owners discarded such as ear, tails, and feet in a big pot with black beans.

This dish became traditional all over the country. Since then, the dish was incremented with pork sirloin and sausages that transformed the menu into a famous entrée that everybody who visits Brazil has to taste.

The following recipe is an easy-to-do version of "Feijoada" made only with pork tenderloin and sausages.

This recipe is preferred for busy people that don't want to handle the salted pork ears, tails and feet found in the complete "Feijoada".

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb of varied pork sausages (prefer smoked sausages)
• 1 lb of pork tenderloin
• some slices of bacon
• 1 can of black beans (15.5Oz)
• 2 tbs vegetable oil
• salt, garlic, chopped onions and bay leaves (bay leaves give a special taste to feijoada)

PREPARE

Feijoada is made with black beans and pork meats.

You can use a can of beans already cooked or learn how to cook dried beans here.

Add black beans to a medium-sized pot with 2 tbs oil, salt, garlic, chopped onions and about 6 bay leaves.

Cook for about 15 minutes in med heat and set aside.

In a separate frying pan, cook cubes of pork tenderloin and slices of bacon with salt and garlic.

Add all the sausages sliced and stir on medium-heat until the water evaporates.

Add the cooked meat to the pan with the black beans and your feijoada is ready!

Cook your feijoada 10 minutes longer to allow the meat juices to soak in the black beans. You can add some pepper sauce to your feijoada at this point.

Hint: to make the feijoada creamy, liquefy 1/2 cup of black beans in the blender and add to the feijoada.

SERVE:

Feijoada is a main dish frequently served with white rice, collard greens and seasoned manioc flour (farofa).

To follow the "Feijoada", we serve orange segments as a dessert.

SERVING SIZE: 6 portions.

Ants on a log

• Celery stalks washed and cut into 3 inch lengths
• Peanut butter
• Raisins

Have the children fill the celery stalks with peanut butter. Place raisin "ants" on the celery "logs".

Zesty Steak Chili

• 4 pounds round steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup cooking oil
• 3 cups chopped onion
• 2 3/4 cups water, divided
• 2 cups sliced celery
• 3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce
• 1 jar (16 ounces) salsa
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt, optional
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• Shredded cheddar cheese
  
• sour cream
  
• sliced green onions
• sliced ripe olives
  

In a dutch oven over medium-high heat, saute steak and garlic in oil until browned. Add onion; cook and stir for 5 minutes. Stir in 2 cups water and next nine ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 2 hours or until tender. Combine flour, cornmeal and remaining water; stir until smooth. Bring chili to a boil. Add flour mixture; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Garnish with cheese, sour cream, onions and olives.

serves 10

Meatloaf Rings **kids love these!!**

1 egg
1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. quick-cooking oatmeal
3 tsp. salt1 tsp. instant beef bouillon
3 tbsp. onion, minced
2 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef
Instant mashed potatoes or your favorite vegetable (enough for 8 servings)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix 1 egg, 1/2 cup milk, 3/4 cup quick-cooking oatmeal, 3 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon instant beef bouillon, 3 tablespoons minced onion and all of the ground beef. Mix all ingredients well; this may take some mixing. Spread out a good sized piece of wax paper and then divide the meatloaf mixture into 8 separate parts on the waxed paper. Shape each of 8 pieces of meatloaf mixture into a ring by rolling the mixture into long strips. Press ends together making circles. Place the rings onto a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees in oven about 30 minutes. Then when done, place favorite vegetable in middle of ring.

Pork Tamales recipe

*IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE YOU USE TAMALE MASA FLOUR NOT TORTILLA MASA FLOUR. TAMALE MASA FLOUR IS MADE OUT OF CORN, TORTILLA MASA IS MADE OUT OF WHEAT. YOUR TAMALES WILL TASTE LIKE TURKEY DRESSING IF YOU DON'T USE THE RIGHT KIND OF MASA!

*NOTE: If you don't like pork, substitute beef, chicken, fish, or tofu.
Pork Tamales recipe

• 1 (5 pound) pork shoulder

• 1 clove garlic
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup ground red chile
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Mexican oregano
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 6 cups Masa Harina
• 1/2 cup lard
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 pound dried corn husks

Cover the pork with water in a large pot. Add garlic, and bring to a boil. Simmer gently, covered, until meat is tender. Cool slightly. Discard the garlic. Chop the meat and set aside.

Mix chile powder, Mexican oregano, and flour with 2 cups of the meat stock and add to the chopped meat. Bring to a boil and simmer gently until mixture is thick. Cool.

Beat lard until light and fluffy. Blend in Masa Harina. Add enough meat stock or water to make the mixture soft and pliable. The dough is ready when a small lump floats slowly to the bottom of a glass of water, so test it several times to ensure that it is at the exact point.

Soak the husks in hot water until they are soft. Drain. Spread a thin layer of masa on a husk. Put a heaping tablespoon of meat mixture down the center of the masa. Roll the husk carefully around the meat filling. Wrap another husk from the opposite side. Tie ends with string. Stand the tamales on end on a layer of corn husks in a steamer. Steam for about 1 hour. Drain and serve with more red chile sauce and beans.

Chunk - o - Cheese Meatloaf

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef or a combination of ground beef, pork and veal
1/4 lb. (4 oz.) fresh mushrooms, chopped(optional)
1 med. onion, chopped
1/4 c. minced parsley
3/4 c. dry bread crumbs
1 egg
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3/4 c. milk
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) extra sharp cheddar cheese

Blend meat with chopped mushrooms, onion, parsley, bread crumbs, egg, salt, pepper and milk until blended.
Dice cheese into 1/2 inch cubes. Blend into meat mixture (by hand) making sure to distribute the cheese chunks evenly.
Pack into a 9x9x3 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Pour off liquid. Cool slightly before cutting.

Couve a mineira (Brazilian Style Collard Greens)

Couve a mineira
(Brazilian Style Collard Greens)
4 to 5 bunches of collard greens (or kale) *NOTE: MR. G'S FAMILY PREFERS KALE!
butter (use 1/2 tablespoon for every cup of shredded
collards)
Wash the collard greens. Remove the stems and roll the
leaves tightly together. Slice into very thin strips with a sharp
knife.






Just before serving, melt the butter and add collard greens.
Cook over high heat stirring constantly until collard greens
just start to wilt. Sprinkle with salt and serve.
Note: This is the recipe I prefer as a garnish for feijoada.
Otherwise, mince 1 small onion and 2 cloves garlic and cook
in butter until lightly brown. Add the collard greens and cook
as above.

Black-Eyed Peas With Ham

Note: I spent part of my mission in Florida. It's considered good luck to eat the following dish on New Year's Day. I don't really care for black-eyed peas, but a little corn bread mixed in makes them palatable if you don't like them.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups Fresh black-eyed peas or Frozen, thawed
3 cups Chicken stock or canned low-salt broth
4 ounces Ham, finely chopped
1 small Yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
3 large Garlic cloves, minced
1 Bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon Dried thyme, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon Dried crushed red pepper


Directions:
Bring all ingredients to boil in heavy large saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until peas are tender, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Dinner rolls

1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. butter
1/2 c. warm (110 degrees) water
2 pkgs. dry yeast
2 eggs, beaten
About 5 c. unsifted bread flour

Scald milk; stir in sugar, salt and butter. Cool to lukewarm. Measure warm water into large mixing bowl. Sprinkle in yeast, stirring to dissolve. Add lukewarm milk mixture, eggs and 2 cups of flour. Beat with electric mixer until smooth. Continue stirring in flour with wooden spoon until you have a soft dough.
Turn out on lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, cover with a damp towel and let rise until double. Punch down and shape into rolls. Let rise until double again. Bake at 400 degrees about 12 minutes and brush with butter.

Creamy Chicken and Dumplings

4 lg. chicken breasts
4 med. potatoes
1 lg. onion
1 stick butter
2 tbsp. chicken bouillon
1 c. evaporated milk
1 tsp. salt
2 c. flour
3/4 c. buttermilk
1/4 c. Crisco

Stew chicken until tender in about 3 quarts of water and 1 teaspoon salt. When chicken is tender, remove it from broth and let it cool. Let broth continue to simmer.
While chicken is cooling, peel and dice potatoes and onions. Add these to the broth and boil gently. Add bouillon and butter. Remove bones from chicken. Add chicken to broth.
While chicken and vegetables are cooking mix flour, buttermilk and Crisco into stiff dough. Roll out dough very thin and cut into 1/2 x 2 inch strips. Drop these slowly in with the chicken. When broth is covered with layer of dough, let cook for about 2 minutes. Stir gently and add another layer. Repeat until all dough is used. Add evaporated milk and let the dumplings simmer for about 20 minutes. If dumplings are too thick, add water.

Panquecas brasileiras (Brazilian pancakes)

Note: I used to eat these on my mission in Sao Paulo Brazil, they are excellent!
Panquecas or Crêpes
1 cup flour
1 1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt
Put all ingredients in blender and and beat until smooth. Cook as you
would for crêpes.

Filling
Use your favorite vegetarian filling, the chicken filling for Brazilian
chicken pie or this ground beef filling:
1 lb very lean ground beef
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
fresh cilantro, finely chopped (if you can't find cilantro, use green onions
and parsley)
oregano to taste
2 large hard-boiled eggs, chopped into small pieces
10-12 pitted green olives
Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil. Add ground beef, cilantro and
oregano and cook until brown. It should be rather dry, not very much
liquid at all. Remove from heat. Add olives and chopped eggs.
Making the panquecas
Fill each panqueca with this mixture and roll it up. Put panquecas
together in a large pyrex. Cover with tomato sauce, sprinkle with grated
parmesan cheese and warm in oven or microwave. Serve piping hot
with white rice and green salad.

P.F. Chang's Soothing Chicken Lettuce Wraps

8 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp dry sherry
2 tsp water
salt and pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken
5 tbsp oil
1 tsp fresh minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, minced
2 small dried chilies, (optional)
1 (8 oz) can bamboo shoots, minced
1 (8 oz) can water chestnuts, minced
1 package cellophane Chinese rice noodles, prepared according to package
Cooking Sauce:
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dry sherry
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp water
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
Iceberg lettuce "cups" leaves ( I tryed the Iceberg lettuce and did not like it so I changed it
to a bibb or other leaf lettuce )
Cover mushrooms with boiling water, let stand 30 minutes then drain. Cut and discard
woody stems. Minces mushrooms. Set aside.
Mix all ingredients for cooking sauce in bowl, and set aside.
In medium bowl, combine cornstarch, sherry water, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and chicken.
Stir to coat chicken thoroughly. Stir in 1 tsp. oil and let sit 15 minutes to marinate.
Heat wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Add 3 TBSP oil, then add chicken and stir
fry for about 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
Add 2 TBSP oil to pan. Add ginger, garlic, chilies(if desired), and onion; stir fry about a
minute or so.
Add mushrooms, bamboo shoots and water chestnuts; stir fry an additional 2 minutes.
Return chicken to pan. Add mixed cooking sauce to pan. Cook until thickened and hot.
Break cooked cellophane noodles into small pieces, and cover bottom of serving dish with
them. Then pour chicken mixture on top of noodles. Spoon into lettuce leaf and roll.

Enchilada Casserole

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 can enchilada sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 lb. Velveeta cheese
1 can green chilies, chopped
Taco shells

Brown ground beef and onion in large skillet. Add remaining ingredients except taco shells. Heat until cheese melts. Layer in a casserole dish with broken taco shells. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until bubbly.

Brick Oven Pizza

1 phone - either cordless, cellular or rotary style

Call Heaps Brick Oven in Provo, Utah (801)374-8800 ext. 3, and order at least a 16 inch combination

wait patiently until delivered, then open the box and enjoy!

Layered Seafood Dip

1 small bunch of green onions
1 small can of broken or tiny shrimp
1 small can of crab meat or 1/2 - 1 cup of immitation Krab meat chopped
1 large package Cream Cheese
1 8 ounce bottle of cocktail sauce
3 Tablespoons Sour Cream
3 Tablespoons Mayonaise
Worchestershire Sauce
Sprinkle of Garlic Salt

Mix the cream cheese, sour cream, and mayo together and spread in dish. Then return to the fridge to set for at least 30 minutes. Then spread 1(one) 8 oz. bottle of cocktail sauce over that, add chopped green onions next, then shrimp and/or crab.

You can also use Krab (immitation crab) in fact it works best.

Serve with Club®, Ritz®, or Toasteds® crackers.

Shrimp Dip

2 large packages of Cream Cheese
Milk
Small bunch of green onions chopped
Worchestershire Sauce
Lemon Juice
Garlic Salt & Onion Salt
1 can small shrimp (Drained)

Let cream cheese soften, dilute with milk to desired consistency, add shrimp, green onions, capful of lemon juice, worchestershire sauce and seasonings. Beat all together.

I usually make at least a double batch of this. You can use the broken shrimp in the small cans - you can usually find these for around $1-$1.50 a can - the whole shrimp are more, but not worth it because they get broken up anyway.

Serve with crinkled potato chips.

General Tsao's Chicken

Marinade:
3 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
l 1/2 tablespoons oyster flavored sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces

Combine marinade ingredients in a non-metallic bowl or Ziploc bag. Submerge washed chicken in marinade covering all portions.
Allow to stand for 20 to 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

Sauce:
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons cooking oil
6 small dried red chilies
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
2 green onions, cut into 1-inch lengths
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red chilies
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, dissolved in water
1/4 cup peanuts, coarsely chopped

Mix sauce ingredients well in a small bowl.
Place a wok over high heat and add oil, swirling to coat sides. Stir-fry the chilies for 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook two minutes. Stir in garlic, ginger, green onions, and crushed chilies; cook for one minute.
Pour in sauce and stir fry for one minute.
In a cup, combine cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water and stir until smooth. Pour slowly into the wok and cook until sauce bubbles and thickens.
Serve chicken garnished with a sprinkling of peanuts.

Alton Brown's Pressure Cooker Chili

I got this from Good Eats Alton Brown - he did 2 versions - 1 in the pressure cooker and the other he put in a heavy dutch oven and finished the cooking in the oven at 350º for at least 6 hours. He also did 1 pound each of the three meats, beef, pork, and lamb, but said that as long as it was 3 pounds total it didn't matter the combination.

3 pounds stew meat (beef, pork, and/or lamb) 2 teaspoons peanut oil 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1 (12-ounce) bottle of beer, preferably a medium ale 1 (16-ounce) container salsa 30 tortilla chips 2 chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, chopped 1 tablespoon adobo sauce (from the chipotle peppers in adobo) 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin
Place the meat in a large mixing bowl and toss with the peanut oil and salt. Set aside.
Heat a 6-quart heavy-bottomed pressure cooker over high heat until hot. Add the meat in 3 or 4 batches and brown on all sides, approximately 2 minutes per batch. Once each batch is browned, place the meat in a clean large bowl.
Once all of the meat is browned, add the beer to the cooker to deglaze the pot. Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the meat back to the pressure cooker along with the salsa, tortilla chips, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, and ground cumin and stir to combine. Lock the lid in place according to the manufacturer's instructions. When the steam begins to hiss out of the cooker, reduce the heat to low, just enough to maintain a very weak whistle. Cook for 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully release the steam. Serve immediately.

Home made Mac-n-Cheese

1 lb bag elbow macaroni
1 stick of butter
1 lb shredded cheese (we like to use cheddar, pepper jack, or provolone)
1 small can diced green chilies

Cook elbow macaroni as instructed on package. Drain the water off of the macaroni. Before you return the macaroni to the pan, put a stick of butter in the pan. This helps make the dish a little creamier. Stir the macaroni until the butter is melted. Add the cheese and chilies. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, or long enough to let the cheese completely melt. Serve while warm.

Taco Seasoning

Taco Seasoning

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dried onion flakes
1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
1 cup chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons salt

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine flour, onion flakes, garlic, chili powder, oregano, cumin, and salt. Close lid securely, and shake well to mix contents. One half cup is equivalent to 1 (1.25 ounce) package of taco seasoning.

Utah's Famous Green Jell-O

Utah's Famous Green Jell-O

1 cup water
1 (6 ounce) package lime Jell-O
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice( optional)
1cup canned crushed pineapple, undrained
2 cups whipping cream

Bring water to a boil. Put Jell-O and sugar in a medium bowl; add boiling water, stirring until gelatin is dissolved. Add lemon juice, if desired. Stir in pineapple. Refrigerate until syrupy.

Whip cream until stiff. Fold into Jell-O mixture. Place in a 9 x 13-inch pan. Refrigerate for several hours until firm.

Makes 12 servings

Pretzel Jello

Pretzel Jello

3 c. thin pretzels
3/4 c. margarine
16 oz. cream cheese
2 c. sugar
2 pkg. Dream Whip
6 oz. strawberry gelatin powder
2 c. pineapple juice
2 c. frozen strawberries

Chop or coarsely grind pretzels and mix with 3/4 c. melted margarine. Press into a 9”x12” pan and bake for 10 minutes at 400 F. Let cool. Cream sugar together with cream cheese. Spread over pretzel crust. Whip two packages of Dream Whip and spread over the cheese mixture, reserving 1/2 cup for decoration. Heat pineapple juice to boiling and dissolve Jello powder into it. Mix in 2 c. frozen strawberries and keep stirring. When the mixture begins to jell, spoon it on top of the layers in the pan. Decorate with remaining Dream Whip when fully set. Keep refrigerated.

Funeral Potatoes

Funeral Potatoes

6-8 potatoes, cooked, peeled, and grated or cubed
1/2 c. minced onion
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pint sour cream
1/2 c. grated cheese
3/4 tsp. salt
optionally:
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 c. crushed cornflakes

Spread potatoes in a buttered casserole dish. Heat soup, sour cream, and onion in sauce pan, then pour over potatoes, but DO NOT STIR. Sprinkle cheese on top if you’re Aunt Marilyn Crandall; if you’re Julie Nielsen, mix the cheese, butter, and cornflakes together, and then sprinkle them on top. Bake at 350 F. for 30 minutes.