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BRAZILIAN BEEF BAGUETTES (Picanha de chapa com salshina)
CHEESY RICE BALLS (Bolinhos de Arroz)
BRAZILIAN CHICKEN CROQUETTES (Coxinhas)
SALT COD FRITTERS (Bolinhos de bacalhau)
MINCE AND CHEESE PASTIES (Pastelzinho de carne)
BRAZILIAN BEEF BAGUETTES
Picanha de chapa com salshina
Serves 6-8
500g Picanha or rump steak
salt and black pepper
olive oil
2-3 onions, peeled and sliced
micro herbs or lettuce for serving
1 long baguette, sliced
Salsa/salshina
1red onion, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 red chilli, seeded and chopped
60ml chopped parsley
60ml olive oil
30ml white wine vinegar
Rub the steak with salt, pepper and olive oil and fry in a hot griddle pan until medium rare.
Remove, cover and rest for 10 minutes.
Cut the meat into thin slices.
Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onions until soft and starting to caramelise.
To serve, put a few micro herbs or lettuce on the baguette slices, top with a few slices of meat, some onions and a spoonful of the salsa.
SALSA: Combine all the ingredients and mix well.
* Picanha steaks are available at Checkers stores.
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CHEESY RICE BALLS
Bolinhos de Arroz
Makes 18-20
500ml cooked long grain rice
45ml milk
1 egg, beaten
1 red onion, finely chopped
125ml grated cheddar cheese
125ml grated Parmesan cheese
45ml chopped parsley
180ml cake flour
5ml baking powder
5ml salt
oil for frying
Combine the rice, milk, egg, onion, cheeses and parsley in a bowl.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt and mix into the rice.
Shape the mixture into golf-ball sizes and fry in deep hot oil until golden brown.
Drain on paper towel, sprinkle with extra salt and serve warm.
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BRAZILIAN CHICKEN CROQUETTES
Coxinhas
Makes 12-15
250g chicken breast fillets
1 litre of chicken stock
1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 onion, peeled and halved
2 bay leaves
125g cream cheese, softened
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper
30g butter
5ml chopped garlic
1 onion, finely chopped
750ml flour
2 eggs, whisked
500ml dried breadcrumbs
oil, for frying
Put the chicken in a pot with the stock, carrot, onion and bay leaves. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until chicken is just cooked through. Set chicken aside to cool. Strain and reserve the stock.
Shred chicken finely with a knife or place in a food processor and blend until fine.
Stir in the softened cream cheese, lime juice and salt and pepper.
Heat the butter in a pan and fry the garlic and onion until golden and soft. Add to the chicken mixture. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
Meanwhile, measure 750ml of the reserved chicken stock into a pot and bring to the boil. Gradually stir in the flour.
Stir vigorously and cook for 2-3 minutes. The mixture will turn into a stiff dough. Remove from the heat, cover and chill for an hour.
To shape: flour your hands, take a piece of dough about the size of a golf ball and roll into a ball.
Press a hollow in the middle for the filling. Place a spoonful of chicken filling inside the ball of dough and press the dough closed around the filling.
Shape into an approximate drumstick shape, flouring hands as necessary. Stand the coxinhas on a baking sheet so that the pointed end sticks upwards.
Whisk the eggs together in a bowl. Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper.
Dip the coxinhas first in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs to coat. Chill for 1 hour.
Heat the oil in a pot or deep-fat fryer. Fry a few at a time until deep golden brown. Drain on paper towel. Serve warm.
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MINCE AND CHEESE PASTIES
Pastelzinho de carne
Makes 12-15
PASTY DOUGH
750ml cake flour
7ml salt
3ml baking powder
30g cold butter, cubed
1 egg, slightly beaten
15ml white wine vinegar
15ml vodka or cachaça
180-200ml warm water
FILLING
15ml olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
5ml chopped garlic
500g beef mince
2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
10ml paprika
15ml tomato paste
15ml chilli paste or sambal oelek
10ml sugar
salt and freshly ground pepper
60ml chopped spring onions
60g Gouda cheese, cubed
vegetable oil, for frying
DOUGH: Place flour, salt, baking powder and butter in a food processor. Pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs.
With the machine running, add the egg, vinegar, vodka and enough warm water to make a soft but not sticky dough.
Place dough on a floured surface and knead gently until smooth, about 5 minutes. Cover and rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, make the filling.
FILLING: Heat the oil in a pot and fry the onion and garlic until golden.
Add the mince and brown, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon.
Add the tomatoes, paprika, tomato and chilli pastes, sugar, salt and pepper to taste and mix well. Fry for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove and cool. Add the spring onions.
On a floured surface, roll the dough out quite thinly and cut out 10cm discs.
Place a spoonful of filling in the centre, top with a cube of cheese, fold the disc over to form a semi circle or half moon and press the edges together with a fork.
Deep-fry a few at a time until golden.
Drain on a paper towel and serve warm.
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SALT COD FRITTERS
Bolinhos de bacalhau
Makes 15-20
250g salted codfish (bacalhau)
500g potatoes
30ml olive oil
1 egg
60ml flour
125ml chopped parsley
5-6 spring onions, finely sliced
salt and pepper
oil, for deep frying
limes wedges, for serving
Soak the fish in cold water. Discard and refresh the water every 3 hours. Refrigerate overnight in the water. Drain well.
Boil the fish in fresh water for 10 minutes. Remove and cool. Flake the flesh finely with a fork and discard any bones.
Boil the potatoes until tender, drain and return to the pot on the stove and heat, on low, for a few minutes to remove any remaining liquid.
Mash with olive oil.
Add the fish, egg, flour, parsley and spring onions and mix well.
Season with salt and pepper, watching carefully how much you use because of the salty codfish.
Oil your hands and form balls or croquettes, or make quenelles using two spoons.
Deep fry a few at a time in the hot oil, until they are golden brown. The croquettes can be rolled in flour or breadcrumbs, if preferred.
Drain on paper towels and serve while still hot with lime wedges.
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AND SOME DRINKS TOO
Beer may be associated with soccer, but why not exchange it for a caipirinha, which is considered Brazil’s national cocktail?
The drink is simple to make, using cachaça (sugar cane hard liquor), sugar and lime.
It is said that this drink was used to treat colds and flu. A medicinal version could contain lemon, garlic and honey.
CAIPIRINHA
Serves 1
1 lime
30ml castor sugar
crushed ice
30-50ml cachaça (spirit distilled from sugar cane)
Cut the lime into eighths and place in a glass. Add sugar and, using a thick wooden spoon or a pestle, muddle the limes and sugar to release a lot of the lime juice.
Add the crushed ice and cachaça and serve.
* If you don’t have cachaça, you can use white rum instead.
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OR, FROM SPAIN, SOMETHING WARMER
HOT CHOCOLATE
Serves 2
25ml cornflour
500ml milk
200g dark chocolate
80-100ml sugar
Mix cornflour with a little milk.
Heat remaining milk in a saucepan with chocolate and sugar to taste. Mix until smooth.
Add cornflour and bring to the boil, stirring.
Pour into mugs, and top with marshmallows if desired.
The Star