RECIPE - Cartola Nordestina

We're wrapping up our trip of recipes from the Brazilian state of Paraíba with a dessert that's not only typical of the state that is the birthplace and home of Flavors of Brazil honoree,  Chico César, but of neighboring states in Brazil's northeast as well.

Back in February of 2011, we published another recipe for Cartola - a recipe one that is popular all over Brazil. What makes this version specifically northeast is the addition of powdered cocoa, which adds an additional flavor to the traditional recipe, and the specification of queijo coalho, a non-salty, feta-like cheese from the northeast.
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RECIPE - Cartola Nordestina
Serves 2

3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp granulated white sugar
4 ripe, but not over-ripe bananas, peeled and halved lengthwise
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp powdered cocoa
1/3 cup, dry white cheese, grated on box grater, largest holes
powdered cinnamon to taste
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Mix together 1 Tbsp granulated sugar and 1 Tbsp powdered cocoa. Reserve.

In a large frying pan, melt the butter. When hot, add the 1 Tbsp sugar, stir, then fry the bananas on both sides until they are softened and beginning to brown. Remove from heat.

Put half of the fried bananas on each of two plates.  Sprinkle half the sugar/cocoa mixture evenly over the surface of the bananas, then cover with the grated cheese and sprinkle again with the remaining half of the sugar/cocoa mixture. Dust lightly with powdered cinnamon to taste.

Serve immediately, while the bananas are still hot. You can put a ball of vanilla ice cream on top of the bananas if you wish.

RECIPE - Barreado

If you are planning to make this traditional dish from Brazil's southern state of Paraná, (read more about barreado here) you're going to need two specific things that might not be already hanging around in your pantry. First, the dish must be cooked in a large clay pot with a lid - the type of pot that's often referred to as a bean pot. Bostonians use them for cooking baked beans, as do Quebecers, so if you're in either of those categories you just might have one in the house. If not, you'll have to beg, borrow or steal one, as the dish really can't be made in any other pot or pan.

Second, you'll need to find manioc flour to make the thick dough that seals the pot. Not being able to source manioc flour doesn't mean that you can't make barreado however, just that it won't be completely authentic. You can make the same sort of dough with wheat flour and water. Manioc flour is also used to thicken the broth in a traditional barreado, but again you can substitute flour, although the result won't taste exactly the same.

One of the nice things about making barreado is that all the cooking can be done long before the dish is served. In fact, the dish tastes better this way. So when you want to do your cooking the day before you serve a meal, barreado is an excellent option.

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RECIPE - Barreado
Serves 4

6 lbs beef shank, cut into long strips in the direction of the grain
salt to taste
1 lb lean smoked slab bacon, cut into julienne strips
5 medium onions, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
3 bay leaves
1 Tbsp dried oregano
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 to 3 cups manioc flour, mixed with a little water to make a thick dough

For the pirão
cooking liquid from the barreado
1 cup manioc flour

sliced ripe banana to garnish
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Season the beef with salt to taste (remember the dish will contain bacon, so season lightly). Reserve.

In a large saucepan, fry the bacon strips until they have rendered their fat and are beginning to brown. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Then add the beef, the bay leaf, the oregano and cumin and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the meat has browned.

Put everything from the saucepan into a large clay bean pot, then add sufficient water to cover. Reserve.

Make a thick dough with the manioc flour and water, and roll it with your hands into a long thick "rope." Cover the bean pot, then firmly press the rope around the rim of the lid to seal the pot entirely. Cook the dish over lowest flame or electrical burner for 6 hours. If steam begins to escape from the pot, use additional manioc flour dough to patch the holes, making sure the pot stays sealed for the entire cooking process. Let the pot cool completely, then break the seal to open the pot. (Be careful when opening as there might still be steam in the pot.)

Remove the beef from the pot, leaving the cooking liquid in the pot. When the beef is cool enough to handle, shred the beef with two forks.

Pour the cooking liquid into a clean saucepan. Heat over medium heat and when the liquid is hot, sprinkle manioc flour, by the small handful, over the surface then mix in. Continue to add manioc flour slowly until the mixture thickens to the consistency of gravy.

Reheat the shredded beef if necessary, then place some in the bottom of 4 deep soup plates. Pour some  pirão over - enough to moisten the beef and provide a bit of gravy, but not enough to drown the meat. Garnish with slices of ripe banana and serve with plain white rice.


Recipe translated and adapted from Cozinha Regional Brasileira by Abril Editora.

On the Road - Jericoacoara (Pt. 4)

Last month, before Flavors of Brazil's excursion to Jericoacoara, we published a few posts about this isolated beach resort. One post in particular seemed to be very popular judging from the number of hits it received. It concerned a local resident of Jeri, who goes by the professional name of Tia Angelita (Aunt Angelita) and who is famous both locally and beyond the city limits for her delightful banana torte.

We were aware of her notoriety when we wrote the article, and when we published the recipe, which came from a regional cuisine website, it did sound very, very good. So when we went to Jericoacoara, it seemed imperative to try out her torte for ourselves.

There are no street numbers in Jericoara, and only the main streets seem to have a name. Directions tend to be in the "go up that way for a while, then when you see the laundromat on your left duck into the alley on the opposite side of the street. Follow that for a ways, then turn left on the first smaller alley you come to...." So when we asked local residents how to find Tia Angelita's bakeshop, we got general directional pointers only, even though everyone seemed to know her. No one gave us a blank stare when we said, "Which way to Aunt Angelita's?" But no one could give us precise directions either.

With a bit of perseverence (a virtue not easy to come by in the hot mid-day sun) and even more luck, we finally came upon a tiny sign in front of a fairly anonymous residential-looking house with a large verandah. Sitting in the verandah were three or four adolescent girls, gossiping about Justin Bieber, no doubt. We asked them if we had the right place and if so, could we have a couple of pieces of banana torte. The answers were yes and yes.

We followed one of the girls inside, where there were a few table, a counter, an ice cream freezer and a coffee maker. AND a tray of banana torte. We bought two pieces for R$3 each (about USD $1.55) and decided to eat them on the way back to our pousada, as it was very hot inside Aunt Angelita's.

The torte looked exactly like the photo we had published in November (it's published again below). It was slightly warm, whether from the oven or the temperature in the bakeshop it's impossible to tell. Bringing it to our mouth, the two unmistakeable aromas of cooked banana and powdered cinnamon hit us straight on. Once we bit in, they were the two principle elements of the flavor profile, but there was also a nice butter flavor in the bananas and in the crust, which had almost a shortbread consistency.

It was unanimously agreed that Angelita's torte lives up to her recommendation. We're not marijuana smokers, but there's no doubt that one slice of this torte would be heavenly relief for someone suffering an almost-terminal case of the munchies. It's great stuff.

RECIPE - Aunt Angelita's Banana Torte (Torta de Banana de Tia Angelita)

In Flavors of Brazil's recent posts about the small Brazilian beach resort of Jericoacoara, we mentioned that the city started out as a hippie colony on one of the remote beaches of northern Ceará state and that there's still a definitely hippie influence in the town today, even with the arrival of luxury accommodations and upmarket restaurants.

Where there are hippies, anywhere in the world, there are "herbal" treats to be found. Jericoacoara is no exception to this rule. And where these herbs are to be found, so are those who have partaken and are suffering from the infamous "munchies." Again, Jeri is no exception.

Way back when in Jericoacoara's early days, an enterprising local woman, whom everybody knows as Aunt Angelita, starting baking cakes and other treats at home and selling them out her front door or on the streets and beaches of Jeri. Everyone went crazy for her food, particularly for her banana torte (torta de banana) which became famous in the village. Today, she still sells her famous treat, but today she has a small cafe/restaurant in one of the local shopping plazas. And people still line up to get some of her heavenly banana torte - sometimes it's the only thing that will cure the munchies.

Her torte is "easy as pie" to make. Here's a recipe from the website Sabores do Nordeste:

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RECIPE - Aunt Angelita's Banana Torte (Torta de Banana de Tia Angelita)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
2 whole eggs
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 Tbsp baking powder
6-7 bananas, sliced the long way into thin slices
powdered cinnamon to taste
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Preheat oven to 350F (180C).

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, eggs, butter and baking powder and using a hand mixer or wooden spoon beat until you have a smooth batter. It will be ready when it begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Reserve, and let stand for 10 minutes before proceeding.

Pour the batter into an ungreased, non-stick 8x10 cake pan.

Carefully cover the surface of the batter with sliced bananas, cutting them when necessary. Sprinkly cinnamon powder over the bananas.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 30 minutes. The torte is done when a toothpick inserted in the center of the batter comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan, on a cake rack, until completely cool. Cut into squares and serve.

INGREDIENTS - Banana Flower (Coração de Banana)

Just yesterday, as I walked out to the parking structure behind my apartment in the urban center of Fortaleza I noticed that one of the banana plants that grace the garden was beginning to bear fruit. Hanging from the central core of the plant was a thick bamboo-like stalk. Along the lower portions of the stalk tiny green fingers reached up for light and air, the nascent bananas themselves. And at the lower tip of the stalk hung an elongated dusky-crimson bulb, formed, like an upside-down artichoke, of overlapping leaves. The flower was still in a bud state even though it was quite large - about 8 to 10 inches long. Since an artichoke is merely the bud of a variety of thistle, the resemblance between the two does make sense.

And just like the artichoke and other flower buds such as capers and tiger-lily buds, the banana flower that I spotted is, or will be soon, edible. The banana flower is an important ingredient in many tropical cuisines such as Thai, Indian and not-surprisingly Brazilian. Here in Brazil almost the entire banana plant is employed usefully in the kitchen - the fruit of course, the flower, and the leaves which are used as serving platters or used to wrap foods for steaming.

Although banana flowers are particularly associated with the food of the interior Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, they are appreciated everywhere in Brazil where bananas can grow, which is just about anywhere. A banana plant (large though they are, they are not trees, they are plants) will grow happily in almost any location and in any soil as long as it has plenty of sunshine and water, lots of heat and absolutely no frost. Most agricultural zones and many urban regions of Brazil fit that bill climatically. Everybody in Brazil eats the fruit of the banana, or at least I've never met a Brazilian who didn't, and a lot of them eat the flower as well. In Brazilian Portuguese, there are a lot of names for this part of the plant, most of them regional variations. Sometimes it's called flor de bananeira (banana-plant flower) or flor de banana (banana flower) just like in English, but it's more commonly known as coração de banana (banana heart). In some places it bears the charming name of umbigo de banana, which literally means "banana belly-button."

To prepare a banana flower for eating, the tougher outer leaves are stripped away, just as they are in an artichoke, and only the tender inner leaves are used. Because the outer leaves exude a sticky sap which can stain and blacken clothes and surfaces, it's a good idea to use rubber gloves when preparing the flower. I can personally attest to the importance of this precaution - the sap is super-sticky and WILL NOT wash away. Your fingers will be sticky for hours. LFMF (in Internetese "Learn from my fail.") The tender inner leaves can be eaten raw, and often are, in Thai salads for example. In Brazil the leaves are  normally chopped then cooked and are not traditionally served raw.

The leaves of the banana flower are not sweet, and have a meaty quality which makes them very useful in vegetarian main dishes. In south-east Asia and India they are used as the focus of a number of curries. In Brazil, they're either mixed with meat or substitute for it, often combined with vegetables and seasonings to complete the dish. In tomorrow's post on Flavors of Brazil, we'll publish a recipe which uses this unusual ingredient. Although it's not commonly available in non-tropical regions, I remember seeing banana flowers available once or two in Vietnamese markets in Vancouver, my hometown. If they can be sourced in definitely-non-tropical Canada, they're likely to be available elsewhere, at least in urban areas where there are immigrant communitites from tropical regions. If you happen to eagle-eye a banana flower in an ethnic market - they're unmistakeable - pick one up and try a Brazilian, or a Thai or a Vietnamese recipe at home. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

The Case of the Pink Bananas

One thing that makes shopping for bananas in a supermarket, or anywhere else, in Brazil is that from day to day one really doesn't know what one is going to find. Having come from North America, where all the bananas are either Chiquita or Dole, and where they're all pretty much the same - issues of relative ripeness aside - it was quite a shock to see how bananas are sold in Brazil.

First, there are a TON of bananas for sale in most supermarkets. Statistically, the banana is the most commonly consumed fruit in Brazil. This is due to its ubiquity and its relative cheapness. Oh, and maybe due to the fact that Brazilians love bananas, too. It's not uncommon to see a whole section of the supermarket devoted to selling bananas, or at minimum several large bins in the produce section.

Second, you never know what kind of banana you'll find at the market. Depending on season and availability you might find only green, green bananas one day, and ripe, almost over-ripe another. Or on Monday all the bananas will be short, stubby, rounded and fat, like baby fingers, and when you return on Wednesday, they'll all be a foot long, three sided and with a wicked curve. Sometimes you'll get your bananas home and find out that the skin is half and inch thick; the next time it'll be as thin as paper. You learn to adapt, needless to say, and accept what's on offer. It's almost always good.

One thing that had never seemed to change, up to this week anyway, was the color of the flesh. It was always that creamy light, light yellow that we're used to seeing. Sometimes more yellow, sometimes almost white, but it was the shade that varied not the hue. But this week I bought a bunch of bananas that although they looked normal on the outside were completely different on the inside from any bananas I'd ever seen. They were a rosy peach color, nearly a pink. A stunningly beautiful color, subtle and soft - it would be a perfect color to paint a little girl's bedroom.

I took some photos of one of the bananas just after I cut it open - here are the results. The photos are illustrative only, as the color really was more vibrant than appears in these shots.

I'm curious if any of Flavor of Brazil's readers have run into bananas of this color before. I have no idea what cultivar or variety they are, as there's no labelling information at all at my local supermarket.

Incidentally, these bananas were not only beautiful, they were delicious. The taste was half-way between a banana and a plantain and less sweet than many Brazilian bananas. The texture was firm, even though they were completely ripe - there was no mushiness at all.

Now my only problem is to figure out how I'll ever find another pink banana. I'll just have to pray for luck, I guess.

RECIPE - Bananas Flambéed with Cachaça (Banana Flambada com Cachaça)

There's nothing particularly Brazilian about flambéed bananas - unless the liquor used for the flambéing is cachaça. Then it becomes very Brazilian indeed (as well as marvelously delicious).

This recipe calls for bananas to be sautéed in a mixture of carmelized sugar and butter, then flambéed with cachaça. If you're not sure how to flambé safely, click here for simple instructions. If you don't have access to cachaça, you can use other types of spirits, such as cognac, brandy or rum, as long as the liquor is 80 proof (40% alcohol by volume). Liquors with a higher proof are dangerously volatile, and those with lower proof may not light.

This dessert can be served plain, or if you wish, accompanied by whipped cream, crème fraîche , or vanilla ice cream.
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RECIPE - Bananas Flambéed with Cachaça
Serves 4

1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 cups granulated white sugar
4 sweet, just-ripe bananas (banana prata), halved lengthwise
1 Tbsp cachaça
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In a heavy, deep frying pan, preferably cast-iron melt the butter, then add the sugar. Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture carmelizes, turning a rich brown. Add the bananas a saute them on both sides until they are cooked through and softened. Add the cachaça and flambé the dish.

Remove from heat, and using a spatula, carefully place two pieces of banana on each of four dessert plates. Spoon a bit of the carmelized sugar mixture over. Serve immediately with any of the suggested accompaniments.

Recipe translated and adapted from Cozinha Regional Brazileira by Abril Editora.

RECIPE - Top Hat Bananas (Cartola)

The banana dessert called cartola is one of Brazil's favorite desserts and can be found on restaurant menus, and served at family dinner tables, all around the country. The word cartola literally means "top hat" (à la Fred Astaire or Eustace Tilley) but I've been unable to find out why that type of headware has bestowed its name on the dessert.

Cartola is a variation on the common technique of sautéing bananas in butter to create a dessert dish. In the USA the same basic technique is the origin of New Orleans' famous Bananas Foster, and there are countless other variations. What makes cartola unique is that the sweetened and fried banana is combined with cheese. It does sound like an ungainly combination I know, but as weird as bananas-and-cheese might sound, the taste is marvelous.

In Brazil there are two schools of thought as to what type of cheese should go into making cartola. One of them is that a cheese that melts, like mozzarella (the pizza-type), should be used. The other school prefers a non-melting cheese that browns and bubbles but doesn't melt. For this to happen, a whey cheese must be used, and in Brazil they most common of these is called queijo coalho. Queijo coalho is like a firm feta in texture, but doesn't have feta's saltiness. Like feta is it usually preserved and sold in brine. Unless you have a source of queijo coalho, it's probably best to make cartola with good quality mozzarella.

This recipe can be made with a sweet variety of banana (here in Brazil the choice is usually banana-nanica) or with very ripe plantains (banana-da-terra). Do not use green plantains, as they are not sufficiently sweet to be used in dessert cooking. If you're using plantains, let them ripen until the outside is totally black before making cartola with them.
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RECIPE - Top Hat Bananas (Cartola)
Serves 4

4 sweet bananas, or 2 large, very ripe plantains
1/4 lb (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 slices firm mozzarella cheese, or queijo coalho
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
2-4 tsp. ground cinnamon
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Preheat the oven to 350F (170C). In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon to taste, using more or less cinnamon as desired.

If using sweet bananas, cut them in half through the middle, and then again lengthwise (you'll have 4 pieces per banana). If using large plantains, cut them into four, and then again lengthwise (you'll have 8 pieces per plantain.

In a large heavy frying pan, heat the butter over medium heat, until the butter is melt and bubbling. Add the banana pieces, and fry them until they are golden and softened, turning them over carefully about half-way through. Remove from heat, then drain the bananas on paper towels. Reserve.

Generously grease a casserole or square cake pan with additional unsalted butter. Add the reserved banana pieces, lining up each set of four pieces parallel and closely together. You will have four "sets" of bananas. Top each set with a slice of cheese of approximately the same size (trim if necessary). Sprinkle the cheese generously with the sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Place the casserole or cake pan in the preheated oven and cook until the cheese is heated through (and melted if using mozzarella).

Using a spatula, remove each portion carefully from the [an, and place on a dessert plate. Serve immediately, accompanied by vanilla ice cream if desired.

FRUITS OF BRAZIL - Banana varieties

Among the countless thousands of comestible fruits in Brazil, pride of place belongs to the banana, even though it only came to Brazil after the arrival of the Portuguese. It is the most commonly eaten fruit in the country, and Brazil's production is second in the world, trailing only India's.

Even though the fruit is not native to Brazil, it flourishes, and can be grown successfully almost everywhere in the country. The bulk of the commercial crop of bananas in Brazil comes from the northeast region, followed by the north.

In North American and Europeans markets and shops, there is normally no choice in the variety of banana offered for sale - the shop either has bananas available or doesn't (Anybody remember "Yes, we have no bananas"?) Because of transport distance and time, consumers are restricted to buying varieties that can be picked green, have sturdy skins that can withstand handling, and ripen slowly. In Brazil, these same considerations don't apply, as the bananas for sale in a supermarket might have come from only 30 or 50 km. away, and could have been picked yesterday.

North American and European bananas are likely to be some hybrid of a banana family called called Cavendish. Originally from Vietnam or China, Cavendish bananas are suited to market conditions in non-tropical countries and have become the most commonly sold bananas in the world market.

In Brazil, the choice of bananas in markets is much larger, and most supermarkets, for example, have at least three or four varieties for sale at all times - much as American or Canadian supermarkets carry four or five types of apples. Each has different characteristics and uses, and the nutritional profile can differ greatly. Recently the Brazilian Department of Agriculture identified the six most common banana varieties in Brazil and published a taste and nutritional comparison of them. Here is a capsule of the Department's research and analysis.

Banana-da-terra (known in English as plaintain) - Description: up to 1 foot (30 cm) in length. Usually exhibits a flattened shape. Has less sugar than most bananas and more starch. Not eaten raw, but cooked when green (starchy taste) or when ripe (sweet taste). Nutritional characteristics: the most highly caloric banana, due to presence of starchy carbohydrates. Up to 60% higher calories than some other varieties of banana.

Banana-maçã (Apple banana) - Description: up to 6 inches (15 cm) in length. Sweet and with flavor reminiscent of apples. Skin is dark yellow and when ripe, the skin can turn completely black. Nutritional characteristics: the banana variety that is richest in manganese, important in the metabolism of proteins and carbohydrates.

Banana-nanica (dwarf banana) - Description: "dwarf" appelation refers to the plant that produces the fruit, not the fruit itself. The fruit is large, very sweet and highly aromatic. Nutritional characteristics: richest in potassium of all banana varieties.

Banana prata (silver banana) - Description: up to 10 inches (25 cm) in length. Not as sweet as most other eating bananas. Can be fried as well as eaten raw. The most commonly eaten variety in Brazil. Nutritional characteristics: Like the banana-maçã, an important source of manganese.

Banana ouro (gold banana) - Description: the smallest of all commercial varieties, up to 4 inches (10 cm) in length. Very sweet in taste. Nutritional characteristics: very high carbohyrate content, highly caloric.

 Banana pacova (pacova banana) - Description: the largest of all varieties, ranging up to 18 inches (50 cm) in length. Grown in the Amazonian north of Brazil and strongly identified with that region's cuisine. Nutritional characteristics: richest in magnesium, which plays a role in reducing blood pressure.

Personally, I've eaten all these varieties with the exception of banana pacova, for which it seems that I'll have to travel to the Amazon to sample. My fruit basket is seldom without one or two different varieties - almost always banana prata, which is the most common in my region and usually the cheapest (normally selling for about USD $0.20 - $0.25 a pound). I also try to have one of the two sweet varieties - both of which make a great dessert eaten as-is, or sliced and topped with good quality yogurt. They are sweet enough that the yogurt can be unsweetened.

RECIPE - Pirarucu a Casaca (Pirarucu in a Tail-coat)

One of the most popular ways to serve pirarucu all throughout the Amazon basin, pirarucu a casaca is a traditional dish at holidays, celebrations and parties. I'm not sure why it's called "pirarucu in a tail-coat" but perhaps it's so-called because it's often served at important functions.

Pirarucu, the giant Amazonian freshwater fish, has been eaten since long before electrical refrigeration reached the Amazon, and in earlier times it was often salted and dried to preserve it from the heat of the tropics, using techniques similar to those employed to make salt-cod (bacalhau). This dish is made of rehydrated salt-pirarucu combined with fried bananas, manioc flour and sauteed shoestring potatoes. In areas where it is impossible to obtain manioc flour, the dish can successfully be made with out it, and salt-cod can be substituted for salt-pirarucu.
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RECIPE - Pirarucu a Casaca (Pirarucu in a Tail-coat)

1 lb (500 gr) dried, salted pirarucu (salt-cod may be substituted)
2 cups (500 ml) canned unsweetened coconut milk
5 ripe bananas, peeled
1 lb (500 gr) boiling potatoes, peeled
1/2 lb (250 gr) fresh or frozen green peas, cooked
4 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup (200 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lb (250 gr) tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
4 oz (50 gr) pitted green olives
4 oz (50 gr) pitted black olives
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 sprigs fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 green onion, chopped
2 cups (500 ml) neutral vegetable oil
1 lb package (500 gr) commercial shoestring potatoes
1/3 lb (200 gr) farinha (manioc flour)
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The day before, cut the salt fish into fish-stick-sized pieces. Cover with cold water, and soak for 24 hours in the refrigerator, changing the water at least four times.

Remove the de-salted fish from the water, let dry, then fry in the olive oil until tender and just starting to flake. Remove from heat, let cool. Remove skin if present. Reserve.

Cut the peeled bananas into thick rounds. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy saucepan, and when hot but not smoking, deep-fry the banana rounds. Remove from oil, drain on paper towel, then reserve.

Cut the peeled potatoes into 1 inch (2 cm) cubes. Cover with cold water in a heavy saucepan, bring to a boil, and when just tender, remove from heat. Immediately plunge into cold water to stop cooking, then drain and reserve.

In a large frying pan, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil, then saute the onion and garlic until transparent, but not covered. Add the potatoes, then the chopped tomatoes, plus half of the parsley and green onion. Cook, stirring constantly until the tomatoes soften and the potatoes are heated through.

Combine the manioc flour, a few tablespoons of olive oil, the coconut milk, the hard-boiled eggs and the remaining parsley and green onion. Heat in a large saucepan until the flour absorbs all the liquid and is heated through.

Cover a large platter with the manioc flour mixture. Place the fish decoratively on top, the add banana slices and the the sauteed potatoes. Cover all with sprinkled shoestring potatoes. Serve immediately.

RECIPE - Shrimp Faustino (Camarão Faustino)

This recipe for shrimps and bananas in a light curry sauce created by José Faustino Paiva, proprietor of Fortaleza's Faustino restaurant (click here for a review of Faustino), highlights local ingredients, in keeping with Fautino's philosophy of sourcing ingredients as close to home as possible. It's a dish that can be made successfully just about anywhere, however, with near-universal availability of good shrimp and of bananas. In this recipe you should use sweet bananas, not plaintains. As the dish contains rice, it can be served simply with a light green salad as a lunch or dinner main course.
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RECIPE - Shrimp Faustino (Camarão Faustino)
Serves 2

1 Tbsp. butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 medium banana, just ripe, cut into 1/2 inch (1 cm.) cubes
1 tsp. good-quality curry powder
1 lb. (400 gr.) medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and pepper to taste
1.5 oz cachaça (tequila can be substituted)
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup bechamel sauce (click here for bechamel recipe)
3 Tbsp. heavy cream
1 cup precooked, long grain white rice
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Heat a heavy-duty frying pan over medium heat. Melt the butter in the pan, then stir in the curry powder, mixing thoroughly to avoid lumps. Then add the garlic, the onion and the banana cubes. Cook until the onions are transparent, but not browned. Finally add the shrimps, plus salt and pepper to taste. Cook for a few minutes, until the shrimp are just done.Flame with the cachaça (put the liquor in a large serving spoon, heat briefly over medium heat, then touch match to the liquid, averting face. Once the cachaça is flaming, pour the mixture over the shrimps in the frying pan). Separately, mix together in a small saucepan the white wine, the bechamel and the cream and heat the mixture, but do not let it boil. On a serving platter, combine the shrimp mixture from the frying pan and half of the sauce, stirring to coat the shrimps and bananas with the sauce. Put the remainder of the sauce plus the cooked rice in the frying pan used to cook the shrimp and heat quickly over medium high heat. Place the rice in a side bowl, or alongside the shrimp on the platter and serve immediately.

Recipe adapted and translated from Cozinha Regional Brazileira by Abril Editora.

INGREDIENTS - Plantain (Banana-da-Terra)

The "vegetable-banana" known in English as a plantain is a common ingredient in Brazilian cooking, and it's called "banana-da-terra" (banana of the earth) in Portuguese. Plantains differ from the more common fruit- or dessert-bananas in that they have more starch and less sugar and must be cooked before being consumed. Unlike fruit-bananas, plantains are usually eaten in a relatively unripe state, and it's for this reason they must be cooked to be eatable.

The plantain (Musa paradisiaca), like all bananas is native to the tropical regions of Southeast Asia and Oceania, and was brought to Brazil by Portuguese explorers and clerics. It, along with its sweeter cousins, has been wholeheartedly adapted to Brazilian soil, and adopted by the Brazilian palate.

See the following post for a delicious recipe for fish with plantain that it especially popular here in Fortaleza. It's a standout.