RECIPE - Gratineed Deviled Eggs (Ovos Recheados Gratinados)

Deviled eggs are one of those foods that for many people evoke memories of earlier times in their lives, not always pleasant times - church-basement suppers, pseudo-sophisticated cocktail parties, ant-ridden picnics in the summer heat. Perhaps it's because of memories like those that deviled eggs have gotten a bit of a bum rap, and seem to have disappeared. But a truly well-made deviled egg, served at the right occasion and at the right temperature, is nothing to be scorned. It is marvelously, if unexpectedly, delicious and worthy of being returned to its proud place on the buffet table or hors d'oeuvres tray.

In Brazil, deviled eggs are known as ovos recheados. The term recheado simly means filled. (Which makes us wonder, why does the English language consider deviled eggs to be devilish?) Although they do pop up oat buffets, and are often seen as one of the offering of the pay-by-weight self-service restaurants that are found everywhere in Brazil, they often tend to be underseasoned and bland - just a mixture of mashed egg yolk and mayonnaise for the stuffing with perhaps a bit of chopped green onion to give it at least a breath of life.

This Brazilian recipe, however, is neither underseasoned nor bland, and it puts deviled eggs front and center - as the main dish for a lunch or light supper. Served piping hot straight from the broiler, three or four of these eggs makes a substantial offering without being over-filling. Employing the classic combination of ham and eggs, and sassing it up with best-quality grated Parmesan, this dish is a winner. And - here's a secret - it's embarrassingly easy and quick to make.
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RECIPE - Gratineed Deviled Eggs (Ovos Recheados Gratinados)
Serves 4

8 eggs, free-range if possible
4 oz (100 gr) good-quality, lean, deli-style ham, thinly sliced
4 oz (100 gr) fresh-grated Parmesan cheese
salt to taste
ground white pepper to taste
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Stack the ham slices, then cut them into matchstick-size julienne strips. Reserve.

Hard boil the eggs, according to your own favorite method. (if you don't have a favorite method, see below). Let them cool completely, then peel and cut them in half carefully, along the vertical (longer) axis.

Remove the yolks from the halved eggs, place in a medium mixing bowl. Using a fork, mash them, being careful not to overmash them. You want them to still have some texture. Add the julienned ham, then taste for seasoning and add salt only if necessary. Add white pepper to taste.

Fill the halved eggs with the yolk/ham mixture, mounding the mixture. Do not overpack the eggs.

Preheat your broiler. Put the eggs on a wire rack set in the bottom half of a broiler pan. Sprinkle the eggs with the grated cheese. Broil for about 3-4 minutes, or until the eggs are hot and the cheese topping is melted, bubbling and nicely browned. Serve immediately.

The Cook's Illustrated Test Kitchen's Foolproof Hard boiled eggs

(Note: Eggs are easier to peel when they are not fresh. Let farm-fresh eggs age for at least two weeks before hard boiling. Supermarket eggs have normally aged already and can be used as soon as you wish after purchase.)

Put the eggs in a large pot with cold water to cover by 1 to 2 inches. Put the pot on the stove, turn the heat to high and bring quickly to a boil. As soon as the water comes to a full boil, remove the pot from the stove, cover tightly and let stand for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath in a large mixing bowl, combining cold water at a lot of ice cubes, at least one full tray's worth. When the eggs have stood for 10 minutes, remove from the hot water with a slotted spoon and plunge them into the ice water. Let them stand at least 5 minutes in the ice water.

When fully cool, peel and use as needed in the recipe.

Queijo do Serro - Brazil's First Protected Cheese

Yesterday's post on Flavors of Brazil was concerned with the complicated nomenclature of artisanal cheeses coming from the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, and detailed the recent inclusion of some cheeses from Minas Gerais in the government's IG (indicação geográfica ) program, which grants protected status and naming rights to locally produced food products. In 2011, the governmental body responsible for administering the IG program granted IG status to Queijo do Serro cheese from the Serro region of Minas Gerais. Queijo do Serro is the first cheese in Brazil, and the 14th food product overall, to receive this status and to have its name protected and prodution restrited to a specific region.

Currently there are 80 small chese producers scattered among 11 municipalities whose cheeses meet the geographical and technical standards required by the IG program. Only the cheeses made by these 80 producers are now entitled to call their cheese Queijo do Serro. (Queijo is the Portuguese word for cheese).

According to the leader of the Seroo region cheese producers' association, the granting of IG status is important for his group because it means that the name is protected nationally and that cheese manufacturers from other states will not be entitled to use the name Queijo do Serro for their products. If a cheese bears that name, it will mean that it was produced in the Serro region and nowhere else.

This is all very good news for cheese producers, but it does mean that for many Brazilians they will not have access to Queijo do Serro at all. Interstate shipping of raw-milk cheeses is currently prohibited in Brazil (a situation we've covered before), and so at the momento Queijo do Serro, the true one, can only be sold in Minas Gerais. Now that these dairy farmers have successfully convinced the government to protect their right to be the sole producers of Queijo do Serro, perhaps now they can persuade the government to let them sell it in other parts of the country!

A Cheese Map of Minas Gerais

Charles de Gaulle once quipped when asked how he enjoyed governing France, "Comment voulez-vous gouverner un pays où il existe 246 variétés de fromage?" ("How would you like to govern a country which has 246 types of cheese?") Well, if there are 246 types of French cheese, there are probably an equal number of different types of cheese come from the interior Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Which stands to good reason because that state is just about the same size, only slightly larger, than France.

Just as the sheer number of French cheeses can overwhelm all but the professional turophile (look it up here), the nomenclature of cheeses from Minas Gerais is equally confusing. Some of the best artisanal cheeses are produced only in small quantities and remain virtually unknown outside their area of production. And to complicate matters, many of the cheeses have similar sounding names, or identical names.

In an effort to relieve some of this confusion and to create a systematic naming and cataloguing of the many mineiro (from Minas Gerais) cheeses, the central market of Belo Horizonte, the capital of Minas Gerais, has produced a cheese map of the state, indicating the four principal areas of cheese production in Minas Gerais and detailing within those four areas the names of the municipalities that make cheese. The four main areas of production are called Cerrado, Araxá, Canastra and Serro. Each of these areas gives its name to cheeses produced locally, but each is also split into small units which can further define a cheese's origins. The map is below. (Note that the map is high resolution - if you wish to read the detail, simply click on the map).

In order to systematize the geographical names for these cheeses, the Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial of Brazil has begun to grant indicação geográfica status (geographical indication) to mineiro cheeses, starting with artisanal cheese from the Serro region. This IG status, as its known, is similar to European schemes to preserve and protect the geographical integrity of a number of food products, such as cheese, processed meats and wines. France has had a system called AOC in place to safeguard wines for many years, and Italy grants DOC status to many food products. Brazil's IG status is intended to serve the same purpose. Combining protected name status with promotional activities and products like the cheese map will, it is hoped, preserve and protect those artisanal cheeses which are an important part of the gastronomic heritage of Minas Gerais.

RECIPE - Grilled Zucchini Rolls with Buffalo Mozzarella (Rolinho de Abobrinha com mussarela de búfala)

These delicious rolls made from strips of grilled zucchini stuffed with fresh buffalo mozzarella and tomatoes can be served as canapes, as a salad or as an elegant first course. The recipe calls of mozzarella made from the buffalo milk, and in Brazil, this recipe is often made with cheese that comes from the island of Marajó, at the mouth of the Amazon. (Click here to read more about Marajó.) It can be made quite succesfully with any sort of fresh mozzarella (the kind sold floating in whey - often called bocconcini). Do not use aged mozzarella - the stuff you put on pizza. It's something entirely different and will not suit this recipe.
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RECIPE - Grilled Zucchini Rolls with Buffalo Mozzarella (Rolinho de Abobrinha com mussarela de búfala)
Makes 12 rolls

3 medium zucchinis
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium tomatoes, quartered and seeded
6 oz (200 gr) fresh buffalo mozzarella, cut into twelve equal-sized pieces
2 tsp fresh oregano leaves, finely minced
salt and pepper to taste
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Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Cut each zucchini lengthwise into six long strips - discard the two outside strips and reserve the four middle strips of each zucchini.

Heat a propane or charcoal grill to medium. Brush the zucchini strips with olive oil, then grill them for about 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the grill and reserve for 5 minutes to cool slightly.

Place each zucchini strip on a plate and put one tomato quarter and one mozzarella piece on top near one end. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle a bit of oregano on top and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Beginning at the end with the stuffing, roll up the zucchini strip and secure with a toothpick.

Put the zucchini rolls in a casserole or other baking dish lightly greased with olive oil. Bake for about 8 minutes until nice and hot. Serve immediately.

FILM - The Mineiro and His Cheese (O mineiro e o queijo)

 From O mineiro e o queijo

A new documentary film by Brazilian filmmaker Helvécio Ratton opened yesterday (Sep. 30) in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, and in São Paulo. The film, entitled O mineiro e o queijo,  takes as his subject the plight of artisanal cheesemakers in the state of Minas Gerais (mineiro means someone from Minas Gerais). A centuries-old tradition of cheesemaking is in danger of extinction not because there's no market for these cheeses (there is), but because producers are forbidden by law to sell their cheese to the majority of their potential customers. Due to draconian and outdated laws dating from the 1950s forbidding the interstate shipment of raw milk cheeses in Brazil, cheesemakers cannot legally ship or sell their cheeses in the largest markets in the country.

Ratton is a mineiro himself, from a region of traditional cheesemaking in Minas Gerais, and for him these raw milk cheeses are not only economically important to an impoverished region, but are also an integral part of Minas Gerais' cultural identity. In an interview with the São Paulo newspaper Folha de S. Paulo during the week of the film's premiere, Ratton recalls childhood visits with his mother to dairy farms near his home. During these visits, sampling and buying cheeses with him mother, he learned to love cheese and to appreciate its infinite varieties. While filming his documentary, he revisited many farms in the same region and in other cheesemaking regions. He interviewed cheesemakers and dairy farmers, and the interviews make up the bulk of his film.

Ratton says that these cheesemakers consider themselves guardians of a way of making cheese that dates back hundreds of years and that many of them are afraid they will be be the last generation to know how to produce cheese the way it's always been done. One of the cheesemakers told him, "For me making cheese is an honor." In their desperation to access forbidden markets outside the state of Minas Gerais, some cheesemakers have gone underground and clandestinely carry their cheese to markets in other states.

When he was asked why he made the film Ratton replied that he wanted his film to inform and to incentivize the public. First, to inform the public what the situation is for these traditional cheesemakers and for their product, and second to ask the public to think whether the current situation is justified, and if it isn't to ask them what they might do to rectify it.

The situation of these cheesemakers in Minas Gerais is not unique to Brazil - the same restrictions on interstate and interprovincial shipment of raw milk cheeses exist in the USA and Canada, and there are restrictions and limitations in the EU as well. There is a legitimate health concern with the use of unpasteurized milk in any product, and therefore there is a legitimate government interest in protecting public health. But when laws are enacted that in truth merely protect the large agri-business dairy companies and their markets, what is lost is a decent livelihood for farmers and cheese producers as well as traditional, safe and delicious cheeses for consumers. This film highlights the problems in a fair and unpolemical way.

RECIPE - Chicken, Palmito and Catupiry Pie (Torta de Frango, Palmito e Catupiry)

In this one-hundredth year of the Brazilian cream cheese, Catupiry, Flavors of Brazil thought it a good idea to celebrate with one of the most well-known traditional recipes employing the creamy-smooth cheese. Brazilians adore a mixture of cooked, shredded chicken meat and Catupiry, flavored with any number of additional items - they use the mixture to fill sandwiches, to spread on toast points, and most particularly to fill a pie crust. Variously known as torta, empada or empadão, a double-crusted pie filled with chicken and cream cheese is a favorite choice for a party, a buffet table, a picnic, for almost anything.

In Brazil, it's easy to buy pre-cooked and pre-shredded chicken meat (frango desfiado) at almost any supermarket, but outside Brazil, you're likely to have to shred your own cooked chicken, whether it's leftovers or chicken cooked expressly for this recipe. Unless you have a source of Catupiry, you'll also have to substitute another brand of cream cheese, Try to find the kind that comes in a jar or tub, not Philadelphia-style, which has too many stabilizers to be used in this recipe.
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RECIPE - Chicken, Palmito and Catupiry Pie (Torta de Frango, Palmito e Catupiry)

For the crust:
2 cups all-purpose white flour
2 Tbsp. corn starch
1 1/3 sticks (5 oz, 150 gr) unsalted butter, ice-cold and cut into small cubes
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 small egg
4 Tbsp. cold whole milk


For the filling:
1 lb (400 gr) cooked, shredded chicken meat, at room temperature
1 small can (14 oz) tomatos, with their juice
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
salt and pepper to taste
finely chopped green onion and parsley to taste
1/2 cup (125 ml) canned hearts of palm (palmito), diced
10 green olives, pitted and finely chopped
1/3 cup frozen peas, rinsed and separated
1 cup (250 gr) Catupiry or other cream cheese
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Prepare the crust:
Sift together all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Add the cubes of butter and cut them in, using a pastry cutter, until they are the size of small peas. Add the egg, and then the cold milk (tablespoon by tablespoon), mixing with a wooden spoon, until the mixture barely holds together and you are able to form a ball. Do not overmix. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.


Prepare the filling:
Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the diced onion and cook until the onion is transparent but not browned. Add the minced garlic and cook for one more minute only. Add the canned tomatos (reserving the juice in the can) and continue to cook over medium heat, breaking up the tomatoes as you stir. Then add the shredded chicken, the hearts of palm, the peas, the green onion and parsley and the chopped olives. Stir briefly. Add the reserved juice from the tomatoes, bit by bit, until the mixture is thoroughly moist, but not overly-liquid.

Prepare the pie:
Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Remove the chilled pie dough from the refrigerator, and roll out slightly more than half of the ball into a circle about 11 inches in diameter. Place into a 9 inch circular pie pan, or cake pan with removable bottom, covering the bottom and sides of the pan. Using a fork, poke holes into the dough, fill the pan with pie weights or dried beans, and put into the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, remove the weights, then fill the pie with the reserved filling. Spread the cream cheese evenly over the filling. Roll out the remaining dough into a circle about 10 inches in diameter, and cover the lower crust and filling. Trim the crusts, and seal them together. Cut several holes in the top crust. Return to the oven and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the top crust is nicely browned.

Remove from oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes. Can be served hot or at room temperature.

Happy Birthday, Catupiry!

The year 2011 marks a significant milestone in the extremely successful career of a Brazilian brand of cream cheese (requeijão) called Catupiry. It was 100 years ago, in 1911, that Mário and Isaíra Silvestrini, an Italian immigrant couple living in the state of Minas Gerais created Catupiry and launched it into the Brazilian marketplace, where it has flourished ever since.

As detailed in a post from last year here on Flavors of Brazil many Brazilians aren't even aware that Catupiry is a brand name - they assume that it's the name of a type of cheese - like mozzarella or ricotta. The word can be found on thousands of restaurant menus and in the recipes of untold numbers of cookbooks without capitalization or note that the word is trademarked.

Catupiry is used to stuff pastéis (the plural of pastel), esfirras, spread on pizzas, put into sandwiches, melted into cream sauces for shrimp, chicken and fish. It's even simply spread on a freshly-opened baguette and enjoyed unadorned.

Currently headquartered in São Paulo, Catupiry produces an enormous quantity to fulfill Brazilian's taste for this low-acid cream cheese. Really enormous. According to the company's website, each day they receive 200,000 liters of whole milk from up to 1500 individual dairies, and each day they turn that milk into 50 tons of cheese. That's a mountain of cream cheese - in their hundredth year, the folks at Catupiry are set to produce over 18,000 tons of cheese.

Catupiry cheese is pleasant, there's no question. And it's bland - something no one can object to. But the Brazilian adoration of Catupiry is a bit of a mystery to us at Flavors of Brazil - maybe you have to have been weaned on the stuff to love it the way most Brazilians do. Whatever the reason, Catupiry is likely to be celebrating a very successful 200th birthday in 2111. In the meantime, Happy 100th Birthday, Catupiry!

RECIPE - Rennet Cheese (Queijo Coalho)

Although huge amounts of Brazil's favorite cheese, queijo coalho, are produced industrially in large production facilities throughout the country, many people continue to make their own cheese at home, just as their ancestors have done for three or four centuries. Especially in its fresh form, which can be eaten within a few days of production, queijo coalho is relatively simple to make and doesn't require cheesemaker skills or industrial-level techniques or quantities. And the resulting cheese is uncomplicatedly delicious, with flavors that echo back through the culinary history of Brazil - it's instant nostalgia for most Brazilians, and instant passion for those foreigners who are lucky enough to taste homemade queijo coalho when in Brazil.

The recipe which follows is traditional and comes from a website called Nordeste Rural (Rural Northeast). On the site it's entitled Queijo Coalho Nordestino (Northeastern-style Queijo Coalho) but the recipe really doesn't vary much from region to region in Brazil.

Making cheese is something that very few of us imagine undertaking at home, but for adventurous cooks queijo coalho is a perfect home introduction to the art of cheese making. And once you have the recipe under your belt, you'll be able to begin to elaborate it, adding flavors such as herbs, aging it in the refrigerator, or even cellar-aging it if you have the proper conditions.

Note: This recipe calls for liquid animal rennet, which is NOT the same thing as junket rennet sometimes sold in the pudding/Jello section of supermarkets. It is available from cheese maker supply houses, and can be purchased online if it's not available in your area. A good online source in the USA is New England  Cheesemaking Supply Co. and a link to liquid animal rennet on their site is here.
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RECIPE - Rennet Cheese (Queijo Coalho)
10 quarts (10 liters) whole cow's milk, pasteurized
1 Tbsp. liquid animal rennet (see note above)
1/4 lb (100 gr) non-iodized or Kosher salt

In a large stockpot, bring the milk slowly to a boil, stirring regularly to prevent burning. Once fully boiling, remove immediately from the heat and let cool completely.

Add the liquid animal rennet to the cooled milk and mix completely. Let stand for 90 minutes to 2 hours, or until the milk has entirely coagulated. Using your hands, scoop out the curds of milk and put them in a large cheesecloth-lined sieve placed over a large bowl. Using your hands, mix and move the curds around in the sieve, pressing down lightly to extract additional whey. Continue the mixing process for 10 to 15 minutes, increasing pressure slightly toward the end of the process in order to drain off more whey. Let the curds rest in the sieve for half an hour for the last of the whey to drain off.

Lift the cheesecloth from the sieve, and squeeze it into a ball to complete the draining process. Place the curds on a large cookie sheet, or on a clean granite or marble counter-top. Meanwhile, bring 1 quart of the reserved whey to a boil, then let it cool slightly so that it's only warm. Sprinkle it over the curds, then using your hands mix it in until the mixture is smooth and homogenous. Sprinkle the salt over the mass of curds, and mix in thoroughly with your hands.

If you have cheese forms (available at cheese supply houses) you can proceed to pack the curds into the forms, pressing down to extract all liquid. If you don't have cheese forms, simply gather the curds into a new or totally clean tea towel, twist the towel into a ball shape and squeeze it dry. Then secure the towel tight around the ball of cheese and set it in a large sieve over a plate.

Place the pressed cheese in the refrigerator. After 24 hours, you will have very fresh, light cheese similar in texture to fresh mozzarella. You can leave the cheese to mature for up to 3 or 4 days, and it will become firmer each day. The flavor will continue to develop as well. Within 3 or 4 days, the cheese will be ready for slicing. Eat within one week.

Brazil's Basic Cheese - Queijo Coalho

Queijo coalho (Rennet Cheese) is to Brazil what Cheddar cheese is to England, or feta to Greece, or gouda to The Netherlands - it's the cheese that pops into mind when thinking about that particular country's cheeses. This cheese is made artisanally and industrially all around Brazil, and is eaten from one end of the country to the other. It has a number of variations ranging from soft and creamy fresh queijo coalho right up to sharply acidic and pungent aged varieties.

Even though queijo coalho is eaten everywhere in Brazil, it is associated in most people's minds with the northeastern region of the country, and it's there where the most traditional and artisanal methods of production still flourish. In cheese shops in metropolitan areas, in small mom-and-pop grocery stores in villages, and in roadside stands along country roads of the northeast, you'll find farm-fresh homemade queijo coalho for sale.

Queijo coalho is an essential ingredient in many traditional dishes, like the rice-and-bean combination Baião de Dois or the Brazilian version of shepherd's pie, arrumadinho. Because queijo coalho does not melt when exposed to heat, as most cheeses do, it can be grilled or fried. Grilled queijo coalho is a favorite snack for Brazilian beachgoers, who buy pieces of hot grill cheese on a stick from numerous ambulant vendors who pass by offering their wares. In restaurants, grilled queijo coalho is often served as a first course, accompanied by honey or molasses. The hot salty flavors of the cheese combine beautifully with the thick sweetness of the honey or molasses.

In the next post on Flavors of Brazil, we'll give you instructions on how to make your own queijo coalho at home. It's very simple, and doesn't really require any special skills or equipment. Once you've made it, you'll have the opportunity to see how changes in density, aging time, storage temperature and other factors can result in startling different taste experiences from one simple cheese.

RECIPE - Cheesecake Romeu e Julieta

Brazil's dessert combination of guava paste (goiabada) and fresh white cheese called Romeu e Julieta (click here for more on Romeu e Julieta) has inspired Brazilian pastry chefs and home cooks to create numerous variations on the theme. Some are close to the original and others are flights of fancy that retain little of the original humble dessert but the Shakespearean name.

One of the most common and best elaborations of Romeu e Julieta is a Brazilian homage to New York-style cheesecake (which is translated, surprisingly, into Portuguese as cheesecake). That's not all that surprising as New York cheesecake also combines fresh cheese, in this case cream cheese, with a fruit topping.

This recipe, from the Brazilian culinary website Cybercook, can easily be made outside Brazil. Most Latin American markets carry the guava paste (goiabada) needed for the fruit topping, and any number of white, fresh cheeses can be used - cheeses like ricotta salata or Mexican queso fresco or blanco.
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RECIPE - Cheesecake Romeu e Julieta
Serves 10

Crust
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. granulated white sugar
2/3 cup (150 gr) unsalted butter
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp. freshly grated lime peel

Filling
1 lb (500 gr) queijo minas or other fresh white cheese (see above), chopped or cubed
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3 whole eggs
1 tsp. vanilla essence
1/2 tsp. freshly grated lime peel


Topping
10 oz (300 gr) gioabada paste, chopped or cubed
1/3 cup (80 ml) water
2 Tbsp. rum, dark or amber preferred
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Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).

Prepare the crust. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients with a fork, then with your fingers. Do not over-combine. Using a cheesecake form with removable sides, lightly and quickly spread the dough over the bottom of the form, covering it completely, and slightly up the sides.

Prepare the filling. Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend or process until light, smooth and consistent. Pour the filling into the cheesecake form, then place in the preheated oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the filling comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely in the form.

Prepare the topping. In a saucepan combine the goiabada and water over low heat and, stirring constantly, melt the goiabada. When melted, remove from the heat and stir in the rum. Let cool slightly then pour the topping over the baked cheesecake in the form. Let cool completely to room temperature, then place the cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight.

Remove the sides of the form, then cut the cheesecake into 10 or 12 serving pieces and serve immediately.

Romeu e Julieta - Brazil's Traditional Quick Dessert

Despite some fairly intense research on the internet and in various reference books in the house, I have no idea why the Brazilian dessert Romeu e Julieta is named after Shakespeare's famously doomed lovers. But Romeu e Julieta is what this simple dish of cheese and a sweet fruit paste is universally called in Brazil.

Romeu e Julieta in its most basic form is one of the most traditional desserts and the simplest to prepare in the Brazilian culinary repertoire. It consists of a fairly thick slice of fresh white cheese (in Brazil, mostly often queijo minas from the state of Minas Gerais) and an equally thick slice of a fruit paste made from guava (goiaba) called goiabada. Gioabada is merely pulped fresh guava, water and sugar cooked down to a consistency halfway between a fruit butter, like apple butter, and fruit leather. It has a uniform but slightly gritty texture, due to the texture of the guava fruit itself and is quite sweet.

The dish plays off the sweetness of the fruit combined with the saltiness of the cheese. Most Brazilians will cut a small piece of cheese and a small piece of goiabada then combine them on the fork in a single bite.

Goiabada dates back to the early days of Portuguese colonization of Brazil as a way to preserve fresh fruit, and under refrigeration it has a very long shelf life. Cheese, of course, also keeps well. That's why when Brazilian cooks don't have the time or inclination to prepare a fancy or elaborate dessert they often fall back on Romeu e Julieta - the ingredients are likely to be in the fridge already, and all it takes to prepare the dessert is to slice the cheese and the goiabada then plate them. Its ease of preparation isn't Romeu e Julieta's only virtue though - it's delicious and satisfies that craving for something sweet to finish a meal without being heavy or too rich.

Goiabada can be found in Latin American markets in North America, and its name in Spanish is the same as it is in Portuguese. I've most often seen it under the Goya brand. Other fresh cheeses from Latin America or even Italian ricotta salata can be substituted for Brazilian queijo minas. If you come across goiabada when haunting ethnic markets, pick some up and pop it in the refrigerator. It may be a lifesaver sometime when you find yourself needing a quick dessert.

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.

Prazeres da Mesa ao Vivo - Octopus and Goat Cheese

At last week's trade/show in Fortaleza, Prazeres da Mesa ao Vivo, there were some very interesting presentations on efforts being made in the region to develop new markets for local products. One of the problems that food producers must overcome when introducing new products into the market is overcoming the traditional local reluctance to eat anything new or untried. It seems that in northeastern Brazil, and perhaps in other parts of the country, the population's palate is extremely conservative, and if a food or a dish is not something that has been eaten for generations, people just won't put it on the table. Because of this cultural phenomenon, abundant locally-available but nontraditional food sources - vegetables, fruits, fish, seafood, meats - are not commercially viable , while traditional food sources are over-stretched.

One presentation was made by first-year students in the Gastronomy program at the Universidade Federal do Ceará. They are studying ways to introduce octopus into the local diet, as octopus is a non-endangered, widely available food source in the seas off the coast of Ceará, but has never been part of the diet of the local population. Octopus are often caught accidentally by local fishermen, but are thrown back in the water as there is no market for them. The students, in their research, discovered that apart from the traditional reluctance to try new products, the local residents are extremely resistant to the texture of octopus, perceiving it to be rubbery or too chewy. They are currently testing a number of different cooking technique, cooking temperatures and cooking times, to reduce the elasticity of octopus, and feel that if they succeed, it will significantly improve the commercial prospects of an octopus fishery. As students of gastronomy, they are also creating menu items which combine octopus with other local, traditional and familiar ingredients and cooking techniques to minimize the "strangeness" of octopus and to emphasize it's adaptability to local food ways.

The research staff of the federal Agriculture Department (Embrapa) research laboratory in Sobral, a small town in the interior of Ceará, presented the results of one of their research projects in another presentation. There researchers are trying to develop markets for goat cheese through the development of new cheese types. Although goat meat is a traditional food item in the interior of Brazil, dairy products from the same animal have never been accepted by local inhabitants. As goat milk could be widely available, and since goat milk has been proven one of the healthiest dairy products, the Agriculture Department wants to develop the market. Much of the work on this project has been in the development of new goat cheeses, based on well-known local cow milk cheeses. A good example is cream cheese made from goat milk. Cream cheese is already part of the local diet, which means that there is likely to be less resistance to goat milk cream cheese, as it's in a form that is familiar. At the laboratory this project, however, is also working to develop more contemporary and unusual goat cheeses, ones that might not sell at all in local markets, but which might be successful in the sophisticated markets of cities like Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo or Fortaleza. For example, they developed a creamy goat cheese that is impregnated with oil of the pequi fruit. Pequi has a strong and unusual taste, one that is extremely complex, and which is often compared to truffles. At the presentation, samples of this cheese were served, and I found it to be intriguing and unlikely anything I've ever tasted. There are few things are are totally new in the world of flavors and tastes, but this was one of them. An eye-opening marvel, it was.

Brazil is on the cusp of a gastronomic revolution, and is just awaking to the potentially revolutionary ideas and creations of a combination of local ingredients and avant-garde techniques. Inventive chefs throughout Brazil are looking for new ingredients which are locally available, but which may not be traditionally part of the flavor-spectrum of Brazilian cuisine. The octopus project and the goat cheese development project are just part of this new world of Brazilian cuisine, but projects such as these will be essential in the creation of a Brazilian gastronomy for the 21st century.

RECIPE - Shrimp with Catupiry (Camarão ao Catupiry)

This shrimp dish, which comes from the state of Espírito Santo, makes a rich and satisfying main course, served with white rice and a green salad. Because of the amount of Catupiry cheese in the dish, adding anything more to the meal would be overkill.

Although Catupiry cheese is exported from Brazil to the USA, its distribution there is primarily limited to markets in Brazilian neighborhoods and communities. If you live near one of these, it's worth searching out Catupiry for this dish - if not, you can substitute 8 oz. Philadelphia cream cheese and 8 oz. Brie.
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RECIPE - Shrimp with Catupiry (Camarão ao Catupiry)
Serves 2

1 lb. medium or large shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 tsp. salt
Juice of one lime
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup peeled, seeded and diced fresh tomato (or drained canned tomato)
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
2 tsp. annatto oil or annatto paste (can substitute sweet paprika)
2 cups Catupiry cheese (see above for substitutions)
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Season the shrimp with the salt, lime juice, olive oil and garlic. Reserve.

In a large, heavy saucepan, place the shrimp with all the juice from the marinade. Add the chopped tomato, onion and cilantro, plus the annatto or paprika. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, adding up to 1/2 cup boiling water if necessary to avoid drying out. Bring to boil, add the cheese, turn off heat, and stir until the cheese melts into the cooked marinaded shrimp. Serve immediately.

Recipe translated and adapted from Cozinha Regional Brasileira by Abril Editora

INGREDIENTS - Catupiry Cheese

One of the perils of creating a product that is tremendously successful is that the trademarked name of the product becomes a generic name for anything that resembles or imitates the product, and the trademark is lost. That is exactly what happened to Cellophane (which became cellophane), Thermos (which became thermos) and what is currently happening to Google and FedEx.

I've just discovered that this same process happens in Brazil, and that a type of cheese that I often see in recipes and on restaurant menus is not, in fact, a type of cheese at all, but rather a trademarked product name the use of which is legally restricted in theory to the owner of the trademark. The cheese is called Catupiry® , a rich and smooth cream cheese with a flavor that recalls Brie or Camembert. Brazilian cookbooks and online recipe sites are full of recipes for dishes such as "frango ao catupiry" or "carne de sol ao catupiry", none of which capitalize the word catupiry nor acknowledge that catupiry is a brand of cheese, not a type of cheese.

Catupiry, the trademarked brand that is, was developed in 1911 by  Mário e Isaíra Silvestrini, an Italian immigrant couple, in Lambari, Minas Gerais. They chose the name Catupiry because it means "excellent" in the Tupi-Guarani language of certain Brazilian Indian tribes. In 1934 production was moved to the city of São Paulo. Up to the present the exact recipe for Catupiry has remained a secret, though it is clear that Catupiry cheese is a processed cheese, like all cream cheeses.

Catupiry was traditionally packaged in round, wooden boxes, very similar to the boxes in which one buys Brie or Camembert cheese, but in the 1990s the wooden box was replaced by plastic, and today Catupiry is available not only in these plastic boxes, but in everything from squeeze tubes to gallon buckets.

Although a commercial product, Catupiry has been taken to heart by the Brazilian public, and a dish or recipe that contains Catupiry has a certain cachet that other cream cheeses can't duplicate. São Paulo, which considers its pizzas better than anywhere else in the world, considers "pizza ao catupiry" one of the summits of the pizza-making art.