Week 9 - Brazilian

I was excited when the week 9 challenge came up as Brazilian, because B had never had Brazilian food before! I wasn't sure what to make since one of my favorite Brazilian foods, pao de queijo, has eggs as a pretty central ingredient, but I was sure we could find something we would all love. I looked around for something that wouldn't be too meat-heavy, and came upon a recipe for a Bahia-style moqueca prawn stew on BBC Good Food. We'd been meaning to introduce B to shrimp for some time, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. It sounded delicious and simple to make, so it was an easy choice.

Previous Brazilian challenge meal from 2016

A few days after I made our recipe choice for the challenge, I looked back at what we did for the last Brazilian challenge. I remembered that it had involved fish and a soup or stew of some sort, and that we had not really been fans of how the fish turned out. As I read over the post, it occurred to me that the ingredients and the steps sounded very similar to the moqueca that we were going to make this time. Well, it sounded similar because it was. It was almost the same thing but with fish instead of shrimp (and some other ingredient variations like cumin and the amount of lime juice), but I didn't realize it when picking this one because the recipe last time had just been called Brazilian fish stew and not moqueca. I decided to make it anyway, since this time it would have shrimp, and it would also be a chance to do it better.

The ingredients for our adapted version were:

- 1 package of frozen raw shrimp (about 450g) ($9.99)
- juice of 2 limes, divided ($0.58)
- 6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped ($0.33)
- a few tbsp coconut oil ($0.50)
- 1 onion, chopped ($0.50)
- 4 scallions, chopped, whites and greens separated ($0.65)
- 2 bell peppers, chopped ($2.67)
- a couple tsp paprika ($0.10)
- 1 can diced tomatoes with juice ($0.89)
- 1 can (about 400 ml) coconut milk ($1.50)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper ($0.05)
- rice ($2)

[Note: The original recipe also included a couple tbsp of chopped cilantro, but the grocery store was out of cilantro and we were a little too busy to go hunting for it. It would have been a nice addition to brighten it up even more.]

The total came out to approximately $19.76, more than recent challenge meals, but that's to be expected when almost $10 of that cost is the shrimp by itself. It was enough for the three of us for dinner, plus a little left over for lunch for me and B (chicken nuggets went really well with it).


The steps for our version were:

1. Marinate shrimp: Place in a bowl with about 2 tbsp of lime juice and 1 tbsp of chopped garlic. Chill for about an hour.

2. Heat coconut oil. Add onion and the whites of the scallions, and saute until soft. Add peppers, scallion greens, the rest of the garlic, and the paprika, and cook until the peppers begin to soften. Season with some freshly ground black pepper.


3. Add the can of tomatoes with juice, coconut milk, and a little salt. Bring to boil, and then simmer on low for 10 minutes. [Note: I added another 1/2 cup of water along with the coconut milk because it didn't look like enough liquid for the shrimp. It didn't need it. It was more than enough so it ended up being more like soup than stew, but it was some delicious broth!]

4. Add shrimp with the marinade and the rest of the lime juice, and cook for about 3 minutes (or enough time for shrimp to turn white and opaque).

5. Garnish with chopped cilantro (if you have it, unlike us) and serve over rice.


We really liked this recipe, much more than when we made it last time. Cilantro would have made it even better, but it was vibrant, bright, and full of tropical flavors, especially lime, transporting our minds and tastebuds to someplace warmer in the middle of winter. (We made this back in February.) The prep took a little bit of time, but it was a pretty straightforward recipe and easy to make. All three of us liked it a lot, and it seemed like B's first time having shrimp was a success! Would definitely make this again.

Week 15 - Brazilian

For the Brazilian challenge, I decided to make a fish stew based on this recipe I found on Allrecipes. It sounded relatively quick and easy, and didn't require any ingredients that I would have trouble finding nearby. I couldn't remember trying any fish stews at Brazilian restaurants before so I didn't know how the recipe would compare, but just hoped it would taste good.

The first step was marinating the fish, which I started the night before. The ingredients for the fish portion were:

- juice of 2 limes ($0.58)
- 1 tbsp ground cumin ($0.08)
- 1 tbsp paprika ($0.08)
- 1 tbsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- pinch of salt ($0.02)
- a few grinds of black pepper ($0.03)
- about 1 lb of cod, cut into chunks ($6.43)

The marinade was very simple - just mixing all the ingredients together and then adding the cod. I stirred it up a few times to make sure the fish was all coated, and then tried to submerge as many pieces as possible in the marinating liquid. By the time I pulled it out to make the stew, it had probably marinated for over 15 hours. It's been a few weeks, so I don't remember exactly how long, but probably upwards of that.

The rest of the ingredients for the stew were:

- a couple tbsp of olive oil ($0.30)
- 1 large onion, chopped ($0.60)
- 3 bell peppers, chopped ($2.27)
- 1 can of diced tomatoes, drained ($0.80)
- 1 can of coconut milk ($1.69)
- 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped ($1)

The total for all the components of the stew was approximately $13.93. Not terrible for a fish meal for two. We ate it over brown rice, so that would add another $1 or so to the total, bringing it to $14.93. I had spent most of the day wondering how this stew could possibly be filling enough to feed 6 people like the recipe said, and then decided that I would just put it over rice. When I re-read the initial description of the recipe before making it, I realized that they said they serve this with rice or tortillas. Guess I missed that the first time since it wasn't in the recipe itself (which I did read carefully in advance, learning from the past), but at least I was on the right track on my own.

To make the stew, I heated the olive oil in a large pot and then cooked the onions over medium to medium high heat. Once they were translucent, I added the peppers, diced tomatoes, fish, and coconut milk. (I always forget to shake the coconut milk before opening the can. I need to get better about that.) I let it simmer (covered) for about 15 minutes, stirring every so often.

After the 15 minutes were up, I added the cilantro and let it keep cooking for another 10 minutes until the fish was completely cooked as the recipe suggested. Unfortunately I think that might have been too long for the fish we used, since when I tried it after that, it seemed a little on the tough, rubbery, and dry side, and was certainly not the flaky, soft fish I was expecting to find.

Overall, the stew was fine and made for a good dinner. We liked the flavors, although the coconut milk didn't add as much flavor as we thought it would once it was mixed with everything else. If I remember correctly, A also thought it had a little bit too much lime juice, but that's probably because I added whatever marinade was left into the stew along with the fish. I didn't mind it though. For me, the biggest issue was that the fish wasn't the texture I wanted it to be. Whether that was because it marinated too long in that combination or because I cooked it for too long, I don't know, but I had been hoping it would turn out better than it did. Even if we might not make this exact dish again, I'm glad we tried it.

Pão de Queijo

During our research for the World Cup challenge, we noticed that it was actually a little difficult to find a casual Brazilian spot. Most of them weren't really a place we could stop for a quick snack or a casual lunch, but would have been more of a full meal with entrees over $15. Thankfully we were able to find one - New York Pão de Queijo in Astoria - which seemed like it had been around for quite a few years. We were really excited to visit them as we like pão de queijo a lot. We've mostly had small sized ones, like the Brazi Bites ones, which were cheesy and easy to eat.

We got our cheesy rolls to go since we were running short on time. They gave us the option of a big cheese roll for $2, or 7 small rolls for $3. We decided to get one large roll each. They were about the size of your palm.

This was a solid block of cheese wrapped in dough before being baked. It was, in all sense of the word, a gut bomb. After our mini-crawl throughout the day, I'm not sure how A actually finished his whole one as we went to the train. I could only finish half during our food crawl, and saved the rest for a late night snack.

We had hoped to get more than pão de queijo when we were originally looking at our World Cup options, so we would definitely go back and see what this hamburger and snack joint is all about. It looked like the type of casual "cheap eats" place that we really enjoy, and the pão de queijo was so good.

New York Pão de Queijo is located at 3190 30th Street in Astoria, Queens.

Brazi Bites

While we were out in Portland last year, we had a discovery in the form of Brazi Bites. They're frozen Brazilian cheese bread (pão de queijo) snacks that come in various flavors and are made by a company based out of Portland. A's mom had bought a few bags and they became part of our Thanksgiving dinner. We love cheese breads, including pão de queijo and the similar French gougeres, so it's not surprising that we kept eating these.

We got to try both the original and jalapeño flavors. We think we liked the jalapeño one better, but both were excellent, cheesy, soft and chewy.

It would be great if we could get these at home, but sadly they don't appear to distribute where we are. Back in November, they only went as far east as the Plains, but it seems like they've now expanded to Florida, so maybe they'll be here soon! I guess we could buy them online, but we don't usually buy frozen food online. Hopefully Whole Foods up in the Northeast will carry them soon!

(Real) Feijoada

At Epcot Center M and I had the opportunity to try Feijoada. We weren't fully convinced that we had tried the real thing so when we went to Rice 'N Beans, and it was listed as the specialty, who was I to deny? My first impression, this is not black beans and hot dogs.

Full Feijoada Spread
Rice and Collard Greens
The main accompaniments to the Feijoada were rice and garlic sauteed collard greens. The greens had a crisp texture and were full of garlic flavoring. The rice was necessary since that's what you use to eat the Feijoada.

Farofa
Farofa is a topping consisting of garlic and onion seasoned toasted Yucca flour. The easiest description I can give as the flavor of this topping is that it tastes like bacon infused bread crumbs. It added a smokiness to the dish and also helped to thicken up the beans.

Feijoada
Black beans, meat, and farofa on top of rice
This feijoada looked almost nothing like the dish we had at Epcot's Food and Wine Festival. Black beans stewed with so many different cuts of meat. Bacon, Portuguese sausage, pork ribs, and prime-aged beef chunks cook within the beans to add flavor and also to soften and stew for eating. The bacon was a bit fatty, but it had an amazing flavor to it. The sausage adds saltiness to the dish without actually overpowering everything with salt. The ribs are tender and soft and are easily eaten right off the bone. The prime-aged beef chunks definitely have some sort of spice rub on them, and they're cooked to a perfect pink middle. The beans themselves? Amazing. As mentioned they've been infused with some saltiness from the sausages, and they've also been infused with richness from the meats and the bones in the stew. Eating the beans with parts of the meat and also with the Farofa on top is an unbelievable experience. Rich, thick, hearty, and very delicious.

Outra Caipirinha Por Favor

As the day went on, and the heat continued, we found ourselves looking for our next meal and also a nice cool drink. Brazil ended up filling both of those criteria, and it had a very short line. That was a little odd since there were so many Brazilian tourists, and it made us a little wary that it perhaps was not the best representation of the cuisine.


Brazil's menu:


The first thing we tried was the seared mahi mahi with steamed rice, hearts of palm and coconut lime sauce ($4.50):

The fish was a little overdone, but the hearts of palm salad was tasty. The tomato-based sauce that the salad came in added a nice acidity and a little sweetness as well. We thought the dish was pretty good.

The second snack was feijoada ($2.75):


Feijoada is Brazil's national dish - a stew that usually consists of black beans and pork. We haven't tried this at a Brazilian restaurant yet, so we have no real basis for comparison. This tasted like hot dogs in a thick black bean stew. It wasn't anything that amazing based upon what we ate, but we're hoping to try a real version at some point to compare. M liked this more than A, but she also just likes hot dogs.

We finished off our Brazilian snack with a Leblon frozen caipirinha cocktail ($7.50):


A caipirinha is a cocktail made with cachaca (a sugar cane rum), lime and sugar. M loves caipirinhas. She had one for the first time in law school, made by the Brazilian LLM students in a large pan, and it was excellent. A also loves caipirinhas, but perhaps not as much as M. This caipirinha was so good that we immediately wanted another one but we didn't know what drinks the other kiosks would bring. The drink was very refreshing, but we weren't here just for the alcohol like a lot of other people. We stopped at the one and moved on.

Favorite dishes at the Brazil kiosk:
A: Mahi mahi (although none of the dishes were anything special)
M: Feijoada (since drinks don't count)