It is written by the team behind the popular chain of Brazilian restaurants, Cabana, and includes cultural tips from how to dance the samba to mixing that all-important caipirinha.
Four-cheese pastels
Brazil has the largest Japanese community outside Japan, but because the two countries were once at war, many Japanese immigrants tried to pass as Chinese, cooking their native dishes with a Chinese accent. The pastel (originating from the spring roll) is one such dish, and is still enjoyed all over the country.
500g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1½tsp fine sea salt
1tbsp hot chicken stock (or water)
15g lard, melted
1tbsp cachaça
100g grated Gruyère cheese
100g cream cheese
100g feta cheese, crumbled
100g ricotta
½tsp freshly ground black pepper vegetable or groundnut oil, for deep-frying Molho Vinagrete
First, make the dough. Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Make a well in the centre. Stir the stock, lard, cachaça and 125ml warm water in a jug, then pour this into the well. Stir together to form a soft dough. If it’s too dry and won’t form a ball, gradually add more warm water until it comes together. Tip the mixture on to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth. Do not overwork it, or it will become tough. Cover with clingfilm and set aside for at least 15 minutes.
Mix together the four cheeses and black pepper in a small bowl and line a baking sheet with baking parchment. On a lightly floured surface, roll out half the dough very thinly (cover the other half in clingfilm), then cut out 10cm squares. Put 1 teaspoon filling in the centre of each square on one side.
Brush a little water around the edges, then fold over the other half to make a rectangle. Press down on the edges to seal, trying not to create any air pockets. Use the tines of a fork to press down along all four sides to ensure a good seal. Continue making the rest of the pastels and transfer to the baking sheet.
Heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 180°C/350°F. Fry in batches for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown on both sides, turning them halfway. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm while you fry the rest. Serve warm with Molho Vinagrete or Mango Salsa.
Prawn and palm heart pastels
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan, add a finely chopped onion and 3 chopped garlic cloves and cook gently for a few minutes. Skin, deseed and finely chop 2 tomatoes and add to the pan with 1bsp tomato purée. Stir well and cook for a few minutes until the onions are soft. Drain and roughly chop a 400g tin of palm hearts. Roughly chop 100g cooked, peeled prawns. Add to the pan and season well with salt and pepper. Allow to cool before filling the pastels as described in the recipe.
Beef pastels
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a wide pan, add 400g minced beef and cook until browned. Add 1 finely chopped spring onion, 2 chopped garlic cloves and 2 peeled, deseeded and chopped tomatoes. Fry for a few more minutes until the tomatoes have softened. Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper and stir in 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Allow to cool before filling the pastels as described in the recipe.
Molho literally means ‘sauce’ in Portuguese, and molho vinagrete is a typical sauce used at Brasilian barbecues. The tangy flavours work well with most barbecue dishes.
3 ripe plum tomatoes (about 250g)
1 small onion
small handful of flat-leaf parsley
1tbsp white wine vinegar
3tbsp light olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Halve the tomatoes, scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon, chop them and place in a large bowl. Chop the onion to about the same size as the tomatoes and add to the bowl. Finely chop the parsley leaves and add them to the bowl. Whisk the vinegar, oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper to make a dressing. Drizzle it over the tomato mixture and stir well. Spoon into one large or small individual bowls to serve.
Mango Salsa
Mangoes grow in abundance in Brasil’s tropical climate, in a rainbow of varieties. Juicy with mango flesh, tart and piquant with lime juice and chilli, this mango salsa is excellent with seafood, such as the Sweet Potato Crab Cakes, and also pairs nicely with grilled chicken and pork.
1 small ripe mango
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 red or green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
juice and zest of ½ lime
Few sprigs of coriander, leaves chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Peel the mango and cut off the flesh around the seed. Slice the flesh into 1cm dice and place in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir well and season with salt and pepper. Serve soon after preparing, as the coriander will darken once exposed to the lime juice.
Grilled crab shells
In Brazil, you’ll find the classic bar snack of grilled crab (casquinha de siri) served in scallop or crab shells – real or plastic – but you can just as easily use a ramekin. The siri crab is common in Brasil, but any fresh white crab meat can be used for our recipe. It’s best finished with a squeeze of lime to cut through the melted cheese and bring out the flavour of the crab. Serve with a side salad and an ice-cold beer as a summery starter.
300–400g fresh white crab meat (from an 800g–1.2kg cooked brown crab)
2 slices white bread, crusts removed
2 tbsp coconut milk mixed with 1 tbsp hot water
3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
1 shallot, finely chopped
1⁄2 yellow pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
1⁄2 green pepper, deseeded and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 large plum tomato, deseeded and finely chopped
60ml white wine
15g desiccated coconut (or use freshly grated, if available)
1 tsp English mustard
juice of 1 lime, plus extra wedges to serve
small handful of coriander leaves, chopped
60g dried breadcrumbs
25g grated Parmesan cheese
20g cold butter
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pick through the crab meat to remove any bits of shell. Cover and refrigerate. Tear the bread into small pieces and soak in the coconut milk for 15 minutes.
Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the shallot, peppers, garlic, chilli and tomato and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half. Stir in the soaked bread and desiccated coconut and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the crab meat, mustard, lime juice and coriander and season with salt and pepper. If it’s too dry, add a little more coconut milk. Spoon into 4 lightly oiled ramekins or clean scallop shells.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6. Mix the breadcrumbs and Parmesan and sprinkle them over the crab mixture. Cut the butter into very thin slices and place over the breadcrumbs. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden brown. (If the topping isn’t browning enough, put it under the grill for 2-4 minutes). Serve hot with wedges of lime.
Sweet potato fries
These fries are one of the most popular dishes at Cabana. The sweet potatoes turn a wonderful bright orange when fried, and are complemented by the deep red paprika, which adds a subtle spice.
500g (about 2 large) sweet potatoes
vegetable oil, for deep-fat frying
1 tsp smoked paprika
sea salt
Cut the potatoes lengthways into 1cm thick chips. Heat the oil in a medium pan or deep-fat fryer to 130°C/265°F. Fry the potatoes in small batches for 3-4 minutes, until soft and tender but not browned. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Set aside at room temperature.
When you are ready to eat, heat the oil to 180°C/350°F. Carefully add a batch of par-cooked chips to the hot oil and cook for 2-4 minutes, until golden brown and crisp. If not using a deep-fat fryer, you may need to adjust the heat if the chips brown too quickly. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. While hot, sprinkle with a little smoked paprika and sea salt. Keep warm while frying the rest of the chips. Transfer to 1 large or individual warmed bowls and serve immediately.
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