Feijoada Completa

I went into a local Portuguese grocery to find carne seca, a spicy Brazilian dried beef product. There was a Brazilian woman talking to the cashier. I asked the cashier if she had it. She looked at me quizzically. The Brazilian woman, however, began to wax poetic.

"Ah, carne seca! Feijoada! com presunto. e cebola. e farofa. e caipirinha...ah, boy."

"I think you need to go to a Brazilian store," said the cashier.

This recipe is the result of a good deal of research, and draws principally on the feijoada completa recipe on this page and this recipe. The salt pork provides all the salt you need.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb black beans, soaked overnight and drained
  
• 1 lb. ham, cut into 3/4" pieces
• 1 lb. linguica (see below)
  
• 1/2 lb flanken or other stew beef (see below)
  
• 2 spanish onions, diced
  
• 4 cloves of garlic, crushed
  
• 4 oz. salt pork, finely minced (divided use)
  
• 2 oz. carne seca or plain beef jerky, soaked overnight
  
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
  
• Zest of one orange

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prick the linguica several times with a fork. Simmer in water for about 10 minutes, then cut into 3/4" pieces.
2. Drain and mince the soaked carne seca.
3. Tenderize the stew beef by pounding it with a tenderizer or kitchen mallet, then cut into 3/4" pieces.
4. Heat 3 oz of salt pork in a heavy stew pot over medium heat until it begins to cast off grease. Turn heat to high and add the flanken. Sear on all sides for about 30 seconds per side.
   
5. Add the beans, bay leaves, zest and all of the meat to the pot. Add enough water to cover by one to two inches. (You can add or remove some later.)
   
6. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 90 minutes. Add more water if needed.
7. In a nonstick frying pan, heat the remaining salt pork on medium heat until it begins to cast off grease. Sauté the onions and garlic with the sugar until they begin to turn golden.
8. To the onion mixture, add 2 cups of beans from the stew. Mash well and allow to cook together for 3-5 minutes.
9. Stir this mixture back into the stew; cook for another 30 minutes.

Serve with farofa and fresh orange slices. Pair with a tart cocktail such as caipirinha.

Collard Greens with Garlic

Collard greens are a bit like kale; they have an astringent taste that offsets fatty or fried foods quite elegantly. You often find them overcooked and slightly sweet; if this is your idea of collards, you've been missing out.

Here, I pan-fry them very quickly with salt to draw out some of the vegetal flavor while retaining a good deal of crunch.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 bunches collard greens
• 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp. olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Lay several leaves of collards on top of each other in alternating directions. Roll tightly; cut the roll into narrow ribbons using a chef's knife.
2. In a glass bowl or other non-reactive container, combine the greens and the salt.
3. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over a medium flame until very hot but not smoking. Add the garlic; it will crisp instantly.
4. Immediately add the greens, covering for 30 seconds. They will wilt substantially.
5. Uncover and continue to cook, turning constantly, for another 1-2 minutes or until softened but still crunchy.
   

Serve immediately.

Coconut rice

This is easy and nice; it goes well with many warm-weather foods.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups jasmine rice
• 3 cups water
• 2 oz. shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 2 bay leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. Rinse and prepare the rice according to the directions on the package, adding bay leaves before cooking.
2. Meanwhile, put the coconut in a skillet. Roast on medium-low heat, turning constantly, until it begins to turn golden-orange.
   
3. The instant the coconut is golden-orange, remove it from the heat and set aside until the rice is done.
4. Remove the bay leaves from the rice; stir in the coconut. Serve immediately.
   

Farofa

This weekend, I made a full feijoada dinner. This is apparently a big deal kind of thing in Brazil, where it's got all kinds of fixins.

One of those fixins is farofa, or pan-roasted cassava flour. I had this for the first time with a friend at the excellent Muqueca restaurant in Cambridge. At the time, my reaction could basically be summarized as 'wtf'? What are you supposed to do with a pile of roasted flour?

The answer: If you try mix it in with a soupy bean stew, it takes on the consistency of Thanksgiving stuffing, but with all that great savory flavor. Don't miss it.

Note: In all of the following recipes, I make copious use of salt pork. Savegnor's (on Kirkland St, near Dali restaurant) makes their own "lean" salt pork, which is basically salt-cured bacon. Whole Foods sells a Niemann Ranch variety, which is much fattier. If you're interested in cutting down on cholesterol a bit, you could go with equal amounts olive oil.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 oz salt pork, minced
• 500g (about 3 cups) cassava flour (also called yucca flour or manioc)
• 1 large Spanish onion, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1 tsp. sugar
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a deep skillet, heat the salt pork over a medium flame until it begins to cast off some grease.
2. Add the onion and sugar; sauté with the salt pork, stirring frequently, until the onions turn translucent.
3. Add the parsley and continue to sauté until the onions turn golden.
4. Add the cassava flour a little at a time, turning constantly. Make sure none sticks to the bottom of the pan.
5. Keep turning the mixture in the pan until the cassava begins to turn golden beige. The mixture is extremely hot in the pan; use caution if tasting!
   

Keep dry until serving.

Coconut caramels

This stuff is a workout to make; you really feel it in your arms. Which is great, since a workout is exactly what you'll need after eating a few of these diabolical candies. Based on this recipe.

I was actually trying to figure out how to make these butter macaroons that I had in Costa Rica, and basically wound up with dulce de leche instead. I'm not complaining.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cans (14 oz each) of sweetened condensed milk
• 4 oz. unsweetened shredded coconut (1-2 cups depending on shred size)
• 1 cup butter
• 4 graham crackers
  
• 1 tsp vanilla
  
• 1/4 tsp salt
• (optional) 1 cup peanuts or other nuts, crushed

DIRECTIONS:

1. Grind the graham crackers into crumbs using a food processor.
2. Combine all ingredients in a nonstick saucepan.
3. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture begins to bubble.
4. Beat the mixture constantly over medium heat until it begins to get very thick and caramel-colored.
5. Let the mixture cool for several minutes. As soon as it is cool enough to handle, roll into 1" balls.
6. (optional) Roll the balls in the crushed peanuts before placing on a cookie sheet to cool.
   

The candies keep well in an airtight container; separate layers with wax paper to prevent sticking. Reheat in microwave for 15 seconds before serving.

Molasses pancakes

I woke up this morning hankering for some pancakes, but out of eggs. So I googled 'eggless pancakes,' found this, and crunchified it. Note that these cook pretty fast and don't really give visual cues of when to flip them, so be attentive.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup white flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup walnut pieces
• 2 tbsp. butter, melted
  
• 2 tbsp. dark molasses
• 1 tbsp. light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. water
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. vanilla
  
• 1/4 tsp. salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.
   
2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Let sit for 5 minutes.
3. Preheat a nonstick or cast-iron skillet to medium heat.
4. Pour 2 tbsp. batter onto the skillet for each pancake.
5. Turn over after about 45 seconds; turn again; serve immediately.

Bacalao and Eggplant Stew

I had tried this concept once before, using a Nigerian fish stew recipe as a base. I didn't like the way that turned out, and I despaired of how to pull this off until I took Emilie Hardman's "Creative Vegan Cuisine" class at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. There she made an eggplant and tofu stew with a tomato base. I decided to use that as a launching point for this summery meal.

1 jalapeño is quite mild. 2 is right around medium. Adjust to taste.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb. bacalao, soaked overnight in three changes of ice water
• 2 zucchinis, cut into 3/4" cubes
• 1 lb. eggplant, cut into 3/4" cubes
• 1 large red onion, diced
  
• 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeds removed and finely minced
• 2 tbsp. fish sauce
• 1/3 cup water
  
• 2 tbsp. minced ginger
• 2 tbsp. cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp. lime juice
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
  
• 1 1/2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tbsp. honey

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the diced onion and sauté until soft, about 3-4 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, jalapeño and ginger. Sauté another 3-4 minutes or until soft.
3. Add the eggplant and zucchini and sauté until the eggplant begins to soften.
4. Add all ingredients except for fish. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, dry the bacalao thoroughly with paper towels. Broil on high heat for about 4-6 minutes or until just done.
6. Add the bacalao to the stew. Turn heat to low and allow to cook for 2 minutes more.

Serve immediately with rice or quinoa.

Buffalo chicken thighs

Buffalo sauce. Crude, salty, highly processed, low brow. Also: unspeakably delicious.

I love buffalo chicken.

With bleu cheese.

I love it to a shameful degree. I more than love it: I lurve it; I luff it with two F's. But why is it always wings--the most impractical, messy, meatless part of the chicken? And what's with all the frying? Is that really necessary?

Well, here's my take on things. Note: David Squires, this is for you.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
• 1 1/2 cups crushed-up corn flakes
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/4 cups Frank's Red Hot Wings sauce

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 450º.
2. Combine half the bread crumbs and half the corn flakes in a large bowl. Put the eggs in a separate bowl. Prepare a broiling pan.
3. Coat the chicken thighs on both sides with egg, then coat in the bread crumb mixture, and then place on the broiler. When the breadcrumbs become soggy (after 2-3 thighs), start over with the second half of the mixture.
   
4. Broil the chicken for 12 minutes on each side or until the juice is golden when the chicken is pricked with a fork.
5. Immediately before serving, put the hot sauce in a shallow bowl or casserole. Coat each thigh on both sides; serve immediately.

Serve with a dollop of roquefort mustard and several sprigs of celery or parsely.

Roquefort Mustard

I love buffalo chicken with bleu cheese sauce, but I always feel like that sauce is needlessly heavy and insipid. Then, in early 2007, I was at the Stonewall Kitchen store in Maine, and I discovered their Blue Cheese Herb Mustard. This is an excellent product, but--you know me and processed food--I wanted to make it myself.

I experimented with gorgonzola, which was way too sharp and not creamy enough. Then I turned to roquefort, and it provided a beautiful smoothness whose pungency played right off that of the mustard. It screamed out for tarragon, and that was that. Try this on your buffalo wings; I promise you won't be disappointed.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 oz dijon mustard
• 2 oz. roquefort cheese
• 2 tsp. dried tarragon

DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl or mini-prep.

Sourdough pita

This is trivially easy and, if you have a sourdough starter, pretty close to free. Adapted from this thread on "The Fresh Loaf," which got it from Randy's Vegetarian Cookbook. Use a 475° oven for pocketless pitas. Roll thinner and raise oven to maximum temp for pitas with pockets.

Makes 3-4 pitas. Double or triple as needed.

Variation: this recipe produces a deep, moist pita, more like what is found in Greek restaurants. For a rustic, "desert" pita, leave out the water and add substantially less flour at the end. Roll into much thinner pitas--say, 1/8" thick--and bake for no more than 3m 30s. Note that kneading such a dough is much more physically demanding.

Notes: if making several batches at once, do not roll out each loaf until immediately before you put it in the oven. Also, cover unrolled balls with a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup sourdough starter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups flour (divided use)

RECIPE:

1. In a large bowl, mix sourdough starter, water, sugar and 1/2 cup flour. Add salt.
2. Knead in another 1/2 cup flour. Knead for 5-10 minutes or until the dough forms a springy, cohesive ball. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for 45-60 minutes.
3. Knead in more flour until you have a firm, but still pliable dough.
   
4. Cut into 3-4 equal pieces. Roll into balls and let rest for 10 minutes.
5. Preheat the oven to 500°. While the oven is heating, roll the balls into 1/4" sheets. (Do not roll any thinner than 1/4".)
   
6. Bake for about 5 minutes, or until the pitas suddenly puff up. (They will collapse again once you remove them from heat.)
   

If eating that day, let cool for a moment then serve immediately. Otherwise, allow to reach room temperature, then freeze in an airtight container or bag.