Feijoada Dinner
We will have a couple friend coming over to dinner on Monday and I am going to cook a typical Brazilian dinner: Feijoada and all the trimmings!!! I love having people over, it is always so exciting!
Side note: For those who are not familiar with Feijoada, it is a black bean and pork stew that dates back to the slavery period in our (Brazil's) history. According to documented history, when the big farmers slaughtered a pig, they would throw the not so noble pieces (ears, feet and tail) to the slaves, who in turn, cooked them very slowly in a black bean stew. Since those days, Feijoada has evolved to a national passion and it is now famous worldwide.
So I went food shopping today, which is also a very fun thing to do for me. I have to organize myself, so I make a menu, a shopping list and a prep list, in order to stay on budget and focused on the main target. (otherwise I wonder around the supermarket aisles and buy lots of things I do not need :-) ).
Today is day one of the prep list. I need to soak the beans overnight and I am also soaking the beef jerky ("carne seca") in cold water to extract the excess of salt. Tomorrow is when I will do most of the cooking. Most of these dishes actually taste better a few days later, because the flavors have time to mature and develop.
My big sister (who is the real Chef of the family) is the Feijoada expert, so I will be surely consulting her a lot in the next couple of days!! I wish she could come over and supervise me, but she is a few thousands of miles away :-( .... It sucks!
Brazilian Dinner - Feijoada – Menu 02/16/09
Hour D'oeuvres
* "Pao de Queijo" (Cheese bread)
* "Sardella" (roasted red pepper and anchovies paste) with crackers
Salad
* Butter Lettuce, Tomato and Palm heart salad, with a garlic dressing
Main Course
* Feijoada
* White rice
* Collard Greens
* Fresh orange
* Farofa (made with Yucca flour)
* Mandioca frita (fried Yucca)
Dessert (I am still debating which two out of the three I will make)
* Brigadeiro (chocolate and condensed milk truffles)
* Passion fruit mousse
* Papaya cream and Cassis liqueur
Drinks:
* Caipirinha (Brazilian national drink with sugarcane rum, lime and sugar... hmmm lemonade :-)
* Red wine ( we picked a nice Sangiovese - which is a cousin of Chianti - from Napa)
Side note: For those who are not familiar with Feijoada, it is a black bean and pork stew that dates back to the slavery period in our (Brazil's) history. According to documented history, when the big farmers slaughtered a pig, they would throw the not so noble pieces (ears, feet and tail) to the slaves, who in turn, cooked them very slowly in a black bean stew. Since those days, Feijoada has evolved to a national passion and it is now famous worldwide.
So I went food shopping today, which is also a very fun thing to do for me. I have to organize myself, so I make a menu, a shopping list and a prep list, in order to stay on budget and focused on the main target. (otherwise I wonder around the supermarket aisles and buy lots of things I do not need :-) ).
Today is day one of the prep list. I need to soak the beans overnight and I am also soaking the beef jerky ("carne seca") in cold water to extract the excess of salt. Tomorrow is when I will do most of the cooking. Most of these dishes actually taste better a few days later, because the flavors have time to mature and develop.
My big sister (who is the real Chef of the family) is the Feijoada expert, so I will be surely consulting her a lot in the next couple of days!! I wish she could come over and supervise me, but she is a few thousands of miles away :-( .... It sucks!
Brazilian Dinner - Feijoada – Menu 02/16/09
Hour D'oeuvres
* "Pao de Queijo" (Cheese bread)
* "Sardella" (roasted red pepper and anchovies paste) with crackers
Salad
* Butter Lettuce, Tomato and Palm heart salad, with a garlic dressing
Main Course
* Feijoada
* White rice
* Collard Greens
* Fresh orange
* Farofa (made with Yucca flour)
* Mandioca frita (fried Yucca)
Dessert (I am still debating which two out of the three I will make)
* Brigadeiro (chocolate and condensed milk truffles)
* Passion fruit mousse
* Papaya cream and Cassis liqueur
Drinks:
* Caipirinha (Brazilian national drink with sugarcane rum, lime and sugar... hmmm lemonade :-)
* Red wine ( we picked a nice Sangiovese - which is a cousin of Chianti - from Napa)
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