Tag: recipe

11Jun

Cheese bread and Chimichurri sauce

Today we continuing with our special posts for the World Cup. This recipe is a true Brazilian tradition, we call it pão de queijo which literally translates to cheese bread. It doesn’t matter where you come from we guarantee you’ll love this snack. Snacks are definitely an essential part of our culture as they are always popular for the mid afternoon munchies or just to accompany a cold beer at the end of the day. Pão de queijo is one of our essential snacks and it’s has a special place in Brazilian hearts, almost as much as football. And amazingly these cheese breads are gluten free! That’s right, they are made with cassava flour which is a root vegetable, it looks like a white potato with a thick brown skin. Although cassava that originates from South America it has been exported to Africa and Asia therefore you will find it in dishes from different cultures. It is this special flour that gives these little rolls its texture: crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside. The chimichurri dip however is not a Brazilian recipe but it complements the cheese bread so well. Many people also add butter or even berry jams to it but they
3 mins read
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04Jun

Palm heart empada

With the biggest sporting event coming home to where it spiritually belongs in exactly 8 days, Karla and I have decided to go back to our roots. For the next month we’ll be posting traditional Brazilian recipes, and we’ll get started this week to get you all hyped up before kick off. I have forgotten a lot of things since I was a little girl but the World Cup is definitely not one of them. It is a memorable month of families coming together, missing school to watch the semi-finals and a lot of wonderful snack food. Palm heart or palmito in Portuguese is a very traditional vegetable normally added to salads in Brazil, it is basically the inner core of a palm tree and we buy them in brine. I can’t tell you how happy I was to find it in the supermarkets here when I first moved to the UK, they are tangy and very soft and I love them on a good empada.  It is not a spelling mistake, it is most certainly not the same as an empanada. No, it may look similar but it does not taste the same. It is hard to get the
4 mins read
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28May

Homemade lemonade with mint

Summer is nigh in the northern hemisphere. Every warm day that comes feels like a victory and we try to make the most of it, as if it were the only warm day of the year. The people who live in cold places know what I am talking about. Walks in the woods, pic nics, basking in the sun, barbecues, a stroll by the lake…I cannot wait! Last year I was after the perfect summer drink, something refreshing and easy to make. I love juices, I grew up spoiled for choice for tropical juices so there aren’t many juices here in Germany that I fancy. The recipe I am sharing with you is homemade lemonade with mint and it is delicious, easy and perfect for hot summer days. But be very careful, you might get addicted! Homemade lemonade with mint (makes 1,1l) 1l + 100ml of water 4 fresh mint sprigs 4 tbsp lemon juice 2 tbsp sugar 1. In a pan mix 100ml of water, the mint throroughly washed and the sugar. Bring it to boil on medium heat and then set aside to cool down. Add the lemon juice and take the mint off the mixture. This is
2 mins read
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21May

Chorizo and bean soup

I have a thing for soups, always have. My mum knows it is the food to make me when I am feeling a little down. It is comforting and full of nutrients and you can make magic with it: get your leftovers, add a little stock, some butter and blend. Or don’t blend and get a chunky one instead. So it won’t surprise you that when I found myself with very little in my cupboard and a hungry boyfriend to feed I turned to soup. It is a super cheap dinner to make with only 4 ingredients: potatoes, beans, chorizo and onions. The boy is my harshest critic so I was pleasantly surprised when this became his favourite soup. I have cooked it a dozen of times now. But it is summer now, soups belong with winter/autumn I hear you say. Wrong! Having a hot soup on a hot day actually cools you down. Hot food adds heat to your body increasing the rate at which you sweat consequently helping you to cool off. This is not me, this is science telling you to  make soup this summer.  Chorizo and bean soup (serves 3 large bowls) 2 large potatoes, chopped into small cubes 150g chorizo, cubed 400g tin of
2 mins read
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14May

Banana cake with nut streusel

There was no big planning behind this recipe, it was a spur of the moment thing: I had very, very ripe bananas at home and had to do something with them. When you grow up in Brazil you learn that you wait for a banana to be over ripe before you eat it. In Germany however people think that because the banana starts to form those little black spots it is no longer good to eat. So I have a lot of bananas laying around because my German husband won’t eat bananas with the little black spot. I don’t get it, but what are you going to do? I looked through my recipe books and found an interesting recipe to use them up. It is adapted from Lecker Magazine. Super easy, delicious and moist. Banana cake with nut streusel (serves 12 slices) For the streusel: 85g butter, melted 100g nuts, chopped 125g flour 60g brown sugar 1 tsp cinammon Pinch of salt For the cake: 125g butter 100g brown sugar 1tsp cinnamon zest of a lemon a pinch of salt vanilla pod or a tbsp vanilla extract 3 tbsp flour + 100g flour 3 eggs 3 very ripe bananas 100g
2 mins read
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07May

Rhubarb and honey cheesecake with ginger crust

I will let you in on a little secret: I don’t like rhubarb. It’s too tart and stringy! Everyone else in my family loves it though so just before spring starts, you betcha my mum will fill the house with these. In fact she buys so many that inevitably quite a few of them achieve the end of their little lives. So I make jam. This time I went for a Delia inspired recipe with orange and ginger and it turned out great if not a little too sweet, but that’s my own fault because I never measure sugar (this is a bad thing). I like using Ginger Nuts for most of my cheesecake crusts, the ginger taste is not overpowering and it is a super buttery biscuit. But any ginger biscuits will do. Bad pictures happened during this process so the little one on the photo is whatever didn’t fit in the bigger tin, which serves around 10-12 slices. Remember to make the compote a few hours in advance so it cools down completely. Rhubarb and honey cheesecake with ginger crust 100g butter, melted 250g ginger nuts 200g Greek yogurt 3 tbsp. good quality honey 200ml double cream 250g cream cheese For the compote: 200g rhubarb,
3 mins read
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