Another homage to Brazil

The last night I was in Brazil, I was entreated to a night at the local Samba bar, which I was assured was a "very Brazilian experience".  The band was very loud and people were boisterous, not so different from a good bar at home.  But Samba music is for carnival, which would be sort of like partying in New Orleans, and interestingly, although the dance floor was a reasonable size, many people chose to merely stand up behind their chairs and dance, thereby maintaining conversation with their table mates. I can't universalize this experience since it was the only Samba bar I visited, but I describe it to you because it effected the atmosphere; dancing was not cordoned off to an appropriate place, it was everywhere!  And therefore the dance floor sort of came to us, whether we were standing or sitting.

Buckets of that weak, weak beer were kept full at all times throughout the bar, and at some point a large sizzling platter (think fajitas) arrived on the table filled with meat, veggies, and cheese, with a little crusty garlic bread on the side.  Everyone took nibbles between sweat-inducing dances and still felt full of energy at 2am when we left! I tried out this recreation on my meat-loving family when they visited last week and it was a hit.  We probably could have stood some exercise afterward, though...

Brazilian Sizzling Plate

Serves 6

For the meat:
2.5-3 lb. flank steak or similar cut
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon mustard
2 shallots, finely minced
other ingredients:
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 small butternut squash, peeled, cubed, and boiled until al dente
4 white potatoes, peeled, cubed, and boiled until al dente
3 bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch strips
4 oz. white mushrooms, sliced
salt to taste
8 oz. shredded or thinly sliced cheese of your choice (I used Irish cheddar), optional

Grill the meat outside: The night before you make this, combine steak and all marinade ingredients thoroughly in a gallon zip-top bag.  Refrigerate overnight and turn occasionally.  Grill over hot coals 3-4 inches from the heat; cook 4 minutes on each side for mid-rare or longer if you want the meat more done (it will cook a little more on the grill pan). Cover in foil to keep warm while you...

Toss the veggies with a little bit of olive oil and salt.  On a well-oiled grill pan inside, cook everything until it chars (if you have to do it in shifts, just keep what's been cooked on a baking sheet in the oven at 250 F so it stays warm).  Slice the grilled meat into thin strips and toss with all of the veggies on the grill pan (add anything that's been sitting in the oven).  Sprinkle cheese on top and cover with a large heat-proof bowl; cook just until cheese is melted.

Plop the grill pan on the table, serve with crusty white bread, hot sauces, and forks.  Plates optional.

Can't we all get along? Ebony and Ivory dessert

OK, sorry if that was too crass.  And don't read into it because the white is on top--I just like undercooked brownie. This is basically a fudgey layer of brownie topped with dreamy, fluffy coconut cake.  And now that  we've blown our diets on Thanksgiving turkey and pumpkin pie, why not just keep going until Christmas?

You can do this all in one bowl if you don’t mind wiping it out between layers, which need to be cooked in shifts, anyway.

Black-bottom Coconut Bars

Black Bottom:
1 stick (½ cup) melted butter
1 egg
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt

White Top:
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup white sugar
1 cup flour
½ cup sweetened, shredded coconut, plus more for top

Directions:  Heat the oven to 375°F.  Grease a 9-inch cake pan.  Combine all ingredients for the Black Bottom and spread evenly into the pan.  Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and allow to cool about 5 minutes

Combine all ingredients for the White Top (using ½ cup of the coconut for this mixture).  With a large spoon, drop dollops of the coconut batter on top of the Black Bottom layer and gently spread to form an even layer of White Top.  Sprinkle more shredded coconut on top and return to oven.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until coconut on top is browned.

(This song inspired the title of the dessert, and it is also proof that the '80s sucked.)

Another butternut squash soup

I've always wanted to try some version of African peanut stew  because it sounds crazy and I love peanut butter.  Well, I haven't always wanted to try it--when I was a child, I probably wouldn't have given a shit if you had mentioned it to me.  But for over six months, for sure, I have thought it sounded interesting.  The recipes I've found call for sweet potato, but I had butternut squash, as you know, so here goes:

African Peanut Stew
Makes 4-6 servings

Can be served as a soup or over couscous for a little more heft. 

Olive oil
1 medium red onion
1 poblano pepper, seeded and ribs removed, finely chopped (you can use 2 jalapenos if you can't find poblano)
1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons curry powder
One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
½ teaspoon salt
4 cups veggie stock
1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 cups tightly packed baby spinach
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
Roasted peanuts

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over a medium flame. Add the onion, pepper, and carrot and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder, and sauté for 2 more minutes. Add the tomatoes and the salt and simmer until soft and reduced, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the squash and cover with stock until submerged (it might be less than 4 cups, depending on the size of your pot). Bring the liquids to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the squash is tender, about 20-25 minutes. Whisk in the peanut butter and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning and then garnish with the cilantro and peanuts.

Brazilian drinks

The beer is terrible in Brazil (think Budweiser, but with a few different names), and the beer on tap, or Chopp, is the weakest of the bunch.  If you want to drink all night and never get drunk, this is the way to go. I have noticed this--the hotter the climate, the weaker the beer.  And always German-style lagers.  You can read into that whatever you want.

Even stronger alcoholic drinks don't pack as much of a punch in Brazil, but they highlight delicious fresh fruit and locally made, cane-based products, so I think they're the way to go.  The national cocktail seems to be caipirinha, made with Cachaça, sugar, and limes.  Caipiroskas are similar (but made with vodka) and often come in a variety of different fruits at bars.  Cachaça is available in the States at larger liquor stores (here in NoCo, Wilbur's in Fort Collins carries one that works just fine for mixed drinks), and Brazilians assure me that top-shelf is not necessary--or even desired--for making caipirinhas.

Standard Caipirinha--as dictated to me by Thiago, a very talented bartender who may have a drinking problem, in Goiania.

Serves 1

Cachaça
limes
sugar
ice (we don't measure these things)

In a short old-fashioned glass or other tumbler, place 1 thin-skinned lime, quartered, and muddle until the juice has been released.  Pour in approximately 2 tablespoons sugar, a generous handful of cracked ice (be sure the pieces are not too big or they'll suddenly water down the drink), and fill with cachaça .  Stir with a long spoon and drink sloooooowly.


Strawberry Caipiroska (I can't claim authenticity in procedure here--this is just my replica of what I had at a samba bar in Goiania)

Serves 1

6 strawberries*, washed and quartered
1 tablespoon sugar
2 oz. vodka
cracked ice

Place the strawberries and sugar in an old fashioned glass and allow to sit about 5 minutes, or until strawberries start to give off juice.  (This can also be done ahead of time, in larger quantities, in a container kept in the refrigerator until it's cocktail time.)  Stir strawberry-sugar mixture, add vodka, stir again, and top with ice.

*Can also use chunked pineapple, limes, lemons, mangoes, or passion fruit.