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Cuscuz paulista
Cornmeal with palm heart and sardines
Cuscuz paulista: moulded cornmeal with tomato, peas, palm heart, eggs and sardines
Nothing like North African couscous, cuscuz paulista is a moulded cake of corn flakes cooked in a rich tomato sauce, packed into a ring mould decorated with sardines, sliced egg, tomato, palm hearts and peas, then turned out so the pattern shows. São Paulo bakeries and family lunches serve it cold or at room temperature, in slices, for birthdays, Easter and Sunday tables. It is moist, savoury and tangy, with bursts of olive and fish. It needs at least an hour to set in the fridge, so it is perfect to make the day before. The thing that most often goes wrong is a mixture that is too dry, which crumbles when turned out; it should look like soft, wet polenta before it goes into the mould. For a vegetarian version, skip the sardines and add extra palm hearts. Chef's tip: oil the mould generously and press the decoration against the sides firmly, so it sticks to the cuscuz and not the tin.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the decoration
- 3 eggsboiled for 10 minutes, peeled and sliced
- 1 tomatothinly sliced
- 9 oz sardines in olive oil2 tins, drained, oil kept
- 5 ½ oz peasfrozen and thawed, or tinned
- 7 oz palm heartsdrained and sliced into rounds
For the cuscuz
- ¼ cup olive oilplus extra for the mould
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 3 cloves garliccrushed
- 3 tomatoeschopped
- 1 ¼ cups tomato passata
- 2 ⅞ oz green olivespitted and sliced
- 2 ½ cups vegetable stockhot
- 1 tsp salt
- 10 ½ oz flaked cornmeal (flocão)or coarse polenta
- 4 tbsp fresh parsleychopped
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Brush a 24 cm ring mould with olive oil. Press slices of 1 ½ eggs, 1 tomato, a few 2 ⅝ oz sardines in olive oil, some 1 ⅝ oz peas and 2 ⅛ oz palm hearts around the base and sides in a pattern.
Step 3: Add 3 tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes, then stir in 1 ¼ cups tomato passata and 2 ⅞ oz green olives and simmer for 5 minutes until slightly thickened.
10 minStep 4: Flake the rest of 6 oz sardines in olive oil into the sauce with their oil, add the rest of 3 ⅔ oz peas and 5 oz palm hearts, then pour in 2 ½ cups vegetable stock and add 1 tsp salt.
2 minStep 5: Lower the heat and sprinkle in 10 ½ oz flaked cornmeal (flocão) a little at a time, stirring all the time, until it forms a thick, wet mixture that comes away from the sides of the pan. Cook for 3 minutes more.
6 minStep 6: Stir in 4 tbsp fresh parsley and the rest of 1 ½ eggs, roughly chopped.
Step 7: Spoon the mixture into the mould and press it down firmly with the back of a spoon. Cool, then chill for at least 1 hour until set.
60 minStep 8: Run a knife round the edge, turn out onto a plate and serve in slices, cold or at room temperature.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cuscuz paulista take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of tomato?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
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