Heart of palm coxinha

Step 1: Make the filling first so it can cool. Heat the 2 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the 1 onion for 5 minutes until soft. Add the 2 garlic cloves for 30 seconds, then the 2 tomatoes, and cook for 3–4 minutes until it collapses into a thick sauce.

Step 2: Add the 14 oz hearts of palm (palmito) and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until it's hot and most of the liquid has gone. Stir in the 1 tsp cornflour mixture and cook for 1 minute until it thickens and turns glossy. A dry, thick filling is easier to wrap and won't burst in the oil.

Step 3: Off the heat, stir in the 3 ½ oz cream cheese or requeijão, 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley and 2 spring onions, and season with the ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper. Spread on a plate and chill for at least 30 minutes; cold filling is far easier to wrap.

Step 4: For the dough, bring the 2 cups vegetable stock, 1 cup whole milk, 1 oz butter and ½ tsp salt to the boil in a wide, heavy pan. Turn the heat to low and tip in all the 13 oz plain flour at once, stirring hard with a wooden spoon.

Step 5: Keep stirring and pressing over a low heat for 3–4 minutes, until the dough forms a smooth ball that pulls cleanly from the sides and leaves a thin film on the pan base. Undercooked dough is sticky and tears.

Step 6: Tip the dough onto a lightly oiled worktop. As soon as you can handle it, knead it with oiled hands for 3–5 minutes until completely smooth, like soft play dough. Cover with a bowl so it doesn't dry out.

Step 7: Take a piece of dough the size of a golf ball (about 40 g), flatten it in your palm into a 9 cm disc, and press a cup in the centre. Put in a heaped teaspoon of filling.

Step 8: Bring the edges up around the filling and pinch to seal, then gently pull and roll the top into a point to make a teardrop with a flat base. Check there are no cracks; smooth them with an oiled finger. You should get about 24.

Step 9: Dip each coxinha in the ¾ cup milk, then roll in the 5 ½ oz fine dry breadcrumbs, pressing so they stick all over. At this point you can freeze them on a tray, then bag them; fry from frozen at a slightly lower heat.

Step 10: Heat the 6 ¼ cups vegetable oil in a deep, heavy pan to 350°F (a cube of bread should turn golden in 40 seconds). Fry 5–6 coxinhas at a time for 4–5 minutes, turning, until deep golden all over. If the oil is too hot they brown before the dough cooks through; too cool and they soak up oil.

Step 11: Lift out onto kitchen paper and rest for 3 minutes; the filling is very hot. Serve warm, with a squeeze of lime or a little chilli sauce.