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479 recipes

Doce de figo verde (Minas green figs in clove syrup)

On the farms of Minas Gerais, figs picked hard and green at the start of summer are turned into one of the state's proudest doces, made in big copper pans and set out at Christmas, at Festa Junina and after a long Sunday lunch. The whole figs come out dark olive-green, glossy and tender right through, in a thick syrup fragrant with cloves. They are eaten with a slice of fresh queijo minas, the salty cheese making the sweetness sing, or on their own with a small coffee. Like most Brazilian fruit preserves it is naturally egg-free: the long simmer in sugar syrup preserves and firms the fruit, and the figs' own pectin thickens the syrup. The work is in the repeated blanching, which draws out the bitter milky sap. Chef's tip: wear gloves while scraping the figs, because the sap irritates skin, and keep the syrup at a bare simmer; the common mistake is boiling hard, which bursts the figs and toughens their skins.

240 minBrazilianDessertsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Bananada (Brazilian banana paste bars)

Bananada comes from the banana country of Minas Gerais and the Vale do Ribeira in São Paulo state, where roadside stalls stack it in wrapped bars beside rapadura and goiabada. Children find it in lunchboxes and it turns up on the sweet tables of the June festivals. Cooked slowly, ripe bananas and sugar darken to a reddish brown and set into a dense, chewy paste with a caramel and baked-banana flavour, finished with a sugary crust. Serve the bars with coffee or a piece of fresh cheese. It is naturally egg-free: the starch and pectin in the bananas, concentrated with sugar over a long, slow cook, set the paste firm enough to slice. Very ripe bananas give the sweetest, darkest result. Chef's tip: keep going until you can see the base of the pan for a second when you drag the spoon through; the common mistake is stopping early, which gives a soft jam that won't cut.

125 minBrazilianDessertsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Rapadura (Brazilian sugarcane blocks)

Rapadura is the sweet of the Brazilian Northeast, made since colonial times in the small sugar mills of Pernambuco, Paraíba and Ceará. Fresh cane juice is boiled down for hours and beaten until it sets into dense golden-brown bricks, sold at every feira and roadside stall and carried by farm workers as quick energy. It is eaten after lunch with a cup of coffee, with farinha or a slice of queijo coalho, and chopped onto the tables of the June festivals. The texture is firm but crumbly, like a hard fudge, and the flavour is deep caramel with a faint grassy note of cane. It is naturally egg-free: nothing binds it but sugar, which crystallises as you beat the hot syrup and sets the block. Use fresh or frozen sugarcane juice; peanuts or coconut make popular variations. Chef's tip: beat until the syrup loses its shine and turns thick and opaque; the common mistake is pouring too soon, which leaves a sticky toffee instead of a block.

120 minBrazilianDessertsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

ParihuelaSpicy seafood soup

Parihuela is the big weekend seafood soup of Callao and the Peruvian coast, eaten at long Sunday lunches in cevicherías and praised as a cure for tiredness and late nights. A deep red broth of ají panca, ají amarillo, tomato and fish stock is loaded with chunks of fish, prawns, squid and mussels. A portion gives about 30 g of protein, from the fish and shellfish, for roughly 300 kcal. Some cooks add chicha de jora or beer; this version has none. The common mistake is adding all the seafood at once: squid and prawns turn rubbery while the fish cooks, so they go in last. Before cooking, discard any mussels that stay open when tapped, and after cooking discard any that stay shut. Chef's tip: fry the chilli pastes in the oil until they darken and smell sweet; that toasted ají is what gives parihuela its depth.

70 minPeruvianFishGluten freeSpicy
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Aguadito de polloCoriander chicken rice soup

Aguadito is the soup Lima serves in the small hours: at the end of a wedding, after New Year's Eve and at weekend family lunches, it is ladled out thick and steaming to revive everyone. Rice simmers in chicken broth coloured deep green with blended coriander and warmed with yellow ají amarillo, along with peas, carrot, pepper, sweetcorn and potato. A portion gives about 24 g of protein, from the chicken with a little from the rice and peas, for around 480 kcal. The common mistake is adding the coriander purée too early: cooked for long it turns khaki and loses its fresh taste, so stir it in for the last 10 minutes. The chicken must reach 74 °C at the bone. Chef's tip: blend a handful of spinach with the coriander; it keeps the colour vivid green without changing the flavour.

75 minPeruvianSoupsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Salada de palmitoHearts of palm salad

Salada de palmito is a fixture of Brazilian lunch buffets, Christmas tables and churrasco sides from São Paulo to Goiás, prized because hearts of palm feel festive. The tender, slightly lemony palm hearts are cut into rounds and tossed with tomato, red onion, coriander or parsley and a quick lime and olive oil dressing; it is cool, soft and crunchy at once. A portion gives about 3 g of protein, so it is a side; serve it with rice and black beans for a full meal. The most common mistake is not draining and rinsing the palm hearts: the brine from the jar makes the salad taste tinny and too salty. Chef's tip: soak the sliced onion in iced water with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes; it stays crisp but loses its bite.

15 minBrazilianSaladsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Caldo de piranhaPiranha broth

In Cuiabá and Corumbá, on the edge of the Pantanal wetlands of Mato Grosso, caldo de piranha is served in small cups in bars and at riverside festivals, and is said to restore strength (some say more). The bony little fish are simmered with tomato, onion, peppers and annatto, then the flesh is blended into the broth and strained, so it is thick, smooth and savoury. If you can't get piranha, any firm white river or lake fish such as tilapia or catfish works. A bowl gives about 24 g of protein, from the fish, for about 200 kcal. The common mistake is careless straining: piranha has many fine bones, so pass the soup through a fine sieve twice. Chef's tip: finish with a good handful of cheiro-verde, the Brazilian mix of parsley and chives, and a squeeze of lime just before serving.

60 minBrazilianFishGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Chilcano de pescadoClear fish broth

In the fishermen's terminals of Chorrillos and Callao, chilcano is what you drink on a Sunday morning after a long night: a clear, gingery broth made from the heads and bones left over from cleaning fish for ceviche, with chunks of fish, red onion, chilli and a squeeze of lime in the bowl. It is light and warming, around 160 kcal a bowl, and still gives about 24 g of protein from the fish fillet and the broth. The common mistake is squeezing the lime into the pot while it boils, which turns it bitter; add it to each bowl at the table. Don't boil the bones for more than 30 minutes either, or the broth turns cloudy and harsh. Chef's tip: ask the fishmonger for heads and frames from mild white fish like sea bass or cod, and leave out oily fish such as mackerel, which makes the broth strong and fishy.

55 minPeruvianSoupsGluten freeSpicy
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Sacolé de maracujá (Brazilian passion fruit ice pops)

Sacolé, called geladinho or chup-chup in other states, is the homemade ice pop of Brazil: a creamy or fruity mixture tied into slim plastic bags and frozen, sold for a few coins from home freezers in Rio's neighbourhoods and all over the country, especially in summer and during school holidays. You bite off a corner and push the frozen pop up as you eat. This creamy passion fruit version is tangy and smooth. There are no eggs: milk thickened with a little cornflour and sweetened condensed milk make the base, the cooked starch and the condensed milk's sugar keeping the crystals small so the pop is soft enough to bite rather than icy. Coconut, corn and chocolate are other favourites. Chef's tip: stir in the passion fruit only once the base is cold; the common mistake is adding the acid pulp to hot milk, which makes it curdle.

310 minBrazilianDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Tcharek el arianeAlmond crescents with orange blossom

On the last nights of Ramadan, kitchens across Algiers and Constantine fill up with trays of tcharek el ariane, the 'naked' tcharek: crescents of thin, buttery dough wrapped around almond paste with cinnamon and orange-blossom water. Unlike their sugar-coated cousins they are left bare, so the fine dough with its pinched, lace-like pattern shows. Families give them to neighbours on Eid morning and set them out at weddings with mint tea and coffee. The dough is traditionally made with smen (aged butter); plain melted butter works well. Overbaking is the common slip, because they turn hard and dry; they should stay pale with only golden tips. Chef's tip: keep the dough under a damp cloth while you shape, as it dries in minutes and then cracks along the curve.

120 minAlgerianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Algerian mkhabezIced almond and lemon diamonds

No Algerian wedding tray, and few Eid tables in Algiers or Constantine, is complete without mkhabez: soft, chewy diamonds of ground almond and lemon zest under a smooth white icing, each topped with a sugar flower or a silver ball and set in its own paper case. Making them is a social affair, with sisters and aunts icing and decorating hundreds the week before a celebration. The almond base is flourless and dairy free, sweet and lemony, and the icing sets to a thin shell; serve them with mint tea or strong coffee. Overbaking is the mistake to avoid: the diamonds should come out pale and soft, or they go dry and crumbly under the icing. Chef's tip: ice them when completely cold, and get the icing so thick it only just flows; runny icing slides off the sides and never sets glossy.

105 minAlgerianBakingGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Quiabo refogadoSautéed okra with garlic

In Minas Gerais, quiabo refogado is the green side that sits next to rice, beans and angu on weekday lunch and supper plates, and the cook's pride is okra that is tender but never slimy. The pods are sliced into rounds and sautéed in a wide pan with onion and plenty of garlic until the sticky threads cook away and the edges turn lightly golden. The most common mistake is washing the okra after slicing it: wet cut okra turns gluey, so wash and dry the whole pods first. Serve it with rice and beans, a fried egg or crisp fried tofu. Chef's tip: stir only every couple of minutes and add a few drops of lime at the end; both keep the slices separate.

23 minBrazilianSidesVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pão com ovoFried egg in a toasted roll

Every padaria in Brazil, from a São Paulo corner bakery to a beach-town café in Bahia, sells pão com ovo at the counter at breakfast: a crusty French roll, split, buttered and toasted on the griddle, with a fried egg tucked inside. It is eaten standing up with a small coffee or café com leite, and at home it is the quick supper children ask for. The usual mistake is frying the egg on too high a heat, which leaves brown, rubbery edges before the white has set. Brazilians argue over soft or firm yolks; for anyone pregnant, very young, older or with a weakened immune system, break the yolk and cook it through. Chef's tip: toast the cut sides of the roll in the same pan after the butter has foamed, so the bread soaks up the flavour before the egg goes in.

10 minBrazilianBreakfast & Brunch
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Chicharrón de pescadoCrisp fried fish chunks

Up and down the Peruvian coast, from Chorrillos in Lima to the beaches of Piura, chicharrón de pescado is the crunchy plate ordered alongside ceviche at a long seafood lunch: bite-size chunks of firm white fish marinated briefly in garlic and lime, dusted in flour and fried, then served with fried cassava, salsa criolla and tartar or rocoto sauce. Using frozen peeled cassava keeps it to half an hour. The common mistake is leaving the fish in the lime too long: after about ten minutes the acid starts to 'cook' the outside and the coating slips off. Chef's tip: toss the floured pieces in a sieve to shake off every bit of loose flour; a thin coat fries crisp, a thick one turns pasty.

30 minPeruvianFish
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Sanduíche naturalChicken and carrot cold sandwich

In São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro the sanduíche natural is sold wrapped in cling film at beach kiosks, bakeries and office canteens, the light lunch or after-gym snack eaten cold in the afternoon heat. Poached shredded chicken is mixed with grated carrot, sweetcorn and a creamy dressing of requeijão or cream cheese and mayonnaise, then layered with lettuce and tomato in soft wholemeal bread. The common mistake is a soggy sandwich: dry the lettuce and tomato well, and spread the filling right to the edges so it protects the bread. Chef's tip: poach the chicken in salted water with a bay leaf and let it cool in the liquid for a few minutes; it shreds more easily and stays juicy.

30 minBrazilianSnacks & Starters
by KrazyBadal 0 views

CrepiocaTapioca and egg crêpe

Crepioca is the crêpe that took over Brazilian breakfast tables and gym cafés from São Paulo to Recife: one egg whisked with a spoonful of tapioca starch, cooked thin in a non-stick pan and folded round cheese and tomato. It is naturally gluten free, ready in ten minutes and just as good as a late, light supper as it is with morning coffee. The common mistake is pouring the batter without a last whisk: tapioca starch sinks to the bottom of the bowl in seconds, and the crêpe then comes out patchy and gluey. Mozzarella is often made with animal rennet, so choose a vegetarian mozzarella if that matters to you. Chef's tip: let the pan heat for a full minute before the batter goes in, so the crêpe sets at once and slides free when you shake the pan.

10 minBrazilianBreakfast & BrunchGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

SequilhosCornstarch condensed milk cookies

Brazilian grandmothers keep a tin of sequilhos (seh-KEEL-yos) on the shelf for afternoon cafezinho, and children in São Paulo and Minas Gerais grow up pinching them from it. Made almost entirely from cornstarch, butter and sweetened condensed milk, they bake pale and chalky-looking, then dissolve on the tongue like a cloud of milky sugar. A fork pressed into each ball leaves the classic stripes. This version adds one egg yolk for a little richness; plenty of families leave it out, and the cookies are just as good. Because there is no wheat, they are naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: lift one off the tray after the minimum time and check the base; it should be the faintest cream-gold, not brown, or the melting texture turns sandy.

35 minBrazilianBakingGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

TopfengolatschenSweet quark puff pastry squares

A Topfengolatsche is what Viennese office workers grab from the bakery on the way in, and what grandparents order with a Melange in a coffee house on a Sunday afternoon. The corners of a puff pastry square are folded over a lemony, vanilla-scented filling of Topfen (Austrian quark) with plump raisins, and the top gets a thin white glaze. It is flaky, light and not too sweet. Raisins are sometimes soaked in rum; warm water or orange juice works just as well, and the recipe below is alcohol-free. Wet quark is the classic problem, because it turns the filling runny and it leaks out in the oven. Chef's tip: hang the quark in a sieve lined with a clean cloth for an hour, or squeeze it, until it is as thick as soft cream cheese.

57 minAustrianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pejerrey arrebozadoBattered fish fillets with onion salsa

Pejerrey arrebozado is a Lima classic from the cevicherías and home kitchens of the coast, eaten at lunch on a plate with white rice, a heap of sharp salsa criolla and sometimes boiled potato. The pejerrey, a small silverside, is opened into butterflied fillets, dipped in a light egg-and-flour batter and fried golden. Outside Peru, use small fillets of whiting, sole, haddock or tilapia. The batter here uses sparkling water, not beer, so it is alcohol free. The common mistake is frying in oil that isn't hot enough: the batter drinks the oil and turns greasy, so test with a drop of batter first. Chef's tip: make the salsa criolla first and let the onion sit in lime for ten minutes; it softens its bite and turns a pretty pink.

25 minPeruvianFish
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Tallarines rojosSpaghetti in red sauce with chicken

Tallarines rojos is the Sunday-lunch and weeknight pasta of homes all over Peru, from Lima to Arequipa: spaghetti in a sweet, deep-red sauce of blended tomato, onion and garlic with a little ají panca and oregano, often with pieces of chicken cooked right in it. Children love it, and it is served with a sprinkle of grated cheese and sometimes a spoon of huancaína on the side. The usual mistake is cooking the sauce too briefly, so it tastes of raw onion; let the blended tomato fry until it darkens and the oil shows at the edges. Chef's tip: a bay leaf and a spoon of ají panca paste give the sauce its Peruvian character; paprika will do if you can't find the paste.

30 minPeruvianPasta & Noodles
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Bolo de coco geladoChilled coconut cake

Wrapped in squares of foil and kept in the fridge of Brazilian padarias and birthday parties, bolo de coco gelado ('cold coconut cake') is a soft white sheet cake drenched while warm in coconut milk sweetened with condensed milk, then buried under grated coconut. Eaten straight from the fridge it is cool, damp and milky, a little like a coconut tres leches but less sweet. It is a favourite for hot afternoons, children's parties and festas juninas, and it actually improves after a night's rest. Pouring the soak over a cold cake is the common mistake; it sits on top in a puddle, so poke the cake while it's still warm and add the soak a ladle at a time. Chef's tip: wrap each square in foil before chilling, the way bakeries do; the coconut stays moist and the squares travel well to a party.

120 minBrazilianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Brazilian party hot dogs (cachorro-quente de festa)

At almost every children's birthday party in Brazil, a big pot of 'cachorro-quente' sits next to the brigadeiros: frankfurters simmered in a mild tomato sauce with onion and pepper, spooned into soft mini rolls so the sauce soaks in. It feeds a crowd cheaply, can be made ahead and kept warm, and children eat it standing up between games. It contains gluten from the rolls; check the sausages if anyone has allergies. Chef's tip: slice the frankfurters into coins or halve them lengthwise before simmering, so they soak up the sauce and are safe for little ones.

40 minBrazilianFast Food
by KrazyBadal 0 views

ChaplasHollow puffed Andean bread

Walk through Ayacucho's central market at seven in the morning and you will see women selling stacks of chaplas from cloth-lined baskets, still warm from the wood-fired ovens of the Andes. These round wheat breads puff up like pita in the fierce heat, leaving a hollow pocket inside a thin, soft, lightly floury crust. In Ayacucho and Huancavelica they are eaten with sweet coffee or hot emoliente for breakfast, or split and filled with queso fresco, avocado or a spoonful of rocoto sauce. Highland bakers traditionally work in a little lard; vegetable shortening gives the same tenderness and keeps the bread vegan. A cool baking tray is the reason chaplas stay flat, so preheat it thoroughly. Chef's tip: let the rolled rounds rest before baking and flip them upside down onto the tray, so the smooth, dry side meets the heat first and the pocket opens evenly.

149 minPeruvianBreads & ParathasVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Mingau de maisena (cornflour milk porridge)

In homes across Brazil, a little bowl of mingau de maisena is the classic supper before bed: milk stirred with cornflour over a low heat until it turns smooth and spoonable, like a thin custard. Grandmothers usually add sugar and cinnamon, but for babies from nine months the sweetness comes from mashed ripe banana instead. It contains milk (cow's milk is fine cooked into food from this age); it has no gluten, egg, nuts, soya, sesame or fish. Chef's tip: mix the cornflour into cold milk before heating, never into hot milk, or it forms lumps at once.

10 minBrazilianBreakfast & BrunchGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

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