Our local and beyond travels, the recipes it inspires us and what we would recommend to our friends when we come back. Some delicacies for the eyes and the tastebuds, in sum. Written by two enthusiastic frogs who left their French hometown a decade ago, hopping from Canada to Taiwan to England to the US.
Apples and maple syrup are Maine’s superstar ingredients. And even if the drink is more traditionally associated with fall or winter, there is no other comforting feeling than diving deep into a hot mug of apple cider in the middle of a chilly early spring day.
When the early settlers from Europe arrived with a long history of Apple cider making (i.e. with alcohol) they saw in this drink a perfect alternative to beer. While the latter was the clear favorite at the time, it turns out apples are much easier to grow in New England and with no need for brewing process, colonists quickly settled to become avid cider aficionados. The long tradition of cider in New England, hard or not, is believed to come from those days. In the recipe below, we’ll explore the mulled version of the drink and add a hint of Maple syrup to it.
Yield: 6-7 comforting mugs
10 Apples
1/4 cup Maple syrup (adjust to taste)
1 inch fresh Ginger
1 tbs ground Nutmeg
10-12 whole Cloves
2 Cinnamon sticks
6 cups Water
To speed up the process without losing on the depth of flavours, I use a pressure cooker in this recipe as well . Same as the previous recipe (delicious corn chowder!), if you don’t have one or don’t want to use it, you can simply opt for a more traditional method on the stovetop in which you simmer everything for about 2 hours or slow-cook for 6-8h.
While I was researching methods on how to make the best lobster broth out there, I came across a few books and blogs that recommended to crush the shell as finely as possible in order to maximize how much flavor is infused during the cooking. I decided to apply the same logic here and blend the entire apples and spices finely before putting the liquid in my Instant-pot.
A lot of recipes call for high quality apple cider but I don’t think you are saving that much time while you’ll get something equally good for a fraction of the price by using, you know…real apples. Set the pressure on high for at least 25 minutes (and up to an hour). Once cooked, turn the valve to relieve pressure through the quick release method.
Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer, pushing the pulp through to extract as much goodness as you can from it.
Pimp your mug
For a boozy “after-ski” feeling, drop a shot of rum (aged rum is the best) in your mug or pick whiskey to add a more smoky taste.
If on the other hand you want the ultra comfort drink version, stir a teaspoon of butter in your mug. It’s extra delicious.
To talk about a chowder with New England as a destination without tackling the Seafood chowder first could be seen as somewhat of a sacrilege. But truth to be told there is a lot to be learned from other versions in how they approach what comfort food is. In the recipe below I tried to strike a balance between simplicity, healthiness and comforting flavors.
You can easily make it vegan by substituting the bacon with fried shallots and the cream with almond cream. For our gluten-free friends, replace the flour with cornstarch or potato starch.
Yield: 4 comforting bowls
6 stripes of bacon
4 garlic cloves
1/3 cup white wine
1 large onion
2 celery sticks
3 cups water (or light broth like chicken or veggie)
1 large potato
2 corn cobs (or 2 cups of frozen corn work too)
1 tsp toasted sesame oil (optional)
1/4 cup half-half (or heavy cream)
2 tbs all-purpose flour
2 green onions
Chives
Lemon wedges (optional)
Doing this recipe is much faster and simpler if you use an electric pressure-cooker. If you don’t have one, you can get some equally good results by simmering the chowder for a longer time (about 35-40min) on the stovetop.
“Frying” the bacon + garlic and prepare the fond
Set the pressure cooker to “Saute”. Cut the bacon into .5 inch lardons and mince the garlic finely. Drop the bacon first and add the garlic once enough fat has been rendered. Stir from time to time to ensure even browning. What you are after are nice and crispy bacon bits with fried garlic. Reserve those for serving at the end but keep that good fat in the pot.
Pour the white wine into the fat and wait until it’s reduced by about half. Watch out as pouring a liquid into hot fat will create some activity in that pot (but no need to be paranoid here it’s deep enough and not hot enough to be dangerous).
Making the broth
While the good stuff is bubbling all it can, chop the onion and celery into small/medium pieces. It’s going to melt in the end so no need to be too fancy here with the knife work. Saute the mix for 2-3 min in the pot.Dice the potato into small/medium bits too and cut the corn kernels from the cob. Do not throw away the cobs! Put the potato dices, corn kernel, corn cob and anything you want to use to flavour the broth (I used the empty lobster shell I froze after making the delicious lobster rolls here). You could easily add some toasted sesame oil, bay leaves or pink berries if you want at this stage…basically whatever you like as long as it remains subtle in the amount of flavours it brings to the dish.
Lock the pot and set on high pressure for 10 minutes.
Turning the soup into a great chowder
While the soup is cooking chop the chives and green onions finely and reserve. A quick tip to get a nicer presentation at the end is to cut the onions with a slight angle.
When ready, use the quick-release method to drop the pressure in the pot, then discard any flavouring elements you used (i.e. lobster shell, cob, leaves, etc.).
Set the cooker back to Saute and add the half-half, flour and half the green onions. Bring to a boil while stirring vigorously to mix the flour and breaking down some of those potato dices to help getting a richer soup. Let it simmer for a few minutes until it thickens a bit.
Chowd’ah time!
Serve with bacon and garlic bits on top of the chowder and the remaining green onion and chives. Poppy seeds looks nice as well if you have some in your pantry.
A wedge of lemon on the side is a great addition if you want to bring a bit more acidity to the dish.
This chowder can be a great meal on its own with a side of toasted sliced roll and coleslaw or be a side itself to accompany other seafood-based delicacies from New England.
Next time I’ll try to add some fresh goat cheese to bring some tartness to the soup while banking on the comforting taste of hot goat cheese.
If you have ever been to the New England coast, you too have eaten countless lobster rolls along the way. And while everyone can agree on how delicious those are, two styles compete for the title of THE true Lobster roll.
The most famous version and the one you are most likely picturing in your head right now is from Maine: a to-die-for, mayo-based salad, simply laid on a toasted bun. If you aren’t a purist, you’ll allow some shaved celery to delicately join this tasty party.
The slightly less famous contender comes from the deep south – well… from Connecticut but it’s all relative in the end. Unlike its Northern rival, this roll is hot and relies on a melted-butter base.
Try both versions and decide for yourself what the best lobster recipe is.
Don’t be scared by the length of the recipe below. I wanted to give you everything you need to build each element from scratch but you can easily cut corners by buying ready-made buns or pre-cooked lobster.
Homemade New England hot dog buns
Yield: 10-ish hot buns
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbs active yeast (or substitute above with 1 cup of sourdough starter)
5 tbs buttermilk powder
1 tbs salt
1 tbs sugar
1/2 cup milk or buttermilk
1/2 cup water
1 egg (+ 1 for egg wash)
40g soft butter
For best results, plan to make the dough 24h in advance. It can also be done in just a few hours if you don’t have the time (or are just impatient, hungry, or most likely both).
In a standing mixer, with a dough hook, mix well together the flour, yeast, buttermilk powder, salt and sugar. In the meantime, bring the water and milk to a warmish temperature (about 100F / 38c). Add the liquids to the solids before dropping the egg in the batter.
Knead the dough until smooth (about 5 min). The texture you are looking for is a dough that does not stick to the side of the bowl but still a bit to the bottom. Add a teeny weeny bit of water if needed (different types of flour will hydrate differently).
Now, add the butter, piece by piece and keep on kneading for an other 5 minutes. In the end the dough is sticky, shinny and smells delicious. Cover the bowl with cling film and let it rise in the fridge for 24h. If you opt-out for the shortcut, simply put your bowl in a warm place (but not HOT) until doubled in size (about 1h).
Pre-heat your oven to 350F (180c).
To shape the buns, cut the dough in pieces of about 110g (around 10 pieces). Roll each on your table in a 4-inch long cigar. Press the center of the cigar with the side of your hand to create a small furrow. This is to help you pinch both side tightly together to create a smooth top. Place each bun 1/2 inch apart to have them bump into each other during the second proofing (or while cooking) and get those delicious soft sides that comes with New England style buns.
Brush some egg wash on top, to create a nice coloration and cook for 25-30min or until golden brown.
Note: If you bag them and place in the fridge they will stay equally delicious for a few days. I actually found them to be easier to work with on the next day and we both preferred the second round.
I also really recommend to trim a tiny bit each side to have a planer surface which helps get a much more evenly toasted side. It seems like applying the butter directly on the side instead of in the pan also achieve more toasted and crunchier sides.
Lobster salad (Maine)
Yield: 4-5 proud rolls from Maine
1 lbs lobster tail
3 tbs high-quality mayonnaise
2 tbs very thinly sliced celery heart
2 tbs chives
2 tsp celery seeds
2 tbs lemon juice
Splash of champagne vinegar (optional)
Salt & Pepper
The preparation for both versions is the same up to the final steps. First you need to flash-boil the tail to remove the lobster meat more easily. Lay it flat and place a skewer or chopstick between the meat and the shell to prevent the tail from curbing.
When the water is boiling, drop the lobster in the pan for one minute. Stop by putting the tail in an iced-water bath, then separate the meat from the shell. Technically, because you’ll cut that tail into pieces you could argue this step is not critical but it’s always a good way to learn how to remove lobster meat from its shell – plus it really is much simpler to remove the meat without butchering it.
Now for the actual cooking the easiest way to get perfect results without effort is to rely on a sous-vide. If you don’t have one you can steam or boil until the lobster turns bright red (about 8-10 minutes). However, you’ll thank me later for telling you to bag that bad boy with 2 tbs of butter and some fresh herbs. Cook for 30min to 1h at 130F (55c).
For Maine-inspired rolls, remove the cooked lobster and let it cool down. Cut it down into chunks making sure to remove the tougher tiny bits if there are any in your lobster. Mix with the rest of the ingredients before placing in the fridge until the last moment.
Toast each side of your New England buns in a hot buttered pan. Garnish them with the cold lobster salad. Close your eyes… take a bite… I’m sure you can almost hear the seagulls.
Butter-poached lobster (Connecticut)
Yield: 4-5 warm rolls from Connecticut
1 lbs Lobster tail
60g Butter (about 4 tbs)
2 tbs Chives
2 tbs Lemon juice
1 tsp Paprika (optional)
Salt & Pepper
Follow the steps above to remove the meat from the shell and cook the lobster to perfection. The difference here is that you’ll cut the meat while still hot, then melt the rest of the butter with the liquid that was in the bag if you opted for sous-vide cooking. Note 60g is the total amount of butter so subtract any amount you’ve already put in that pouch if you don’t want an extra buttery sauce. Add chives, lemon, salt, pepper and paprika to the melted butter.
Toast each side of your New England buns in a pan. Meanwhile, mix the lobster meat with the hot butter sauce (in a bowl to avoid having the lobster cooking a second time). Garnish (without soaking the bread with butter) and prepare for a treat.
Fresh green coleslaw
3 cups fine grated green cabbage
1 cup thinly sliced celery
3 tbs mayonnaise (or to taste)
1 tbs lemon juice (or to taste)
1 tbs celery seeds
1 tsp crushed coriander seeds
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tbs coarse salt
1 tsp pepper
Mix everything together appart from the mayonnaise. I prefer to do this by hand and massage the mixture for 2-3 min to make sure the salt is covering the pieces as evenly as possible.
Let the coleslaw rest for a good 30 minutes. The salt will do its magic and pickle the veggies slightly. The more you let it rest the more the salt will “cook” the cabbage. 30min offers a good balance between soft & crunchy. It is also usually the time it takes to do the rest of the recipe so start with the coleslaw and let it rest while you work on the above.
Stir before serving. Add lemon juice to taste.
So guys, what’s the verdict: Maine or Connecticut lobster rolls?
For our first dessert, I wanted to choose an ingredient that followed us through our entire trip in Brazil – outside of acai. And coconut imposed itself: from yogurt at breakfast, milk in countless dishes, to water on the beach or chunks in tapioca crepes, it was a very loyal companion along the way.
The simplicity, rapidity and versatility of this recipe makes it a great choice for dinners with friends or family…and is particularly on point after a main course on the heavy side.
Vegan Coconut Panna Cotta
Yield: 6 small panna cottas
1 can Coconut Milk (400g) 3 tbs Sugar (45g) 0.6g Agar agar powder (about an 1/8 tsp) 0.4g Xanthan Gum (Optional add 0.2g Agar if you don’t have Xanthan) 1 pinch Salt (0.2g) 3 tbs Water (at room temp)
Note: You can replace the agar/xanthan gum with 2 tsp gelatin if you prefer. You can also skip or substitute the sugar with 2 tbs of honey to fit a Paleo diet.
Sprinkle the agar agar on 3-4 tbs of water in the saucepan and let it bloom for 5min.
Mix in the other dry ingredients before adding the coconut milk.
Bring to a boil then reduce to a light simmer for about 5 minutes stirring constantly.
Divide into 6 small ramekins to let it cool down to room temperature.
Leave in the fridge for at least 4 hours, so it has time to set fully.
Covered, it can be kept for a few days.
Tip: to unmold them easily, slightly grease the ramekins with coconut oil before pouring the mixture in.
Variations
I made a few tests with either half coconut milk/half coconut cream or with a half of heavy cream.
Heavy cream brings extra creaminess and a silkier texture but also makes it much heavier. While this can be perfect for some occasion, on a hot lazy day I enjoy the lighter and fresher version above more.
The coconut cream enhances the taste, but I ended up with a grainier texture a few times…maybe passing the mixture through a fine sieve could help but, I haven’t tried this yet.
Deluxe lime curd
And to bring a little kick to the dish, there is nothing better than the star of Brazil’s national drink, lime – here turned into curd. This version is a slight adaptation I made of the incredible Sous-vide Meyer lemon curd, from Modernist Cuisine. You need to have a Sous-vide and it requires slightly more work than more traditional recipes, but it is so worth it.
Yield: 1 cup
5 yolks 5 tbs Sugar Juice of 2 Limes 2 tbs Lime zest 1 Butter stick at room temperature (113g) A pinch of salt
Preheat your Sous-vide to 149F (65c).
While the water is heating, separate the yolks from the whites and bag them. The water-displacement method with a zip-top bag can be simpler but regular Sous-vide bags work too as long as you are familiar with your vacuum machine. If in doubt just go with the water-displacement. Massage the pouch gently to burst the yolks.
Pasteurize them Sous-vide for 35 minutes.
In the meantime, place the sugar, salt and zest in a saucepan with 2 tbs of lime juice and cook for a couple of minutes until the syrup is clear. Pour in a smaller recipient and let the syrup cool down to room temperature.
Pour the pasteurized yolks in a blender, add the syrup gradually while blending. Add cubes of butter one by one until completely blended then add the rest of lime juice.
The Modernist Cuisine recommends to refrigerate for 4h but I prefer to serve the curd straight away or at least when brought back to room temperature.
Covered and in the fridge, the curd can be kept for a few days.
Check out this more traditional lime curd from Nutmeg Nanny if you want a faster, but still delicious option.
Vegan alternative: mango/maracuya coulis
If you want to keep it simple or are looking for a vegan option, this mango and maracuya coulis is a perfect, sweet and tangy alternative.
180g Mango 30g Passion fruit pulp Honey to taste (optional)
If using frozen fruit, you can defrost them in the microwave but make sure not to cook them. I prefer to let them thaw on the counter when doing the Panna Cotta.
Blend everything and correct acidity with some honey to taste. Keep in mind that you want the coulis to stay acidic enough to give the Panna Cotta a kick.
Impossible to visit Brazil without tasting those delicious small breads. A pao de queijo hides under its crust a soft and chewy heart of cheesy dough. They are a great option to have easy to make appetizers that are both original and delicious on your table. Added bonus if you’re looking for tasty gluten-free recipes as this one will please any crowd regardless of how they feel about the question.
They are traditionally made with Tapioca flour and aged Queijo minas but after making a few batches, I actually prefered to start from small Tapioca pearls that I grind in a blender to give more texture to the dough. Also as aged Queijo minas is hard to find you can substitute it with other hard pressed cheeses. Most recipes out there call for 100% Parmesan however so far I found the best results were with a 70/30 combination of a Mexican cheese called Cojita and Parmesan. You can’t really go wrong though so I’d encourage you to keep playing with different cheeses and combinations to find what you love the most.
Yield: 16 balls of goodness
1 cup whole milk
2 tbs butter
1 tbs coconut oil
1.5 cup small Tapioca pearls
1 Egg
175g Cheese (125g Cojita + 50g Parmesan)
1 tsp Salt
If like me you start from Tapioca pearls, grind them in a blender until you get a somewhat fine flour with still a few bits and pieces in it. Alternatively you can just go with regular Tapioca flour but I find the texture of the crust slightly more interesting when starting with pearls.
In a sauce pan bring the Milk, Butter, Coconut oil and Salt to a simmer then pour the Tapioca in the pan. As the dough can be very sticky, some prefer to work it in a standing mixer while others will be fine with just mixing in the same pan. At this point, the dough does require a bit of a leap of faith as it is still grainy and sticky. Believe me it will be fine except if it is super dry (in which case just add a TINY bit of hot water).
Let it rest a bit to allow the tapioca to hydrate and the dough to cool down. Once it is cool to the touch, it is a good time to preheat your oven to 400F (or 200 Celsius) before adding the Egg and Cheese to the bowl. Mix until completely incorporated.
If the dough is too sticky to form the balls, just wet your hands regularly to make the process easier. All sizes work but something about as big as a ping-pong ball gives a nice crust-to-chewy heart ratio. As it does not rise a lot so you’ll be fine by letting about an inch of space between each ball.
Cook in the oven between 20 and 30min depending on how much crust you want to have.
They are best served when still warm. Enjoy!
Shelf-life and Freezing
Once the balls are formed you can keep them up to 2 days in cling film in the fridge if you need to. However, they freeze perfectly at that point and can be cooked from frozen so that’s what I would recommend doing if you made a bigger batch. Just add about 10min next time you put them in the oven.
In the unlikely event you have some left-overs, you can keep them in cling film in your fridge for 1 or 2 days and reheat quickly in the microwave. Spoiler alert: it’s not as good but I doubt you’ll find anyone able to say no to one and it’s still better than wasting them.
What I want to try next
As the base is some milk you warm up, I’m curious to test infusing it with various ingredients in the first step. I tried with shallots but the taste was not noticeable. Next I’ll try to play a bit with chilies, garlic, cloves, nutmeg or other spices.
As usual please share below any challenge you faced, ideas or variations you particularly liked.
If I had to pick one shining star from our trip in Brazil it would be Acai bowls. So simple but so versatile, great for breakfast while also perfect for late afternoon snacks, comforting and yet perfectly healthy. The best part is that it is easy to explore different option and craft a bowl that match exactly what you want at that time.
Let’s go through where to find the ingredients and some tips on what you can put in your next Acai.
Ingredients
Yield: 2 bowls (or 3 small ones)
200g Acai (Frozen)
20g Passion fruit pulp (Frozen)
10 chunks Mango (Frozen)
1 ripe Banana
2 tbs Agave syrup ( or Maple syrup/Honey)
A handful of your favorite granola
Where to buy Acai and tropical fruits?
The biggest challenge you are most likely to face if you are not leaving in Brazil or any place Acai/tropical fruits are easy to find will be availability and affordability. I don’t know for you but I certainly don’t like planning my snacks two weeks in advance to leave enough time for my tasteless mangos to turn from solid rocks into something somewhat edible. And that’s assuming all the fruits all ripping on the same schedule. The easiest (and cheaper) option here is to rely on frozen pulp and fruits to be able to prep a bowl whenever you feel like it.
Personally I’ve been perfectly happy with the Acai puree from Trader Joe’s and GOYA frozen fruits. It might not be the best of the best for purists but they provided a reliable good taste/consistency without having my snack costing more than my couch.
If you prefer online alternatives then buying in bulk might be a good option but also requires to buy a lot upfront to bring the cost per pack down enough. Nativo Acai is good and can cost $1.75 per pack if you go crazy on the 88-pack bundle. But honestly as we don’t already have enough space in our apartment to fit pretty much anything I can’t see us buy half-a-ton of frozen Acai. Apologies for the folks not located in the US, I’ll have less visibility on how you can get your hands on reasonably good and affordable Acai but frozen Acai and fruits still remain what I’d be looking for if the fresh stuff is not easily available where you are.
How to make the perfect Acai bowl?
Bottom line is it’s very simple! You always start with 100g Acai per person then based on your mood you decide on:
How creamy do you want the base? Add a frozen Banana or an Avocado to make it extra creamy.
How liquid should it be? Overall it’s best to keep the liquids added to a minimum but sometimes it will help blend everything together and also you might prefer it more liquid.
Go down the path of fruity flavors with guess what, fruits…
… or follow a more Nutty side.
Want to add some zesty kick? Lime or Passion fruit pulp are perfect for that.
Adjust sweetness to your taste (e.g. Agave syrup, Maple syrup, honey)
Toppings of your choice: nutty (e.g. granola, chia seeds) or fruits (e.g. pineapple, mango) or both.
Here are a few ideas of what to put in your Acai
If you don’t have a powerful blender, opt for a food processor and if you don’t have one then it’s going to be hard. In that case I’d recommend to let the ingredients thaw a little and hope for the best.
Otherwise, just throw all the fruits and syrup in the blender and mix till everything is smooth. Dress your bowls with a bit of your favorite granola/fruits and enjoy.
Get your fruits readyPut everything in the blender (even the Acai)Blend it thoroughly Dress bowls with a bit of your favorite granola/fruits and enjoy.
Delicious Acai bowl variations
In this bowl I tried to bring some fruity roundness with banana and mango while punching a bit of zesty passion fruit without overpowering the Acai. Also both Lola and myself are not big sweet-tooth I kept the sugar to a low amount.
The cool thing with Acai though is it’s dead simple to make it your own by adding more or less of any parts.
Below are other options I really like:
Use a tiny bit of coconut milk for a more liquid version with more granola on top.
Blend with oatmeal, no fruits inside but top with mango chunks and strawberries.
Next 2 things on my list are to use Acai to make ice cream
and as a sauce in a meaty/fishy dish. If you tried any of the above, let me
know in the comments.
If anything, Brazil is known for its love for meat. To start the travel-inspired serie with this recipe I tried to find a way to bring the spirit of the two most famous Brazillian meat dishes in a single plate: Feijoada (meaty bean stew) and Picanha (grilled beef cut). The focus was on not having one overpowering the other while still ending up with a result a bit more digest than the traditional X + bean & rice & farofa (toasted manioc flour) combo you usually find in your plate in Brazil.
As explained in this post, my goal in this serie is not to provide yet an other copy of purely traditional recipes but to use local ingredients/techniques from a travel to create a dish inspired by our memories there.
Note that you can decide to pick each part individually and totally prepare on its own if you prefer/don’t have the time to do the full set.
Rub steak with the mix of salt, pepper and garlic powder. Let it rest for 1h at room temperature.
The Picanha cut requires more cooking time than if you opted for sirloin. I personally find sous vide to be the best approach to cook meat (especially beef and pork) as it gives you delicious and consistent results without the need to babysit the meat. Sure cooking times are longer but you can just drop the meat and forget about it to focus on the rest. Set the water temperature to 131F and let it cook for 2 hours.
Depending on how salty you want the result to be you can decide to remove the excess of rub before bagging the steak if you prefer. Personally I like the salted meat texture you get when cooking with the full rub on and especially how it contrast with the fresh salsa.
Sure it’s not super appealing when packed sous vide but it’s worth it
Once cooked let it rest for 5 min then pat dry with towel paper and very quickly finish with a broiler, cast-iron pan or a blowtorch to develop a nice crust. Note the meat can be kept up to 4 hours in the water bath without being overcooked so no stress if the first few drinks with your guests end up taking longer than expected.
If you don’t have a sous vide you can also achieve good results by panfrying the meat 20-25min depending on thickness (turning every 5-6 minutes).
Feijoida-inspired black beans
2 cup Black beans
1 fresh Chorizo
4 baby back Ribs
2 slices of Bacon
5 cups Beef stock
2 tbs Balsamic vinegar
2 Bay leaves & 8 crushed Pink berries
4 large Garlic cloves
1 large Onion
4 tbs Cornstarch
Salt & Pepper
Slice chorizo and bacon. Sauté in a hot pan to sear it before adding roughly chopped garlic and onion. Cook for 5 min longer. Divide the ribs into individual portions.
Put all the ingredients (except the starch) in a pressure cooker. Don’t forget to scrap that pan or use a silicon spatula to get all those delicious bits from the pan to the cooker.
Pressure cooker settings:
Pressure: High
Program: Manual or Beans
Time: 1h15 (+ about 15min natural pressure release)
Once the pressure has been naturally released, open the pressure cooker and mix cornstarch to thicken the sauce. The keep warm feature is perfect for the sauce to develop into a smooth consistency. Give it a good stir to mix the meat evenly.
This dish is almost better when eaten the next day as the flavors tend to be more deeply infused. You might have to add a tiny bit of water while reheating if the beans drank all the sauce.
Fresh salsa
2-3 heirloom Tomatoes
8 chunks of Mango
1/4 Navel orange
2 tbs finely minced Shallot
1 tsp ground Coriander seeds
Juice from 1 Lime
1 tbs finely minced fresh Red pepper (one not crazily hot)
Salt & Pepper
Cut Tomatoes, Orange and Mango into small pieces. Mix everything together.
If you can, do try to prepare the salsa a few hours in advance to give plenty of time for the flavors to develop and blend nicely.
One small tip for ripe tropical fruits if those are not easy to find where you live is to rely on frozen chunks. I know it’s not like the real deal but still better than those rock solid tasteless mangoes. I always have some Pineapple, Mango, Passion fruit in my freezer ready to join a colorful salsa. Side benefit is you can use 8 chunks here without buying the whole fruit.
Plating
Serve the beans with some orange slices (optional). Slice the Beef against the grain for the table and complete with a side of Salsa. It’s always a good idea to reheat the meat juice quickly in a pan to make a simple jus to put on the meat but that’s only if you feel like it.
Enjoy!
If you have suggestions, ideas or questions please let me know in the comments.
Full list of ingredients
Grilled Picanha 1 lbs Picanha (alternatively Sirloin) 2 tbs Garlic powder 2 tbs Salt 2 tbs Black pepper
Feijoada-inspired Black beans 2 cup Black beans 1 fresh Chorizo 4 baby back Ribs 2 slices of Bacon 5 cups Beef stock 2 tbs Balsamic vinegar Salt & Pepper 2 crushed Bay leaves & 8 Pink berries 4 large Garlic cloves 1 large Onion 4 tbs Cornstarch
Fresh Salsa 2-3 heirloom Tomatoes 8 chunks of Mango 1/4 Navel orange 2 tbs finely minced Shallot 1 tsp ground Coriander seeds Juice from 1 Lime 1 tbs finely minced fresh Red pepper (one not crazily hot) Salt & Pepper
Cooking has always been a passion rooted deeply in me and while not professionally trained I always try to improve my skills by looking out for new ingredients, new ways to prepare them as well as combinations I’m not familiar with in how to bring them together. Over the years we have been fortunate enough with Lola to live in several countries with very different cooking cultures and discovered even more diversity through our travels in which food always takes the leading role.
To feed that curiosity further I thought it would be an interesting experiment to use our various explorations from the travel section and pick each destination as a starting point to explore local ingredients, recipes and cooking styles to create recipes connecting the incredible source of novelty that exists out there with the sum of everything we have been lucky to discover so far.
The cherry on the top would be to use this as an opportunity to connect with you to hear your ideas, improvement suggestions, techniques, traditional or modernist to share something even richer.
Let’s see where that leads us. First stop: Brazil!
The Frogs 