My Traditional Brazilian Recipes for your Christmas Dinner

Mustard Mousse


A perfect accompaniment for baked ham or pork roast
Ingredients
•    1 (1/4 ounce) envelope unflavored gelatin
•    1/4 cup lemon juice
•    4 eggs
•    3/4 cup sugar
•    3 tablespoons dijon-style mustard
•    1/2 teaspoon salt
•    1/2 cup cider vinegar
•    1/2 cup water
•    1/2 pint whipping cream, whipped
•    2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

Directions:

1.  Sprinkle the gelatin over the lemon juice and let it stand for about 5 minutes to soften.

2.  In a medium-size saucepan whisk the eggs and add the sugar, mustard, salt, vinegar and water. Beat until well blended.

3.  Add the softened gelatin mixture.

4.  Place the saucepan over moderate heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken;do not allow the mixture to boil.

5;  Refrigerate until the mixture is thickened and almost set, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula to determine thickness (the mixture should make soft mounds when scooped up and dropped from the spatula). Meanwhile, oil a 4-cup mold and set it aside.

6.  When the gelatin/mustard mixture has thickened, gently fold the whipped cream and parsley into the thickened mixture.

7.  Pour the mousse into the prepared mold, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight to set. May be refrigerated up to 3 days.

8.  To unmold, run the tip of table knife around the edges of the mold, dip the bottom of the mold in warm water and invert onto a serving platter. I use a Tupperware mold, so it just slips right out.

CHRISTMAS MORING ‘WIFE SAVER’ (or in my case HUBBY SAVER)


Actually this is a traditional Canadian dish that I make for my Brazilian family on Christmas morning, they love it. I love it too, I prepare it the night before so there’s almost nothing to do on Christmas morning.

Ingredients

•    16 slices bread, crust removed
•    sliced or finely chopped ham
•    sliced cheese (cheddar, queijo prato or mozzarella)
•    6 eggs
•    1/2 teaspoon salt
•    1/2 teaspoon black pepper
•    1/2-1 teaspoon dry mustard
•    1/4 cup minced onion
•    1/4 cup green pepper, finely chopped
•    1 -2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
•    3 cups whole milk
•    1 dash Tabasco sauce (optional)
•    1/4 lb butter, melted
•    enough crushed corn flakes, to cover

Directions:

1.  In a 9"X 13" buttered pan, put 8 slices of bread that the crust has been removed.
2.  Add ham layered over bread.
3.  Layer cheese over ham.
4.  Cover with rest of bread.
5.  In bowl beat eggs, salt and pepper.
6.  To egg mixture add dry mustard, onion, green pepper, Worcestershire sauce, milk and Tabasco (optional) Pour over bread, cover and let stand in fridge overnight.
Next  morning
7.  In the morning cover with crushed corn flakes.
8.  Melt 1/4 lb. butter and pour over top of flakes.
9.  Bake uncovered for 1 hour in a medium oven 350º F. / 180º C.
10.  When baked let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

I serve icy cold orange juice mixed with Champagne as a starter and a nice hot mug of coffee goes down really well with it too.

Baked Ham with Honey/Orange Glaze


Choose a rolled ham (here they're called a "Tender") of the desired size.

Remove from the wrapper and with a sharp knife make diagonal cuts through the skin in opposite directions (forming diamond shapes).

Stud the ham with whole cloves (Cravo da India)

Make a mixture of 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup orange juice, brush half of the mixture over the ham and wrap with aluminum foil.

Bake for 30 minutes in a medium oven (180°C)

Remove the foil wrapping, brush with the remaining half of the honey/orange mixture and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.

Let stand a few minutes before serving / Serve with Mustard Mousse as accompaniment.

AAAaaaappetizing

Roast Turkey/Chester a Brasileira with farofa 

Preparation time         2h 00min
Yield                    15 servings

INGREDIENTS

•    1 large Turkey or Chester (if you prefer buy pre-seasoned)
•    7 tablespoons of margarine
•    200 g olives (pitted)
•    250 g smoked sausage (sliced)
•    100g bacon cut into small cubes
•    2 medium onions cut into small cubes
•    1 1/2 cups of raisins, dark or light
•    300 g of cassava flour (Farinha de Mandioca)
•    3 cloves of garlic
•    2 large tomatoes, peeled and seeds removed
Other optional ingredients can be dried apricots, cashews or walnut chunks, dried banana chips, dried pineapple chunks, etc.  Lots of room for experimentation here!

PREPARATION

Prepare the turkey with seasoning to your taste or buy already seasoned
If you do season it yourself do it in advance so that the bird takes on the flavor

Prepare farofa (stuffing) in a large skillet, place 4 tablespoons of butter in a pan and let heat

Then place the diced onion, let it brown slightly and add the 3 cloves of garlic

When  golden add  the other ingredients, the bacon, sausage, olives, tomatoes, pausing a bit between these ingredients, allowing the bacon and sausage to sauté a bit

Add the cassava flour and stir for a few minutes and add salt (to taste)

Remove from burner and add the raisins

Stuff the turkey and set aside the rest of the  farofa crumbs to decorate when you take it to the table

Use the rest of margarine to paint the turkey wrap and then with foil and bake in the oven for baking (Note: I prefer to place a few strips of bacon on top of the bird as well)

Preheat the oven to medium (200 ° C)
Smear the bird with 1 tablespoon of margarine and cover with foil
Bake for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, remove the aluminum foil and complete cooking until the plastic thermometer pops up (about 1 hour 30 minutes).

Serve excess stuffing accompanying the bird.

Christmas Dinner / Ceia de Natal



In Brazil, Christmas Dinner is traditionally served on Christmas Eve, not on Christmas Night as in North America and many other countries. It is a time for family to celebrate and usually ends up just before midnight since most Brazilians attend a Christmas Eve service that begins before midnight.

The meal is served buffet style with several dishes, accompaniments, deserts spread over a large table. Large trays of fresh fruits and bowls of nuts are almost obligatory to complete the table setting.

With only a few exceptions the meal is not at all unlike that in North America or Europe, however with a definite Brazilian/Tropical twist. Common dishes are:

Bacalhau (cod), Roast Turkey or Chester, Baked Ham or Pork Roast, this is sometimes replaced by a roast piglet, Rice, Farofa (stuffing),Salads, Fruit Salads, etc. and of course various deserts.

One traditional accompaniment that is almost universal in Brasil is "Rabanada" which is a dish like French Toast that is made with medallions of sliced French bread rolls, dredged in sugar and cinnamon after cooking. No self respecting Brazilian table would be without this dish for the Ceia de Natal.

TRADITIONAL SALPICÃO (CHICKEN SALAD)


















INGREDIENTS

•    500 g chicken breast, cooked and shredded
•    2 large carrots, grated
•    1 can of peas
•    1 can of (kernel) corn
•    200 g rasins
•    1 apple, diced
•    Mayonnaise (enough to reach desired consistency)
•    Cheiro verde, chopped (mixture of parsley, chive, marjoram stalks)
•    1 – 2 pkg. Shoestring potatoes

DIRECTIONS

Combine all the ingredients, except the Shoestring potatoes, in a large bowl or Pyrex pan and chill well. Top with the Shoestring potatoes just before bringing it to the table.

Vatapá Baiano


This is the version generally most commonly found in Bahia of the traditional Brazilian dish.







Ingredients:

•    500g dried prawns
•    2 liters of coconut milk “LEITE DE COCO”  (preferably natural)
•    150g of roasted peanuts and without skin
•    150g cashew nuts
•    ½ bunch of "CHEIRO VERDE" parsley/chive/marjoram stalks
•    ½ bunch coriander/cilantro “COENTRO”
•    4 tomatoes, chopped
•    2 large onions, chopped
•    2 cups palm oil “AZEITE DE DENDE”
•    1 tablespoon olive oil
•    3 cups all-purpose flour or approximately 10 stale French bread rolls
•    Salt to taste
•    1 small piece of ginger grated

Preparation:

Clean the prawns, removing the tail and the head, separating half. Beat in blender peanuts, cashews and half the shrimp to turn a homogeneous crumbly “farofa” consistency. Dissolve the flour in ½ liter of cold coconut milk. If using bread, place it in the same amount of coconut milk. Place the remaining coconut milk into the large pot. Whisk the spices in blender, place the pan on heat and add the flour, or bread, add the “farofa” seasonings, shrimp, peanuts and cashews. Do not stop stirring to avoid lumps. Add palm oil, olive oil the other half of the shrimps, salt and ginger. Continue to stir until boiling well. The vatapá should have a firm, but creamy texture. If it becomes too stiff, add more coconut milk if it gets too soft, add more flour or bread.

Serve with rice

Traditional Caldo Verde



Preparation time:  30min
Servings:  5















INGREDIENTS

•    4 medium potatoes (peeled)
•    1 cube of chicken stock or packet of Sazzon seasoning powder
•    1 Tbsp. of oil
•    1 Tsp. (shallow) salt or to taste
•    5 cups of water
•    1 cup of kale cut into thin shreds (Couve Manteiga)
•    1 large Calabresa smoked sausage sliced in thin rounds

PREPARATION

Put potatoes, chicken broth, oil, water and salt in a pressure cooker

Cook for about 10 minutes, start counting the time after the pan begin to sizzle, until the potatoes break up

Beat everything in a blender or with a potato masher until smooth and creamy

Add the sliced sausage and boil for a few more minutes

Turn off the heat and add the kale

Before serving, drizzle with a little olive oil and garnish with croutons

Champagne with Orange/Pineapple Juice Cocktail



A great refreshing beverage for Christmas dinner or Christmas morning brunch.

Mix equal amounts of chilled Champagne and either icy cold orange juice or pineapple juice. Stir well and serve in champagne flute or tulip. Garnish with your choice of orange slice, pineapple wedge and you can even toss in a cherry or strawberry.

For non-alcoholic version substitute champagne for sparkling grape juice or de-alcoholized  sparkling white wine/champagne.

I prefer my homemade pineapple juice for this cocktail... I save all the pineapple rinds I've cut off fresh pineapples to eat, keep them in the freezer and just toss them into the blender with ice water, sugar and ice cubes. Blend at high speed, strain and serve....wow

Personal Message to Christine - Administrator,

Hi there, I see you've been checking out my recipies and like what you see. They're easy to prepare so go for it, I'm sure you will find Brazilian food sensational.

I have "no fault insurance" - if you do my recipies and get fat it's "no fault" of mine. hahahahaha  I don't do LIGHT.

Try them, really you'll love them too..... bon apetite

Cheers,
James

Hello James,

Thank you for sharing your recipes. I will try them.

Cheers
Christine

Holy frijoles!  You may be right about this making me fat.

How do you post pictures like this?

Hailey,

Like the older movies with people using AOL say "You've Got Mail"

Cheers,
James

AOL?  We read about that in history class.

Kids these days! Humph. hahahahaha

Guess I really am showing my age. Not to mention the fact that my Canadian driver's license number was 0003. But seriously, I really do remember AOL

Jerked Beef With Pumpkin (Carne Seca com Abóbora)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, cut into small cubes
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 green pepper, cut into small cubes
4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped into small cubes
Black pepper to taste
1 kg of jerked beef cut into cubes, desalted and scalded
Salt if necessary
1 kg of pumpkin cut into cubes approximately 3 cm
2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Preparation

In a saucepan, combine the oil, onion and garlic and sauté lightly. Add the peppers, tomatoes, pepper and jerked beef. Adjust the salt.

Sauté and add hot water slowly until the meat is tender and a sauce is formed in the pan. Add the pumpkin and cook until soft without breaking.

Serve in a large hollowed out pumpkin or several smaller ones that have been boiled or cooked in a microwave until they are almost soft (a little al dente)

Greek Rice

INGREDIENTS
Preparation time 1hr.
Yield               6 servings

3 cups of rice
6 cups of water
1 box of raisins
Grated Parmesan cheese
5 tablespoons of peas
butter
oil
Peppers, onions, parsley, green onions and carrots
salt

PREPARATION

In a large saucepan boil water, salt and a little oil
When the water boils, add the washed and drained rice
Stir well and lower the heat and let the water boil off
When done, remove the rice from the heat, cover and let stand until it is completely ready
Separately, heat a saucepan with the butter and then fry the raisins and peas. Put them on a large platter.
Stir in green onions, carrot, bell pepper, onion - cut into small pieces - parsley and parmesan
Stir in the cooked rice, mixing it thoroughly

That rice looks great.  We have a lot of rice around here, but it looks nothing like that.

Yeah Hailey,

When the subject is rice the Brazilians aren't the purists that the Chinese are. Guess living in the tropics makes them a bit more adventurist too.

Cheers,
James

wjwoodward wrote:

Vatapá Baiano

[img align=L]http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSTqSj5FJO6lWIFzk6mLrJNcSCGQJ3MUkuPXjfQVQUZy0es7BjH[/url]
This is the version generally most commonly found in Bahia of the traditional Brazilian dish.

This is what I want to try.
Thanks for sharing it.







Ingredients:

•    500g dried prawns
•    2 liters of coconut milk “LEITE DE COCO”  (preferably natural)
•    150g of roasted peanuts and without skin
•    150g cashew nuts
•    ½ bunch of "CHEIRO VERDE" parsley/chive/marjoram stalks
•    ½ bunch coriander/cilantro “COENTRO”
•    4 tomatoes, chopped
•    2 large onions, chopped
•    2 cups palm oil “AZEITE DE DENDE”
•    1 tablespoon olive oil
•    3 cups all-purpose flour or approximately 10 stale French bread rolls
•    Salt to taste
•    1 small piece of ginger grated

Preparation:

Clean the prawns, removing the tail and the head, separating half. Beat in blender peanuts, cashews and half the shrimp to turn a homogeneous crumbly “farofa” consistency. Dissolve the flour in ½ liter of cold coconut milk. If using bread, place it in the same amount of coconut milk. Place the remaining coconut milk into the large pot. Whisk the spices in blender, place the pan on heat and add the flour, or bread, add the “farofa” seasonings, shrimp, peanuts and cashews. Do not stop stirring to avoid lumps. Add palm oil, olive oil the other half of the shrimps, salt and ginger. Continue to stir until boiling well. The vatapá should have a firm, but creamy texture. If it becomes too stiff, add more coconut milk if it gets too soft, add more flour or bread.

Serve with rice

Apricot Charlotte
THE CROWNING TOUCH FOR CHRISTMAS DINNER



Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks
• 3 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 liter milk
• 50 g chopped apricots
• 1/2 cup  fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons orange liquor (optional)
• 20 champagne biscuits
• 200 g of apricot jam
• 1 cup water
• 200 g dried apricots

Preparation

1. Beat the egg yolks with 1 cup of sugar, place in a saucepan and add the cornstarch dissolved in milk and chopped apricots.
2. Bring to a simmer and stir until thickened. Let cool.
3. Line Pyrex or metal form (round) with plastic wrap, greased with margarine.
4. Mix the orange juice and liquor.
5. Moisten 14 cookies and distribute them around the side of the form vertically.
6. Break the remaining biscuits coarsely and soak them in the mixture and orange liqueur.
7. Alternate layers of cream, apricot jam and biscuits broken up until ingredients are used up.
8. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
9. Prepare the syrup: In a saucepan, combine the remaining sugar, the water and add the apricots.
10. Place over low heat and, without stirring, cook until a thick syrup.
11. Let cool and serve with Charlotte.

Well, after spending all day in the kitchen everything is finally ready and I'm just waiting for the in-laws to arrive. Party time! Uuuhuuuuuuu!!!

Well, guess it's time to resurrect this topic again in case anyone wants to give some of my recipies a try.

I'm getting off lucky this year, we've been invited to a family gathering in another district, everybody is bringing a dish, so I don't have to do all the cooking this year.

I got strict orders from my mother-in-law that the family is expecting my Bacalhau ao Forno! Could it be that's because salt-cod is so-o-o-o-o-o darned expensive??? Well anyway, they love it and so do I, so what the heck.... darned the expense, give the cat another canary I always say!!!

OMG, you are an excellent chef! Just today I happened to see this thread. Thanks a lot for sharing!!

i love the receipies!  i HAVE to try one for sure. Will letyou know how it went. thanks!

Hi soie5,

Thanks for your comment. If you liked those recipes then you should try THESE!  You'll love them too.

Cheers,
William James Woodward, Expat-blog Experts Team

Tis the season to bump this topic thread back up to the top of the list. ENJOY.

My gosh, I can't really cook all that well, but I want to try cooking these. Thanks for the recipes James! You need to write a book, I will get a copy! Add more junk food and desserts please, I enjoy those most.

Hi Tiger,

If you think these are good you should check out my other recipes then....

TRADITIONAL BRAZILIAN RECIPES

Cheers,
James

Hi all,

Just bumping this topic up in case any of you are wanting to try some traditional Brazilian dishes for dinner.

Good thing that Christmas only comes once a year. The price of Norwegian cod is insane this year. I bought 1.7Kg yesterday and paid R$104 just for the cod. Hope my mother-in-law appreciates this.

Cheers,
James
expat.com Experts Team

We, here in Iguaba Grande, are going to eat the Mower