Yummy Recipes, as Promised!

Back in September, we put together a little Brazilian-flavored get-together to visit with friends and family in the US.  It was awesome to see so many loved ones again and share this little bit of our family's culture with them!  I guess the food turned out pretty well, as I was asked for recipes by several people.  So, for those who requested recipes (and anyone else who would just like to try something new and fun), here they are:

First, the Cachorro Quente (Hot Dog) recipe that we used can be found here.  Apparently I enjoy it so much, I already posted it a while back! :)  

Now, the Pizzas!  Here is the Stroganoff recipe I make for the File com Batata Palha pizza (Filet with Potato Straws, as in Filet Mignon, but I used a cheaper meat cut).  

Tiago grilled the chicken wrapped in bacon American-style.

1 lb beef, cubed (the tenderer, the better)
1 Tablespoon flour
2 T butter
1 medium onion, chopped
Ketchup
Mustard
Worcestershire Sauce
Salt & Pepper
Heavy Cream
Mushrooms (if desired)

In a medium bowl, mix the cubed meat with the flour and some salt and pepper.  It does not have to be totally coated, but usually has just a fine layer of flour on the outside before cooking.  Cook the onion in the butter until soft and a bit browned.  Then add meat and cook at medium-high until it is well-done on the outside (but don't cook TOO long or it will be tougher). Turn heat to low. Add mushrooms, about 1/2 cup ketchup, a couple tablespoons mustard, and about a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.  (Honestly, I don't usually measure these ingredients; I just keep adding until the sauce looks about right to me.  You can also add tomato sauce, either instead of or in addition to the ketchup.)  The resulting sauce will be mostly brownish with a hint of red.  Last, add about 1/2 cup heavy cream and mix well. Season with salt and pepper as desired, and once it is warm enough for your liking, remove from heat.  This recipe is AWESOME served over white rice, so sometimes I make it for lunch as is, and then another time use the left-overs to make the pizza.  

For the pizza, you can use whatever crust you prefer - homemade, store-bought, ... Just cook it most of the way through before adding this topping, or your crust will never fully cook.  Also, allow the stroganoff to cool before putting it on the crust.  Then top with potato straws, and bake for about 5-10 minutes.  Voila!  Enjoy your super-delicious meaty pizza.

Margarita Pizza - All it has is the pizza crust, topped with mozzarella cheese and sliced fresh tomatoes, then sprinkled with basil.  So simple, but I LOVE it!!

Corn Pizza - Lissie's personal favorite!  Again, just a crust, topped with Mozzarella Cheese and a can of corn.  Sprinkle with oregano, if you like.  

Pao de Queijo - This one I have also posted previously, again here.  But it is so yummy, it is worth repeating!  We found that the "Polvilho Azedo" actually is available to order through Amazon.com.  It was called "Sour Starch" and here is a link to it on their site.  But if you're gonna go through the trouble to buy something online, you may just prefer to get the Cheese Bread mix here.  Either way, it is sooooo good!!!

Now, on to my personal favorites, the sweet stuff!  

Beijinhos (Little Kisses)

The dessert table - If only I had thought to take pictures BEFORE everyone ate...

1 can sweetened, condensed milk
1 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons grated coconut to mix in(optional)
grated coconut to roll candies in

In a small saucepan, cook the sweetened, condensed milk and butter at a medium-low temperature.  Mix continuously, scraping sides and bottom well throughout.  Continue cooking until the mixture thickens and starts to leave the sides of the pan when stirred.  (I think it is about a soft-ball candy temperature.)  Remove from heat, and stir in 4 T coconut, if desired.  Allow to cool.  After it has cooled, butter your hands slightly.  Roll about a teaspoon at a time, into balls.  Then roll in coconut or coarse sugar to coat.  If the candy is super sticky and won't stay in a ball, it was not cooked long enough. You can instead just get some small plastic spoons and serve it by the spoonful, if you like.  Or just eat it all yourself, with a spoon!  If it is too hard to scoop out and won't roll smooth, it was cooked too long.  It will still taste yummy, even though it looks deformed.  It may take a few tries to find just the right "Done" point.

Brigadeiros (Brigadiers)

1 can sweetened, condensed milk
1 tablespoon butter
2-3 tablespoons Cocoa powder (depending on how chocolatey you like them)
chocolate sprinkles to roll candies in

Follow the same instructions as above for "Beijinhos", only add the cocoa in before cooking.  (You could actually put coconut in these too, and I think they would be really good!!  But traditionally, no coconut.)  

Mousse de Maracujá (Passionfruit Mousse)

1 can sweetened, condensed milk
1 box (200 g) heavy cream
Maguary passion fruit juice concentrate (here)

Put sweetened, condensed milk and heavy cream in a blender.  Use the same measurement as heavy cream to measure out the passion fruit juice.  (Here the cream comes in a small box, so I just refill the same box with the juice.)  Blend for about 5 minutes, or until everything is well-mixed and starting to thicken.  Pour into a serving dish, and refrigerate for a couple hours before serving.  It should thicken up more when chilled.

Sensaçao de Morango (Strawberry Sensation)

(This is one of my favorite desserts ever!!  I found the recipe I used here, so I will just translate it in this post.  I take no credit for it.)

2 cans sweetened, condensed milk
2 cups heavy cream 
2 boxes strawberries, washed and cut in halves (though US strawberry boxes are bigger, so you can probably just use 1)
about 300 g semi sweet chocolate, chopped (chocolate chips would also work) 
1 Tablespoon butter

In a shallow serving dish, place strawberry halves, flat-side down, covering most of the bottom of the dish.  Reserve some strawberries to decorate the top though.  Cook the sweetened, condensed milk and butter in a saucepan, following the instructions above for "Beijinhos".  Once it has thickened, pour it over the strawberries.  Melt the chocolate and mix with the heavy cream.  (An easy way to do this is heat the cream until just before it boils, and then pour it over the chocolate pieces.  Stir with a wisk until all pieces are melted and the chocolate mixture is smooth.)  Spread chocolate over the other mixture.  Decorate with strawberries on top, however you like.  Refrigerate until chilled (several hours) before serving.

I really enjoyed getting to share all these yummy Brazilian treats with everyone who came! Even if you couldn't make it, now you can try some of these on your own!  Let me know how they turn out!