International Cuisine - Brazil

Good morning, readers! Happy Friday! This morning began with a loud bang, an announcement from the Santa Fe SWAT team, and police sirens. Thankfully it was across the river from us so not too nearby but I am certainly curious as to what was happening. Will update!

Anyway, you may or may not recall (since it's been roughly 2 years now) that Nate and I previously would randomly choose a country, cook a traditional dish and teach each other about the history and culture of the country chosen. My last country was Nigeria. Unfortunately this practice fell by the wayside but I figured while in COVID-induced Hell, why not bring it back!?

Last night I made Brazilian Fish Stew and Brazilian Limeade - both dishes that can be found around the country.

Brazilian Fish Stew

Brazilian Fish Stew with Cilantro Lime Rice and Brazilian Lemonade

2  Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Lime, juiced
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1 lb Tilapia, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Broth:

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion, diced
3 Garlic Cloves, minced
1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and sliced
2 Serrano Peppers, cut into half moons
14 oz Can Crushed Tomatoes
14 oz Can Full Fat Coconut Milk
1 C Vegetable Stock
1 1/2 Tsp Sugar
1 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Paprika
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Lime, juiced
3 Tbsp Fresh Cilantro, chopped

Marinate tilapia cubes with 1 Tbsp olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Cover marinating fish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, heat a skillet over medium heat and cook fish in 1 Tbsp olive oil for 3 minutes. Remove fish from skillet and set aside.

In a stockpot over medium heat, saute onion and garlic in oil for 3 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add peppers to stockpot and cook for 5 minutes.

Add liquids to the pot and bring to a simmer. Season with sugar, cumin, paprika and salt. Cover the broth with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes or until thickened.

Once the broth has thickened, add tilapia back to the pot and cook for an additional 2 minutes to heat the fish through.

Add fresh lime juice and cilantro to the pot right before serving.

Serve the stew over a scoop of Cilantro Lime Rice (recipe to follow).

The stew is definitely not lacking in flavor! It is very fresh, slightly spicy, smoky and not at all fishy! Great for a hot summer day or could be equally delicious in fall or winter!

Cilantro Lime Rice

4 C Water
2 C Jasmine Rice
2 Tsp Salt
2 Limes, juiced
1/2 C Fresh Cilantro, chopped

Bring water to a boil over high heat and add dry rice to the pot. Cover with a lid, drop heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes or until all water is absorbed.

Once the rice is fully cooked and fluffy, add salt, lime juice and cilantro and stir to combine. Taste check and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Since no dinner is complete without a beverage, I made Brazilian Lemonade!

Brazilian Lemonade

4 Limes, skins scrubbed and cut into 1/8ths
6 C Water
1 C Sugar
6 Tbsp Sweetened Condensed Milk

In the cup of a blender, combine 1/2 the limes, water and sugar and blend for 2 minutes. Repeat until all ingredients have been blended. I had to do 2 batches of blending.

Using a sieve, strain the blender contents over a pitcher and push with a spoon to get all the juice out of the limes. Discard excess pulp and skins. Repeat this step until all ingredients have been strained.

Stir sweetened condensed milk into pitcher and taste. Add more condensed milk if too tart.

Now you may be thinking, why is this called "lemonade" if there are no lemons involved? After research, I really can't figure out why it's not called limeade?

The addition of the sweetened condensed milk makes this drink frothy and almost smoothie-like. It tastes like summer in a glass and was the perfect pairing to cool down the spicy and (temperature) hot stew!

Nate picked his country after we finished eating dinner - Armenia. I can't wait to see what he decides to make for us and to learn more about the country.

To finish us off, find an oldie but goodie link to Mushroom Philly Cheesesteaks! This is probably one of my favorite dinners to make on a time crunch, it's filling and absolutely delectable. 

Mushroom Philly Cheesesteaks with frozen seasoned fries

Mushroom Philly Cheesesteaks

Happy Wednesday, readers! I hope your week is going well and if it's not, well, remember today's the halfway mark and Monday is a holiday that you (hopefully) have off. I've just been plugging along in my new solo life (no, Nate and I didn't get divorced or separated so don't worry). In regard to my posting hiatus, I've been cooking, just nothing I haven't already posted on the blog so I felt no need to post again.


I'm back to my vegetarian ways and I have to say, I can definitely tell a difference in how my body feels. I feel like I run better, I function better and I'm just all around...better. Last night I decided to make something that will always hold some nostalgia for me: Philly Cheesesteaks. Now my dad may (or may not) remember this, but the first Philly I ever ate was one he cooked. We lived in this little rental house in Albuquerque and we would play "cooking show". I was about 8 at the time and big into make-believe and Food Network. He would cook these exotic dinners, well, exotic to an 8-year-old anyway and narrate everything he was doing and I would mock-interview him. I think I was going for an Emeril approach, anyway, one of the dishes was Philly Cheesesteaks.


I remember the skillet on the stove sizzling away with some beautiful thinly sliced steak, topped with some pickled jalapenos or chopped green chile and blanketed with gooey, melty cheese before being scooped into a bun. Is your mouth watering yet? Well, I wanted to reinvent this delicious-ness with a vegetarian substitute, so I chose mushrooms. They're meaty, they're delicious and can stand up to big flavors, it was a no-brainer.


Mushroom Philly Cheesesteaks

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
24 oz baby portabella mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce  sauce
1 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
Fresh cracked black pepper
4-6 hoagie rolls
Pickled jalapenos or chopped green chile (optional)
1 C shredded cheddar cheese


In a deep skillet over medium heat, sauté onion rings in the olive oil until translucent. This took about 5 minutes for me. Add in the sliced mushrooms to sauté in batches. Remember, don't crowd the mushrooms or they won't brown properly (thanks, Julia). By the time all 24 glorious ounces of mushrooms were sautéed, it was about 15 minutes later. You will be rewarded for your efforts!


Season the mushrooms with the pepper, Worcestershire, and soy sauces and do a taste check. Remember, you can always add more if necessary. The mushrooms should be tender and flavorful.


While your mushrooms are achieving greatness, toast your hoagie rolls in the oven so they will hold up to all the 'shroom goodness.


After your buns are toasted and your mushrooms are sautéed and seasoned, load up your hoagie! Top your mushrooms with pickled jalapenos or chopped green chiles if you wish (and obviously I do) and top with some cheddar cheese (or spray cheese if you're going for authenticity) and place under the broiler for 5 minutes.


I served my cheesesteaks with roasted potatoes leftover from a lunch at work and a salad, also leftover from a lunch at work. Everything was superb and left me feeling happy and full. Two of the best feelings. Enjoy!