Samba Food – The taste of Brazil

Taste of the World Cup

Its been a busy few months, hence its been a while since my last post.

 

Since the world cup is now in full swing why not really get in to to the SAMBA swing and try Brazil’s National Dish Feijoada.  There are a number of varieties of Feijoada each region having their own specific take on this classic piece of Brazilian gastronomy. The dish is essentially a stew of beans with beef and pork, and its name derives from the Portuguese word feijão, meaning ‘beans’.

I found this recipe on-line  http://southamericanfood.about.com/od/maincourses/r/feijoada.htm  it sounds delicious, the only down side it takes 15 hours in cooking and preparation time 😦

Or you could try something a little easier, takes hours less time in cooking but is equally delicious.  

Camarão na Moranga (Shrimp in Pumpkin) is a creamy seafood stew served at coastal restaurants throughout Brazil, and traces back to the 1940s in São Paulo. Gloriously presented in a pumpkin, it’s a conversation piece that will impress your dinner guests both for its flavor and decorative flair.  This recipie I found at the Latin Kitchen…

http://thelatinkitchen.com/recipe/camarao-na-moranga-shrimp-pumpkin

 

For all your catering needs contact Paul @ www.5adaycatering.co.uk

 

Waste not, Want not….

creamy broccoli and blue cheese soup

Another great tasting recipe from 5 aday catering

If your anything like me and our household wasting food is not an option in these challenging austerity times.  Now more than ever with the ever-increasing prices in food and fuel I like to ensure that nothing ever goes to waste.

So that got me thinking, we have friends coming over for dinner this weekend, and with the main course already sorted (another roast, after all you can’t beat it!) what to do for starters and pudding…. With the winter weather dragging it self out, something warm and comforting and of course homemade.

With plenty of Apples in the fruit bowl and a couple of Broccoli stems in the fridge, how about Broccoli and Blue Cheese Soup for starters and Apple Mix fruit crumble for pudding?  Quick and easy top make and no faffing around when our guests arrive.

What you will need for the soup:

2 Medium sized Broccoli Stems

1 Medium sized onion

Blue Cheese of your choice (I use Danish Blue)

2 Sticks celery

Few sprigs Fresh Thyme

2 Large Potatoes

Chicken/Vegetable Stock

Creme Fraiche

All you need to do is sweat the onion and celery in a little olive oil for about 5 mins, cut up the broccoli and add this into the pan and continue to sweat for a further few mins.  Peel and cut up the potatoes in the chunks and add to the pan, add the stock and bring to the boil.  Once boiled, turn the heat down and simmer for 30 mins.  With a hand blender blitz all the contents of the pan until you have a smooth consistency, and the fresh thyme and season to taste.  Serve in bowl and add a teaspoon of creme fraiche to each bowl and serve with my homemade warm crusty bread.

Rustic

Another great idea by 5 aday catering

There is nothing more comforting than the smell of fresh warm bread baking in the oven.  Now I’m a sucker for bread, but with all the additional salt, sugar and additives added to bread why not make your own?

This recipe is a seeded wholemeal loaf, and goes fantastic with homemade soup – why not check out my previous post and try my Broccoli and blue cheese soup?

What you will need:-

500g Wholemeal Flour

2 tsp Salt

1 x 7g dried yeast

Mixture of seeds (I use 50g sesame seeds, 50g poppy seeds & 125g sunflower seeds)

Water

Mix the flour, salt, yeast, water, poppy seeds  & sunflower seeds in a bowl and mix well.  Turn out on a floured surface and need the dough of 7-10 mins, put back in a clean bowl and prove for 2 hours until double in size.

Line a tray with baking parchment paper, turn out the dough on to a floured surface again and knock back the dough, shape the dough into your preferred shape, roll through the sesame seeds, place on the tray and prove for a further hour.

Heat your oven to 220c, criss-cross the top of the dough, bake for 30 mins. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Looking for a caterer? why not visit our website www.5adaycatering.co.uk