4 tapas recipes that are pure gastronomic samba

It’s funny what happens with the brazilian cuisine: Its popularity is far from that of Ecuadorian, Mexican or Argentine cuisine in our country. The number of Brazilian restaurants drops drastically compared to the rest of other American countries. Why does this happen? Gabriel Sodré, a Brazilian chef who works alongside the Argentine Juan D’Onofrio at Chispa Bistró (Madrid), believes that one of the keys “may be the difference in language.” The chef Joâo Alcántarawho after passing through Barcelona with different projects, has returned to set up projects in Brazil such as Casa Flutuar in Sao Paulo, believes that “the enormous dimension and variety of Brazilian cuisine, which makes it difficult to export certain dishes,” also influences.

To bring the Spanish public closer to the richness of Brazilian gastronomy (in tapa format)Sodré and Alcántara offered a gastronomic day with their compatriots Joao Diamante and Flavia Semenow in the restaurant The Garden of the InterContinental Hotel in Madrid, which for one night became the best Brazilian cuisine restaurant in the world. In case anyone would like to emulate their cooking arts, here are the four recipes they presented that summarize the flavors of a country that has a lot to offer gastronomically. ‘Feijoada’, ‘moqueca’, ‘pâo de queijo’… and these four gems in small format.

‘Tartar’ of chayote and shrimp veil (Flavia Semenow)

Ingredients (for two people)

• a chayote

• Juice of two limes

• Three tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

• 1 tablespoon miso paste

• 2 leaves of wakame seaweed

• 1 pinch of grated ginger

• Salt

• Cumin to taste

For the suede veil

• 4 red shrimp

• 1 l of water

• 1/4 of onion

• 1 tomato

• 1 leek

Elaboration

1. Peel and cut the chayote into small cubes. Let it marinate for half an hour along with the lime juice, apple cider vinegar, miso paste, wakame seaweed, grated ginger, salt and cumin. Reserve.

2. For the shrimp veil, clean the shrimp and separate the bodies on one side and the heads and shells on the other. Open the body on kitchen film. Spread and freeze.

3. Cook the shells and shrimp heads in water, along with the tomato, onion and leek. Reduce until only a quarter of the original liquid remains. Crush and strain.

Presentation

1. Place the shrimp broth first, then the marinated chayote and the veil on top.

2. Finish with fleur de sel and fresh sprouts.

Shrimp ‘Vatapá’ (Gabriel Sodré)

Ingredients (for two people)

• 250 g of shrimp

• 500 g onion

• 500 g of tomato

• 200 g green pepper

• 20g cilantro

• 10g ginger

• 75 g cashews

• 75 g peanuts

• 3 garlic cloves

• 500 ml coconut milk

• 200 g tapioca flour

• Tabasco

Elaboration

1. Dilute the tapioca flour in the coconut milk until it dissolves. Blend and put in a saucepan. Reserve.

2. Grind the pepper, tomato, onion, cilantro, ginger, peanuts and cashews. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix with the tapioca flour and coconut milk and heat over low heat.

3. Add the shrimp and cook for 20 minutes, stirring until the mixture boils and thickens.

Presentation

1. Plate, decorating with more shrimp and chopped cilantro.

Raw meat with crispy cassava (Joâo Diamante)

Ingredients (for two people)

• 300 g beef

• 100 g brown sugar

• 1 chili

• 1 medium red onion

• 1 chive

• 1 orange

• 60 ml extra virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

• 1 stem of cilantro

• 2 crispy cassava (or rice)

• Salt

• Pepper

Elaboration

1. Cut the meat into small cubes, season and set aside.

2. Cut the red onion, chili, spring onion and cilantro stem into small pieces. Reserve. Mix the mayonnaise, brown sugar and olive oil. Combine all the ingredients.

3. Dress the meat with the previous mixture and decorate with orange pieces and cilantro sprouts.

Presentation

1. Decorate with a crispy cassava (can be replaced with a crispy rice) that also serves as a ‘topping’ to eat the dish.

Crispy chicken cannelloni (Joâo Alcântara)

Ingredients (for two people)

For the crumbled chicken breast

• 250 g chicken breast

• 1 tablespoon of salt

• 1 tablespoon of sugar

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• Mineral water

For the chicken cannelloni

• 200 g chicken skin

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

For the pineapple reduction

For the pineapple mayonnaise

• 50 ml pineapple reduction

• 100 g egg white

• 15g mustard

• 150 ml sunflower oil

• 15 ml lime juice

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon pepper

For chicken reduction

• 650 g chicken wings

• 650 g chicken carcass

• 50g carrot

• 50 g onion

• 25 g of leek

• 5 g coriander seeds

• 125 ml white wine

• 2 l of water

• 2 beets

For the filling

• 60 g raisins

• 60 g sweet corn

• 250 g shredded chicken

Elaboration

Shredded chicken breast

1. Make a brine with salt, sugar and mineral water, stirring all the ingredients.

2. Leave the breasts in the brine for an hour. Clean, dry and reserve.

3. In a cooking bag, arrange the breasts with a drizzle of oil and cook at low temperature for six hours at 65 degrees. Let cool and crumble into fine pieces.

Chicken cannelloni

1. Clean the chicken skin from excess fat. Spread out on a tray on baking paper and leave covered in a freezer for 12 hours.

2. Defrost the chicken skin and season with salt and pepper. Arrange on cylinders with baking paper in a cannelloni format.

3. Bake at 180 degrees for 20 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 160 degrees and let it cook for another 20 minutes.

4. Remove the cannelloni from the cylinder and let it rest for 5 minutes. Lower the temperature to 120 degrees and leave it in the oven for another 20 minutes. Reserve in a container in a cool, dry place.

Pineapple reduction

1. Cut the pineapple into medium cubes and blend. If necessary, add water. Bring to a simmer until reduced by half. Reserve.

pineapple mayonnaise

1. Using a mixer, beat the egg whites with a few drops of lime and add the mustard, salt and pineapple reduction. Add the oil little by little until you obtain the desired texture.

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Chicken reduction

1. Roast the carcasses with the wings in the oven until they are golden brown.

2. On the other hand, brown the onion and carrot cut into julienne strips.

3. When the onion and carrot are golden, add the julienned leek and let it cook. Add the wings and chicken carcass and brown until caramelized.

4. Add the wine and let all the alcohol evaporate. Add water and cook for three hours. In the last 30 minutes add the toasted coriander seeds.

5. Strain through a cheesecloth and let it cool in a tall container to decant the fat well. Reduce a third of the total to the heat.

Presentation

1. Mix the filling ingredients: the crumbled chicken breast, sweet corn and raisins together with the pineapple mayonnaise.

2. Add salt and black pepper.

3. Arrange in a pastry bag.

4. Fill the cannelloni with crispy chicken skin

5. Finish with the reduced chicken and chopped cilantro.