Cooking Club- September: Rio and Rick

[myrtleWilson]

September means - back to school, back to work and the return of the cooking club!

Welcome returners and newcomers....

Each month we choose a cookery writer and a cuisine and throughout the month we aim to cook and share recipes, what worked, what is definitely becoming a household favourite for you and what will never be spoken of again! Photos are optional (but usually make me drool!)

This month we will be cooking from Rick Stein and anything Brazilian

A couple of my favourite Rick Stein recipes that are regulars in my house - Turmeric Fish and Dhal and Braised Duck in spiced orange juice.

My Brazilian cooking is limited to chicken xinxim, feijoada and Brazilian cheese bread so am looking forward to finding out more.

I'll dig out some links and post these shortly but if anyone else has suggestions - for either Rick Stein or Brazilian please do share...

Happy cooking!

[whatareyoueatingNOW]

Thanks myrtle! I'm a complete novice re Brazilian and have googled to find this site http://www.oliviascuisine.com/authentic-brazilian-recipes/ with some great looking recipes. I've my eye on the cocinhas , because I never turn down a new croquette of any kind

A lot of the recipes I've found include palm oil- is there a sustainable source anyone knows of or a reasonable substitute ?

Rick stein is so varied that I don't know where to start , I have a few of his books, so will go through them later to get a meal plan. I know if I get them out dh will ask if I'm doing the pea and ham soup with bacon butties from coast to coast ( which I haven't followed for years now because I know it so well) so I can recommend that

[everythingstaken123]

I have a ridiculous amount of recipe books and not one Rick Stein or on Brazilian cooking! So this will be very new for me which is exciting! I love the look of the recipes on the site you posted, what. I might just work my way around those (although I'm desperately suppressing a desire to buy a RS book now).

[whatareyoueatingNOW]

I made some coxinhas today - from Thiago costano Brazilian food. They were okay, well, I'd never make them again actually. They were doughy and dry looking through the internet though- the recipes for these are so varied that it is entirely possible that this recipe is just not the best. Others include potato in the dough, another includes cream cheese- so perhaps I'll try again with an alternative.

I also tried rick steins german apple cake- here https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/food/recipes/germanappleecake59663/amp - mine burnt a bit on top, and took another 20 minutes for the sponge to be cooked whilst the apples burnt- but it was otherwise delicious- the sponge is incredibly light and airy. A very nice cake when all's said and done.

[myrtleWilson]

ooh the apple cake looks lovely!

I did laugh at your "they were okay, actually I'll never make them again" comment...
I'm looking through recipes but DD goes back to school tomorrow so have been running round like a mad thing buying folders, picking up new jumpers etc so not been able to actually cook anything yet!

[myrtleWilson]

I did Rick Stein's Moorish spiced lamb stuffed aubergine with Manchego topping www.bbc.com/food/recipes/lamb-stuffed_aubergines_99219


Not usually a family that embrace stuffing but this worked really well, lovely warming spice to the meat. All done in under an hour so easy mid week dinner and definitely would cook again!

[whatareyoueatingNOW]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/peckishpescy.com/2015/01/01/matar-paneer-curry-with-cheese-and-peas/amp/

Made this matar paneer curry from rick Syrian coast to coast this evening- it was delicious. Much milder than others I've made, but with plenty of flavour. Both my dc enjoyed it, though it wasn't spicy enough for dh. Honourable mention to Meera Sodha who's pehwari rotis we're also made- she really is the queen of all things Indian as far as I'm concerned

[whatareyoueatingNOW]

Ooo myrtle, that looks great- your plate is lovely too

[myrtleWilson]

I love matar paneer - the recipe I use is a random one I found on the internet years ago and have deviated! But that does look good! (YY to Meera!)

[myrtleWilson]

Never deviated that was supposed to say! Thanks What our plates are from a little bijou kitchenware shop called Sainsbury's 😂

[whatareyoueatingNOW]

Another rick stein recipe for lunch today https://www.rickstein.com/recipe/braised-hake-with-beetroot-and-winter-salad/ this braised fish and cabbage salad. It sounds odd, but it was delicious. I didn't have hake so used sea bass but I think any white fish would work.

Mine was not pretty though- I have yet to master the art of dressing prettily and that is made even more challenging with bloodlike beetroot based dressings

I'd definitely make it again though, as it was very good.

[myrtleWilson]

oh I saw that one and was intrigued - I may give it a go!

[myrtleWilson]

am intending to make pão de queijo tomorrow (Brazilian cheese bread) - looks amazing but first I need to find either tapioca flour or cassava flour... have drawn a blank with local supermarkets but Holland & Barrett website suggests they have cassava - what is the betting my local branch doesn't stock it?!

Off topic (slightly) I bought Ottolenghi's Simple today - am a big fan of his, but oh my - this looks amazing! I think its the first book in ages where I've practically said "yep" to at least every other recipe!

[saltedcaramelhotchoc]

I loved Rick's Food Heroes. The belly pork is delicious. And his sea bass with beurre blanc is a classic. I also love the pastitsio from his Med book.

I bought Simple this week too - am bowled over by how many recipes jump out at me.

[whatareyoueatingNOW]

I can't possibly buy another cookbook so your all making me jealous!

I made www.easypeasyfoodie.com/easy-brazilian-feijoada-orange-tomato-salsa/

this feijoada yesterday. It's not authentic - but it was delicious and I found the authentic recipes included so much meat that you'd end up spending £10+ on one stew, which whilst I'm sure it'd be delicious, wouldn't really be good family food. This version includes as much veg as meat and was really very lovely. The salsa alongside especially so as it cuts through the richness of the stew.
I'd really recommend this recipe as all of my family loved it (Though I've plenty left for today- it makes loads!)

[everythingstaken123]

I made Brazilian Beans yesterday - one of the recipes WHAT posted up thread from oliviascusine. I had to play around a bit with timings - for example it took me over double the time to cook the sauce down to thicken it - but it turned out really well. I thought it was going to be very tasteless. But when the sauce does thicken and you season - quite heavily - it was really nice. I think I might give it to my young DC's later and see what they make of it. I am trying to eat more beans because of the resisitant starch in them so I may well make this again. It will be a good lunch dish.

[whatareyoueatingNOW]

I've made two stein recipes today

Chicken burrito things here
https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/chicken-burritos-with-pico-de-gallo-salsa

And this clementine cake https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/clementine-almond-and-olive-oil-cake

The chicken from the burritos was brilliant- the marinade definitely penetrated the meat , it was devious and not at all dry -desperately avoiding the word moist there-
I'll make these again as they were fast (after marinading) and easy, and went down well.

The cake was THE BEST I HAVE EVER MADE. Hands down. Not like any other cake I've tasted- it's closest relative is the pistachio and oil type cakes - I really think if you can , you should try making it. It will be my go to dinner party desert with whipped cream from now on. Absolutely lovely. Light and full of flavour- not too sweet. I suppose if there were to be a fault, it would be that perhaps it's not hugely child friendly? But I'm grasping at straws to find something that isn't perfect about it. I will reserve the rest of the bag of clementines so that once this cake is finished, I can make another.

[whatareyoueatingNOW]

Forgot to add photos

[everythingstaken123]

oh wow! i love the colour of the sponge. i'm always up for dinner party puddings. will have to write this down - thank you!

[myrtleWilson]

ooh - your beans look lush everything - and that cake what - I do love an olive oil cake - am actually not a great cake baker/eater but am partial to - Nigella's Venetian Carrot Cake and Rachel Roddy's yoghurt pot cake - but am definitely tempted to try that one.

In unsurprising news my local Holland and Barrett didn't stock the cassava flour.. it feels like I'm embarking on a Herculaneum task of making these cheese bread balls - the clock is ticking if I can manage it before the end of September!

[myrtleWilson]

oh - forgot to add, I am planning to do a feijao tropeiro this week - i agree with you what the feijãdos are enormous affairs but the feijão tropeiro seems a bit more manageable for a family of three and has greens in it as well as meat - huzzah! Will obviously report back....

[Dragontrainer]

Mmm, that clementine cake sounds delicious!

On the Brazilian front, we’ve tried Bahia Style Moqueca Prawn Stew from BBC Good Food. It’s basically a coconutty, tomatoey prawn stew. It was fine but nothing special - certainly not the sunshine in a bowl I’d been hoping for on a grey September evening.

Good luck with the flour quest, Myrtle

[myrtleWilson]

Tonight we did Braised Duck in Orange juice from Rick Stein Far Eastern Odyssey mustardwithmutton.com/2015/05/29/rick-steins-vietnamese-duck-braised-in-spiced-orange-juice/
Bit of a cheat as it's a family favourite but we've not had it for ages! Really good dish, great spicing and flavours and a very non hassle dinner to make!

[whatareyoueatingNOW]

That duck looks good myrtle -considers leaving the dick autocorrect just for the craic it's on my list but I worry it'll be too spicy for my youngest- would I do it a disservice by taking the chillis out and adding some flakes at the end to those who want it?

I made steins sumac and pomegranate molasses chicken and Turkish pilaf- both from Venice to Istanbul . It was effortless and very tasty. I'll make it again, simply because it went down so well and was was so easy. I often forget how good ricks recipes are- they must be so well tested because despite there being soooo many books there's rarely a complete fail.

Here's the sumac chicken and rice - I added a side salad later thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/oven-roasted-chicken-with-sumac-pomegranate-molasses-chilli-and-sesame-seeds

[myrtleWilson]

Oh that chicken looks lush! The colour of it is fantastic.
Re the chillis, i don't find it too spicy, it sort of tingles your lips? The chillies aren't sliced so just infuse heat. I'd probably be tempted to switch to larger chillis so not so hot and/or maybe up the sugar?

[myrtleWilson]

Two Rick Stein recipes today - one Nem Cuon (Vietnamese fresh spring rolls) were light and tasty but challenge is less in the recipe more in the rolling technique which I got occasionally right! As you can see 😂 Second was beef shatkora which is a Bangladeshi beef curry with pink grapefruit added to it. To be honest the curry was nothing special (despite Rick saying "it is a very special beef curry") and we've got better curries on rotation so we won't make it again. Both from Far Eastern Odyssey