Manjar de coco - Brazilian coconut custard

Manjar de coco - Brazilian coconut custard 

For the pudding

3 cups whole milk


½ cup of condensed milk

8 tbsp sugar


2 cups coconut milk


5 tbsp corn starch


1 Bundt cake pan, lightly greased with canola or any flavorless oil

For the sauce

1 ½ cup pitted prunes
6 tbsp sugar


1 & ½ cups water


2 cloves


2 inch cinnamon stick

Mix pudding ingredients together in a pan. Set heat to medium and cook pudding until it thickens to a polenta consistency. Lower the temperature to minimum and simmer for another 5 minutes, stirring it at all times. Transfer mixture to greased Bundt cake pan. Cover with greased plastic film. Let it cool. Turn it upside down onto a nice platter. Refrigerate.

Place dried plums, cinnamon, cloves, sugar and water in a pan. Cook until prunes are soft and the liquid turns syrupy. Discard cinnamon stick and cloves. Let cool. Pour over pudding.

It can be served chilled or at room temperature.

This is super simple and a popular dessert that Brazilians adore.

Caipirinha

Caipirinha

50 ml(1⅔ fl oz) Cachaça

½ lime cut into 4 wedges (or tahiti lime, but not green lemon)

2 teaspoons crystal or refined sugar

Place lime and sugar into old fashioned glass and muddle (mash the two ingredients together using a muddler or a wooden spoon). Fill the glass with crushed ice and add the Cachaça.

A wide variety of fresh fruits can be used in place of lime. In the absence of cachaça, vodka can be used, making a Caipiroska.

Pheasant Sauce for pasta (Ragu bianco di Faraona)

Wondering what to do with a pheasant that you hunted? How to cook a pheasant?

Pheasant Sauce (Ragu bianco di Faraona)

1 cooked and pulled pheasant

1 chopped onion

1 chopped carrot

1 minced clove of garlic

1 cup of dry white wine

1 cup of pheasant broth (the water that you used to cook the pheasant)

1 Tbsp of Dijon mustard

1/4 cup of orange juice

3 Tbsp of butter

Rosemary and Thyme

Salt & Pepper to taste

In a big saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic with butter with a little olive oil. At a low heat, add the pheasant until the skin gets crispy.  Turn the heat on high; add the wine, mustard, broth, juice, herbs, salt & pepper.  Let the sauce reduce and sauté the already cooked pasta in with the sauce.

Lentil soup with broccoli rabe

Lentil soup with broccoli rabe

*1 Pound Dried Lentils

*1/2 Pound Italian Sausages Removed From Casings

*2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

*1 Large Carrot, Peeled And Diced

*2 Celery Stalks, Diced

*1 Small Onion, Peeled And Diced

*2 Garlic Cloves, Peeled And Minced

*1 Cup Chopped Tomatoes

*Salt & Black Pepper

*Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)

*1 Bunch Broccoli Rabe, Washed, & Chopped

*3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste

1 - Combine the lentils with 2 quarts of water in a large stock pot;

2 - Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender;

3 -In a separate pot, heat the olive oil and cook the carrots, onions, and celery until tender;

4 -Add the garlic and sausage meat and continue to cook until the sausage is lightly browned, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks;

5 -Add the sausage and vegetables to the lentils with the tomato paste and chopped tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes if using;

6 - Add the broccoli rabe to the lentil pot with 2 to 3 cups of additional water;

7 - Continue to cook until the broccoli rabe is tender.

8 - Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

9 - Serve with a sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese.

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Crepes

1 cup of flour

2 eggs

1 ½ cup of milk

1 pinch of salt

1 tablespoon of sugar

2 tablespoon of melted butter

1. In a large mixing bowl or blender combine all ingredients; beat until smooth.

2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.

3. Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side.

4. Serve hot with nutella or whatever you would like.

Niçoise Salad

Niçoise Salad

8 small potatoes, in half

400g  green beans trimmed

200g of tuna in olive oil

10 cherry tomatoes, in half

4 boiled eggs, peeled, quartered

1 cup of Niçoise olives or your favorite black olive

2 anchovy fillets in oil

For the dressing

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon tarragon

1 tablespoon chives

Salt & Pepper to taste

Step 1

Make dressing: Whisk oil, vinegar, herbs and mustard in a jug. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 2

Cook the potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling water for 10 minutes or until just tender. Transfer to a large bowl. 
Cook the beans for 2 to 3 minutes or until bright green and just tender. Drain. Refresh under cold water. Drain. 
Add beans to the potatoes.

Step 3

Add tuna, tomato, olives, cooked eggs and anchovies (if using) to potato mixture. Add dressing. Toss gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

Pollo al vino rosso

Pollo al vino rosso

1 rooster or free range chicken

1 bottle of red wine (burgundy, nero D'Avola or merlot)

½ cup of grappa

5 shallots

2 carrots, quartered

2 sticks of celery, quartered

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

15 button mushrooms (champignon de Paris) in half

50 grams of bacon in cubes
1 tbsp mustard (dijon is the best)

2 tbsp mascarpone
Thyme

Butter

Cut the chicken into separate pieces, place the chicken in a bowl and add the wine, shallots, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme with salt & pepper to taste.  Leave the chicken marinating for at least 12 hours inside the refrigerator.

The next day your chicken will be purplish color, take the chicken out of the marinade.  Over a hot pan with some butter, sere the chicken in the pan and add the cognac, remove it and then cook the bacon.  Add all the other ingredients in a large heavy bottomed pan, and cook for at least two hours in low heat.