Pirao Manioc Polenta Recipes

PIRãO

Steps:

• Assemble your ingredients together.
• In a saucepot over high heat, bring the broth to a rapid boil.
• Reduce the heat to medium-high. Whisk in the tomato sauce until completely incorporated.
• Vigorously stir or whisk in the manioc flour a little at a time until all the flour has been incorporated and the consistency is that of soft-serve ice cream or wet polenta.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Serve the pirão right away with your fish, meat, or vegetable stew.

SOFT MANIOC POLENTA

Steps:

• Bring fish bones, shrimp shells, tomatoes, onion, bell peppers, cilantro sprigs, parsley sprigs, lime juice, salt, garlic, plantain, and water to a boil in a 5- to 6-quart pot, then reduce heat and simmer stock, uncovered, until liquid is reduced to about 4 cups (vegetables will exude liquid as they cook), about 25 minutes.
• Pour stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, discarding solids.
• If there is more than 4 cups, boil until reduced; if there is less, add water. If using stock right away, bring to a boil in cleaned pot; otherwise, chill, uncovered, until completely cooled, then cover.
• Add manioc flour in a thin stream to boiling stock, whisking constantly, then whisk in salt. Reduce heat to moderately low and cook, whisking, 1 minute. Stir in chopped herbs and let stand 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

MUQUECA WITH PIRAO

Steps:

• Prepare the stock and coconut milk a day or two ahead.
• Coat a large nonreactive (such as glass or enamel) saute pan with a half cup of the olive oil and place over medium-high heat.
• Saute the garlic in the oil just until golden, about four or five minutes. Add the onions and cook just until wilted, stirring frequently, about five or six minutes more.
• Add the tomatoes, parsley and seasonings. Heat thoroughly and add one cup of fish stock and four cups prepared coconut milk. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Cool and reserve. (This can be prepared a day ahead.)
• Salt and pepper the shrimp and refrigerate.
• Cut the fish fillets, checking for stray bones, into one-and-a-half-inch cubes, salt and pepper the cubes and refrigerate.
• Over medium heat, bring eight cups of fish stock to a simmer.
• Add the fish heads and trimmings to the stock, simmer for 15 minutes, strain and reserve the heads and keep the stock warm.
• Heat the remaining olive oil in a nonreactive saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and saute briefly, until they are pink. Remove and reserve the shrimp.
• Add the fish cubes and saute them until they are golden but not thoroughly cooked. Remove and reserve with the shrimp.
• Deglaze the pan with a half cup of the warm fish stock and add the reserved coconut-fish stock mixture and bring to a simmer and keep warm over very low heat.
• To make the pirao, pick away the cheeks and excess meat from the heads and trimmings. Combine one cup of the fish meat with about a quarter cup of fish stock and puree in a food processor or electric blender.
• In a medium-sized heat-proof bowl, add the manioc flour and whisk in the heated stock a little at a time until it is the consistency of farina.
• Whisk in the fish puree, one tablespoon of dende oil and one teaspoon of pimente oil, or to taste.
• Cover and keep warm over a pan of simmering water while you finish cooking the fish.
• Raise the heat and bring the coconut-fish mixture to a simmer. Add the shrimp, cubed fish and their juices and bring to a simmer. Add the remaining two tablespoons of dende and one teaspoon of pimente oil. Transfer to a heated soup tureen or wide shallow soup plates and accompany with the pirao, slaw and boiled rice. Usually the shrimp are served in their shells and the shells eaten. If they are to be peeled - then they should be peeled just before reheating in the coconut-fish stock mixture.

HOW TO MAKE PERFECT POLENTA

Steps:

• Bring water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan; pour polenta slowly into boiling water, whisking constantly until all polenta is stirred in and there are no lumps.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer, whisking often, until polenta starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Polenta mixture should still be slightly loose. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, whisking every 5 to 6 minutes. When polenta is too thick to whisk, stir with a wooden spoon. Polenta is done when texture is creamy and the individual grains are tender.
• Turn off heat and gently stir 2 tablespoons butter into polenta until butter partially melts; mix 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into polenta until cheese has melted. Cover and let stand 5 minutes to thicken; stir and taste for salt before transferring to a serving bowl. Top polenta with remaining 1 tablespoon butter and about 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for garnish.

FISH CAKES WITH POTATOES

Steps:

• Gently boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until they are tender. Drain and mash. Add the cream and butter and mix well. Set aside, but do not refrigerate.
• While the potatoes are cooking, simmer fish fillets in water to cover until they are cooked through. Drain well, flake the fish and mix it with potatoes.
• Add the chopped onions and lightly beaten egg to the fish-potato mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. This recipe may be made ahead of time up to this point and refrigerated, covered.
• When ready to cook, form the fish mixture into cakes similar to small hamburgers, about two and one-half inches in diameter. Spread the bread crumbs on a plate or dry surface and pat the fish cakes in the crumbs to coat well.
• Heat one tablespoon of bacon dripping (for flavor) and one tablespoon of cooking oil over medium-high heat. Saute the fish cakes until they are brown on both sides. Serve immediately.

MOQUECA COM PIRAO (BRAZILIAN SHRIMP STEW)

Steps:

• Saute onions, garlic and tomatoes in oil, in a clay pan if possible (http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/15240632.jpg). When onions are golden-about 15 minutes-add deveined and cleaned shrimp, and wait until it gets "red"-about 15 more minutes. About 5 minutes after you added the shrimp, add coconut milk and paprika. Before serving, mix in cilantro and chives.
• Pirao: 700ml water; 1 onion, chopped; 2 garlic cloves, mashed with salt; pepper & salt to taste; reserved shrimp shells; dash of colorau *; 1 cup manioc flour. In a pan with lid, boil all the ingredients for about 15 minutes. Drain. Put liquid back in pan; when it boils turn to a simmer. SLOWLY add manioc flour, stirring constantly (as for polenta). It is ready when it starts thickening. (It doesn't harden, but turns kinda gooey.).
• * We actually use "colorau" (made mainly from "urucum" seeds); instead of paprika, a better substitute in my view is annatto seeds (http://www.overmundo.com.br/overblog/nosso-colorau-o-urucum). Saute annatto seeds in the dende oil, being VERY careful not to bun them; remove seeds and use the oil.

OVEN-POACHED PEARS WITH RED WINE

Steps:

• Combine the wine, water, sugar, cinnamon stick, cloves and lemon slices in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, until the mixture is reduced to approximately 4 cups liquid. Set aside until ready to use.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel the pears but leave the stems on. Place the pears upright in a baking dish just large enough to hold them comfortably. Bring the wine mixture to a boil again and pour it over the pears (it will not cover them completely). Bake for 1 hour, basting every 15 minutes. The pears should darken to a rich mahogany color as they cook.
• When the pears are done (still firm but easily pierced with a fork), remove them from the oven. The liquid in the baking dish should be syr-upy. If it is not, transfer it to a saucepan and cook on the stove over a high heat until there are approximately 2 cups of syrup.
• Place the pears in compote or similar dishes and cover with syrup. The pears may be served with a ricotta cream sauce (see following recipe).