Couve

I didn't eat collard greens even once (to my knowledge) until I reached the age of 25. Collard greens were a weird vegetable that only southern people ate, most likely drenched butter and definitely fried, right? And they weren't called collard greens, they were "call-ahds" or just "greens." The fact that they are related to cabbage and brussels sprouts made them even less appealing. What 9 year old in her right mind willingly eats a leafy green that kind of tastes like cabbage and looks like spinach.

At least that's what I thought until my sister moved to Brazil brought her Brazilian husband back to the US (yes, this is another Brazilian story) and then introduced to me to how delicious collard greens could be. Called couve in Portuguese (pronounced ko-vee), these greens are a common side dish served with rice and beans at many a Brazilian meal. My husband has fond memories of eating couve during the time he also lived in Brazil, and to say he was excited about figuring out how to make it is an understatement.

Torta de Limao

Torta de limao is Portuguese for Lime Pie (pie of lime). Let's pronounce it together: tor-ta (yes, just like it looks) gee (oh gee, I didn't mean to say it wrong!)  lee-mow (mow should rhyme with "ow" like "OW you pinched me!"). Try again: tor-ta gee lee-mow. Nice job...but maybe keep practicing.

Think of torta de limao as the Brazilian version of lime cheesecake. But in addition to a bit of cream cheese, this pie uses the slightly odd canned cream that I always find in the Hispanic food section of the grocery store. It's a thick cream with a slightly yellowy color and is excellent for enchilada sauce or sweet things like this cheesecake. Table cream has less fat than heavy whipping cream and will still get fluffy when you whip it, though not nearly as stiff as heavy whipping cream. You could reasonably substitute heavy whipping cream in this pie, but it will change the consistency a bit.

Now when my sister and I make torta de limao, we like it limey. To the point where it almost makes you wrinkle your nose with tartness. I love it that way. I realize, however, that may not be everyone's preference, so you'll notice a range of suggested lime juice. Add the juice gradually, whipping and tasting as you go, until it reaches your degree of limey-ness.

Bolinhos de Arroz (Rice balls)

Several years ago, my sister Kristi traipsed down to Brazil on a study abroad and before we knew it, she had found herself a Brazilian husband. Aside from being really awesome, my new brother-in-law (or should I say his mother?) provided a great service to my family by introducing my sister to a world of culinary deliciousness. Cheese bread, fried dough stuffed with guava, carrot cake, lime tort, and can we say barbecue? You haven't had good meat until you've had Brazilian "churrasco." And luckily Kristi makes some killer Brazilian food. Maybe not quite as good as her mother-in-law, but it keeps me coming back for more! -Kelly

Brazilian Carrot Cake

This is carrot cake like you've never had it before. I happen to have several family members who hail from Brazil (not to mention all the ones I work with) and this is a favorite of them all. As you might guess from the picture, it's nothing like American carrot cake. The ingredients are blended rather than chopped, so there's no visual sign of carrots. The cake itself is not as sweet as most Americans are used to, but the chocolate glaze could knock out even the sweetest sweet tooth. And most importantly, it's amazingly simple: just dump all the ingredients together and mix (if your blender is strong enough, you can even blend everything). And because it's a carrot cake (vegetables, you know), you can eat more of it. Naturally.


Brazilian Carrot Cake (Bolo de Cenoura)
Recipe adapted from www.sonia-portuguese.com/recipes
Picture by Caroline

3 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
4 large eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Combine chopped carrots, eggs and oil in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. Pour carrot mixture into a large mixing bowl and add sugar. Add flour and baking powder and mix until smooth.
3. Pour batter into 2 8-inch round pans that have been greased and dusted with flour (A 9 x 13 inch pan will also work though you will have to adjust the baking time). Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cakes comes out clean. Let cool until you can remove the cake from the pan and top with chocolate topping immediately.

Chocolate Topping*

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons chocolate milk powder (like Nesquick)
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons corn starch + 1 teaspoon water

1. Combine butter, milk, chocolate powder and sugar in a small saucepan over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil.
2. In a small cup add cornstarch and water. Stir until smooth; then add to chocolate mixture. Stir until mixture has thickened to a thin glaze. Remove from heat and pour over cake.
   

*A word on the glaze: The recipe above is the "real Brazilian" way, at least according to my Brazilian brother in-law and his mom. If you're ok being a little less authentic, you can take some store chocolate frosting, thin it out with a little milk, and use that instead.