Pão de Queijo

September 7: Brazilian Independence Day

We met a Brazilian bridesmaid when Islander was also in the entourage of a mutual friend’s wedding. Fabiana H. is married to an American and we enjoyed exchanging stories about our intermarriages. Inevitably, our conversation also led to Brazilian culture and, of course, cuisine!

Since meeting her, we have treated ourselves to Brazilian steakhouses for special occasions, like birthdays. The servers, who look so fashionable in their gaucho pants, come around to each table and slice various fire-roasted meats from their skewers onto our plates. It is quite a carnivorous experience, balanced by a salad buffet and appetizers, including pão de queijo, a bite-sized, puffy cheese bread made especially with tapioca flour/starch. It is slightly crisp on the outside and chewy and hollow on the inside, like an addictive popover, and is best eaten hot and fresh from the oven.

For our blog recipe post, we feature pão de queijo on Sete de Setembro (7th of September), the date that commemorates Brazil’s independence from Portugal in 1822.

Recipe

(Adapted from CopyKat)

Ingredients

• 2 cups tapioca flour/starch
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup corn oil
• 3 eggs, beaten
• ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Sift the salt with the tapioca flour/starch and put in a mixing bowl.  In a small saucepan, simmer the milk and oil, stirring to combine well.  Pour into the tapioca flour/starch and blend until a smooth but sticky dough forms.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Add the beaten eggs slowly into the dough and continue to blend until incorporated.  Stir in the cheeses.

Scoop the batter three-quarters full into greased mini muffin tins. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the bread puffs up and turns golden. Yield: About 3 dozen.

Notes

• The Portuguese spelling for Brazil is Brasil.
• Gluten-free tapioca flour/starch can be found in the specialty-baking aisle of larger supermarkets, at Whole Foods or in international grocery stores.
• See our blog recipe post for caipirinha, Brazil’s national cocktail, on June 12, National Cachaça Day.

Macadamia Nut

White Chocolate Chip Cookies

September 4: National Macadamia Nut Day

On a family trip to the Big Island of Hawaii, we toured the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut farm. We walked along the rows of trees, picked up some of the fallen nuts (which Islander’s brother strung into a shell lei), watched the process of roasting and packaging at the factory and tasted the free samples! The on-site gift shop, many stores throughout the islands and sometimes on the mainland sell delicious macadamia nut products. Islander frequently buys the macadamia nut baking pieces to use in many different recipes, such as macadamia nut white chocolate chip cookies, for our blog posts and especially for National Macadamia Nut Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Mauna Loa)

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• ¾ cup sugar (we used C&H brand, granulated white)
• ¼ cup brown sugar (we used C&H brand, golden brown)
• 1 egg, beaten
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla (we used Hawaiian Vanilla Company pure vanilla extract)
• ¾ cup white chocolate chips
• ¾ cup macadamia nut pieces (we used Mauna Loa brand)

Directions

Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugars with butter. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Gradually add the flour and mix well until smooth. Fold in the white chocolate chips.

Fold in the macadamia nut pieces.  Form one-inch balls from the cookie dough.  Place about two-inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for about 10-12 minutes or until lightly brown.  Remove from the oven and cool for five minutes before transferring the cookies onto a wire rack. Cool completely. Yield: About 3 dozen cookies.

Notes

• Thanks to Lisa L. for the precious and pricey vanilla, which she bought for us when she visited the Big Island of Hawaii with her family a few summers ago.
• Search our blog for more posts using macadamia nuts in recipes.

Shoyu Chicken

September: National Chicken Month

Shoyu (soy sauce) chicken is considered a comfort food in Hawaii, whether served as a plate lunch or as one of the main dishes at a luau or banquet buffet. This slightly sweet Japanese-inspired recipe was adapted from Islander’s intermediate school’s home economics class. It is so easy to cook—even an eighth grader can do it (Islander’s family and friends often refer to this dish as “the eighth grade chicken”)! Make shoyu chicken for a simple celebration of National Chicken Month.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 4-6 chicken thighs
• ¾ cup soy sauce (we used Aloha Shoyu brand)
• ½ cup brown sugar (we used C&H brand golden brown)
• ½ cup water
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 piece ginger
• 1 stalk green onions

Directions

Peel and crush one clove of garlic. Cut about a large thumb-size piece of ginger. Half it lengthwise, then crush the ginger pieces to release the juices. Pour the soy sauce, brown sugar and water in a large pot. Add the crushed garlic and ginger. Stir and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer for five minutes. Add the chicken thighs, bring to a boil, cover the pot and simmer at medium heat for 30-40 minutes.

During cooking time, turn the chicken over several times until evenly browned. Thinly slice the tops of the green onion. Reserve it as a garnish. Transfer the chicken pieces to a serving bowl. Skim off the grease from the sauce in the pot and discard the garlic and ginger. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with green onions. Serve hot with scoops of steamed white rice.