Janine’s Farofa

The farofa is for the pure followers of Brazilian cuisine. The first time I ate it, in São Paulo, I must admit I was not thrilled! Then I went crazy about it! Farofa is a roasted cassava flour that is eaten everywhere in Brazil. The recipes are endless because you can put anything you want in them. In general the farofa is part of the composition of the feijoada, the national dish of Brazil, but also accompanies perfectly the grilled meat in the churrascarias. But knowing my passion for farofa, Janine was kind enough to prepare some for me as a starter! Here is his recipe!

Recipe for 4 people:

-300g of manioc flour “torrada” available in Brazilian grocery stores

-2 shallots, finely chopped

-a small smoked sausage cut into pieces

-6 dried apricots

-a large knob of butter

-a good pinch of fleur de sel

-2 plantain bananas

Cut bananas into pieces and place in a lightly greased oven dish. Bake at 180°C for 10-15 minutes.

Brown the butter in a pan, add the shallots. Cook them without really coloring them. Add the dried apricots cut into small pieces and the sausage. Let it brown for a few minutes then add the cassava flour over low heat. You have to keep stirring to let the flour toast without burning it.

Serve immediately with banana pieces.

Janine also prepared a delicious dish for her dinner. Escondidinho”, that is to say a kind of shepherd’s pie but in a Brazilian version! A manioc puree (so very sweet and divine!) with an interior made of dried meat (a speciality from there!) finely sliced onions, a hint of fresh chilli and parsley, all gratinated with cheese. I hope Janine will give us her recipe soon!