This is just a quick one to tell you what Brazilians eat on the actual Christmas Day. Now, I haven’t been to every house in this country to check the pots and pans, so my research is not representative of the whole nation. I based it on one, heavily Portuguese-influenced, family (yes, my BF’s family).
If you think I stopped there, you’re wrong. I had to try these:
Starter:
Strips of aubergine, courgette, onion, green pepper, tomatoes – baked in the oven and soaked with extra virgin olive oil. Simple and delicious. Served cold with bread. Not only during Christmas, by the way.
Main course(s):
There was bacalhau (100% Portuguese tradition) – dried salted cod that you later soak and prepare in one (or more) of the 365 styles your family tends to prefer. We had bacalhau in olive oil with garlic, on a bed of boiled potatoes, eggs and roasted green peppers, garnished with olives. The fish was so juicy and springy that I could barely keep myself from having a second helping.
But I also wanted to try pernil. In simple terms, it was a huge roasted pork leg. Nothing too fancy, but the flavouring made the meat succulent and soft at the same time. Mmmm...
Good Lord, I nearly forgot about the soup! Caldo verde. Served all over Portugal and, apparently, in some Brazilian families. The clear version is a broth prepared with pork sausage and bacon. The green part (verde) is provided by special kind of dark-leaved cabbage. There is also a creamy version – you just add mashed potatoes which give the soup a rich mushy texture. Delicious.
Dessert
I barely had room for it! It may not look too appetising, but this pudding was heavenly! Very light, I suppose it’s made from nothing more than milk and sugar.
Why? Because I had made them! These are Polish cookies. They don’t really have a special name, but their buttery taste is what makes them special. And I want to give special thanks to Milena for the recipe. OK, I’m done. Go enjoy your New Year’s Eve, if you haven’t already started to party. See you in 2012!!!
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