UNO.FOOD&WINE

 

 

For Gaúchos, people from South of Brazil, the “Art of Cooking” is a gift. Like famous painters who have never gone to school, most gauchos grow up among the strong tradition of cooking and learn by observing and practising. A lifetime experience is one of the only ways of mastering this art.
Virginia Nandi from IntensiFire Churrascaria, at the age of seven was already making bread for her working family, and later helped her mother, a chef at a four star hotel. Her mother was a teacher available at all times. Photography by Quinn O’Connell.

 

EGGPLANT ANTIPASTO

INGREDIENTS:

Three eggplants
3 litres of water
8 soup spoons of white vinegar
6 soup spoons of salt
1 soup spoon of back pepper
1 soup spoon of white pepper
1 soup spoon of oregano
1 cup of olive oil
½ cup of white vinegar
200g of kalamata olives
200g of green olives

INSTRUCTIONS:
Cut the eggplants in cubes.
In a large pot bring the water to boil; Add the 8 spoons of vinegar and the 6 spoons of salt. Add the eggplants to the boiling water. Allow to boil for 5 minutes.
Use a colander to separate the eggplants from the water. Wait at least 20 minutes for the eggplant to get cold.
In a bowl add the eggplant, olive oil, vinegar, black pepper, white pepper, oregano and olives. Slightly mix them using a spoon. Serve with your choice of breads.

RUMP CAP COVERED IN ROCK SALT

INGREDIENTS:
1 rump cap (800g to 1200g / the cap is never bigger than that)
2kg of rock salt

INSTRUCTIONS:
Ask your local butcher for the rump cap with the layer of fat on it. Use a medium size mold. Cover the bottom of the mold with a layer of about 10 mm of rock salt. Place the rump cap on top of the salt. Use the rest of the salt to totally cover the meat. Take it to the oven and cook it for one and a half hours at the temperature of 200 degrees Celsius. Do not add any seasoning. The fat and the salt will work together to make the meat taste delicious. It’s going to be juicy and tender.
The meat will absorb the right quantity of salt.

GOLD KIWI FRUIT AND LIME CAIPIRINHA

INGREDIENTS:
1 ½ oz of Cachaça (Brazilian rum)
1 lime cut into wedges
1 gold kiwi fruit sliced (Save one slice of the other half to decorate)
2 teaspoons of fine white sugar (or equivalent in sweetener)
1 glass of ice.

INSTRUCTIONS:
Place the lime, the kiwi fruit and the sugar into a cocktail shaker and mash with a
muddler. Add the ice with the Brazilian rum. Shake for 30 seconds.
Pour the whole contents back in the glass.

PASSIONFRUIT MOUSSE

INGREDIENTS:
395g tin of Condensed milk
1 Cup of milk (we use the tin of condensed milk as measurement)
1 Cup of Passionfruit in sweetened syrup (remove the seeds /you can also
use the real pulp of the fruit)
250ml tin of reduced cream
½ cup of boiling water
1 soup spoon of unflavoured gelatine

INSTRUCTIONS:
Add condensed milk, milk, reduced cream and passionfruit syrup to the blender. Blend them for 1 minute.
Dissolve the unflavoured gelatine in the ½ cup of boiling water. Mix them using a spoon until it’s totally homogeneous. Use a strainer to add the gelatine dissolved in water to the blender. Blend everything again for another minute. Pour the mixture in dessert cups of your preference and take to the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This recipe makes 6 portions. Before serving add a thin layer of passionfruit syrup (or pulp) with the seeds on top of the mousse.