Brazilian Limeade (Limonada)

This drink is especially good in summery weather, but it can be enjoyed year round. Buy limes that aren't thick skinned and firm as they likely don't have as much juice in them. Contrary to what I usually write about not buying sweetened condensed milk when I list "canned milk," this time you want SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK in a can. If you aren't familiar with it, it is thick and sweet, and a bit off-white in color. It is a commonly used by many people to make fudge. 

 

This drink is called "lemonade" by many, because in Portuguese (the language of Brazil), the word "limão" is often used for both "lemon" and "lime," and this drink, made with limes, is called "limonada," which can be translated as "lemonade," but it is more accurate to translate the drink name as "limeade," because of the fruit used to make it.

 

Ingredients (5 to 6 servings):

 

5 limes, washed and then each lime cut into 8 pieces

1/2 cup to 1 cup sweetened condensed milk, depending upon how tart you want the limeade

4 cups cold water

10 to 12 ice cubes

some lime pieces for garnish

Wash the limes well to remove any pesticide, wax and bacteria. (Wax is often put onto fruits and vegetables to help preserve them and to make them look shiny to shoppers.) Cut each lime in half lengthwise, then halve each of those pieces, then halve those pieces. Into a blender or processor, add the lime pieces and two cups water. You don't want to obliterate the lime pieces, just extract much of their juice; so, "pulse" the lime pieces about 15 to 18 times (that's what I do with my blender, but your blender may only require 12 pulses, so use some judgment). Anymore than that and the drink can become bitter. Strain the lime juice into a pitcher and add the other 2 cups water and stir. Add 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk and stir well to mix, then taste the drink to see how much more, if any, of the sweetened milk you want to add. So add any additional sweetened condensed milk, always stirring to mix it into the drink well. Add ice cubes and take a few of the lime pieces from the sieve you used to strain the juice and add them to the pitcher. 

 

WORD HISTORY:

Twinge-This word is related to "thong," a word from the Germanic roots of English. "Twinge" goes back to Indo European "twengh," which had the notion "to press, to put pressure on, to squeeze," and this gave Old Germanic "thwangjan(an)," with essentially the same meanings, but including "to pinch." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) the verb "twengan" meaning "to pinch," and the form then became "twengen," with the further meaning "twitch," then it became "twingen," before becoming "twinge," from which the noun "twinge" was formed in the mid 1500s, and it became more common in usage by the early 1600s, meaning "a pinch, a twitch, a sudden sharp pain (often, but not always, in the abdominal area), which causes one to wince or otherwise to show sudden discomfort (with a figurative use about sudden shock from hearing about or witnessing some bad event, or from feeling a sense of remorse or sympathy about something)." The verb "twinge" had become outdated by circa 1600. German has "zwingen" (pronounced as if 'tsvingen'), meaning "to force or compel" (from the notion of "to press or to put pressure onto someone/something"). The German form has had numerous spellings over the centuries including: "dwingan," "thwingan," "twingen," "dwingen," and even the unusual "quingen;" Low German and Dutch have "dwingen," also meaning "to force or compel," West Frisian has "twingen" (to force), Swedish has "tvinga" (to force), Danish and Norwegian have "tvinge" (to force) and Icelandic has "þvinga" (þ=th, and word meaning "to force").    

Brazilian Mortadella Sandwich: Sanduíche de Mortadela

Provolone cheese originated in the Campania area of Italy, but since that time, it has become popular elsewhere in Italy, as well as in other countries. It melts pretty easily and it is stringy when heated, making provolone a common addition to pizzas. Another option is to use white American cheese, or yellow American cheese, if you're not concerned with the color of the cheese. Mortadella is closely related to bologna, or baloney, as it is more commonly called in the United States. Mortadella is typically made of finely ground pork and mixed with garlic, nutmeg, ground coriander, black peppercorns, pistachio nuts and small pieces of pork fat (the black peppercorns, pistachios and pork fat are easily visible in the finished product, as they are not finely ground). 

I make my sandwich somewhat "smaller" by using 1/3 pound of mortadella, but in Brazil or in Brazilian restaurants outside of Brazil, the sandwiches more commonly contain 1/2 pound of mortadella or more. Yes, these are HUGE sandwiches!  

 

Ingredients (per sandwich):  

1/3 to 1/2 pound of sliced mortadella

1 or 2 teaspoons of oil for frying the meat (peanut oil, olive oil or avocado oil, all are good)

3 or 4 slices provolone cheese

3 pieces of sun dried tomatoes in olive oil  

(recommended, but optional) 1 or 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

(recommended, but optional) 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 

bread roll like a kaiser roll or hoagie roll

Fold slices of the mortadella to make two or three piles of meat (probably good to make two piles if you use 1/3 pound of mortadella, but three piles if you use 1/2 pound). Add oil to a large skillet over medium heat and fry the meat until the outside slice is browned and a bit crispy (the inside slices will heat through, but remain soft); turn and brown the other side of the meat, but after a short time, add slices of cheese to the top of each pile near the end of cooking; it will begin to melt. Remove meat piles to a plate. Slice open the bread rolls and place them open side down in the skillet. Toast the rolls lightly, and don't worry if they sop up some of the pan drippings from the previously cooked mortadella. Remove the rolls and spread the bottom part with mustard, put one pile of cheese topped mortadella over the mustard covered roll part, add sun dried tomatoes, then add the other pile of cheese topped meat, squeeze on or spoon on some mayonnaise and press the top part of the roll onto the sandwich. Don't forget the napkins.   

 

WORD HISTORY:

Cabin-The ultimate origin of this word is unknown, but Latin had "capanna/cabanna," which meant "hut," and this gave Occitan^ "cabana/cabano" ("hut"), which gave Old French "cabane" ("hut, small house"), and English borrowed the word in the mid 1300s as "cabane," initially meaning "small room on a ship (initially, for use by officers, later, more general for crew members and passengers). This then became "cabin," with the extra meaning, "a roughly constructed small house, typically made of logs." French borrowed the English word as "cabine," meaning "small or compact construction for living quarters, small room for living quarters on a ship, for bathing, or for some other specific purpose; such as, (modern) passenger area of an airplane or a telephone booth." Many other European languages use forms of "cabin," but exactly how they acquired the word is not always clear to me. German has "Kabine" meaning "small room, booth/stand, cubicle, passenger area of a plane," and this seemingly was borrowed in the 1600s from English, as it was initially spelled "Cabbin" in German, but French certainly influenced it further as the spelling changed to "Kabine." Portuguese has "cabine," meaning "compartment, booth, fitting room," and "cabana" meaning "hut, shanty, shed."  

 

^  Occitan is a Latin-based language of the western Mediterranean region, which includes parts of modern Spain, France, Monaco and Italy. It's best known dialect is likely "Provençal," which is spoken in the French Riviera.

Brazilian Romeo & Juliet: Romeu e Julieta

This is a real tough recipe. haha  You'll need guava paste (Portuguese: goiabada, pronounced like: goyah-bawda), which is of course made from guavas, a fruit originally from the New World, but the Spanish and Portuguese took guavas back to Europe and elsewhere; for instance, the Spanish took guavas to the Philippines, and the Portuguese introduced the fruit to India.

  

This snack or appetizer was seemingly developed in the Brazilian region of Minas Gerais in the 1700s by Portuguese colonists, as Brazil was then a colony of Portugal. Remember, Brazilians speak Portuguese, not Spanish. Minas Gerais has its own fresh cheese, but it can spoil after a relatively short time, so you're not likely to find it outside of Brazil, but you can use other types of cheese. I've made this with Greek feta cheese, Mexican Cotija, farmer's cheese and fresh mozzarella. The idea is to pair a somewhat "salty, tangy" cheese with the sweet guava paste. Guava paste is often available in Latino grocery stores, and "perhaps" in some supermarkets, but it is easily found online, and guava paste is not typically very expensive. By the way, in spite of its visual resemblance to jellied cranberry sauce, it is much firmer in texture than that easily found (in the U.S., at least) product.      

 

Ingredients:

 

queso fresco/fresh style cheese or other white cheese (see above for suggestions)

guava paste

toothpicks

 

Cut the cheese and guava paste into pieces of "about" 1 to 1 1/2 inches long and about 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick. Put pieces of each onto some toothpicks and you're done. Hey, I said this was a tough recipe! Serve with some crackers, but I've also had it with toast. 

 

 

 

WORD HISTORY: 

Guava-This word seems to go back to the Arawakan language family, which is from the native peoples of Central and parts of South America, as well as some of the Caribbean islands. Arawakan "guayabo" meant "guava tree," but it might well have also referred to the fruit of the tree. Spanish initially borrowed the word as "guayabo" in the early 1500s, which then was altered to "guayaba," and was applied to the fruit. This was then shortened to "guaya," and "guaba." English borrowed the word in the mid 1500s.  

Brazilian Carrot Cake With Chocolate Frosting

The popularity of this cake has spread the recipe to other parts of the world well beyond Brazil. My friend in Brazil, Gustavo, also known by his "secret name," "G," which is now NOT so secret, made me aware of this cake a few months ago, and I later came across recipes for it from places like Australia and Indonesia. Usually served along with a cup of coffee in Brazil, but hey, you can always have a glass of milk! 

Ingredients (1 single layer cake):

For the cake:
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into pieces
3 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour + 1 tablespoon baking powder, sifted together
1 1/4 cups sugar

For the frosting:
1 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons butter

Heat the oven to 350 F. Meanwhile, add the carrot pieces, eggs, oil and sugar to a food processor or a blender. Process until smooth. In a bowl, add the sifted flour, baking powder and sugar; mix the dry ingredients briefly with a spoon or a fork. Add the carrot mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well until smooth. Lightly oil/grease a cake pan, then lightly dust it with some flour. Pour the batter into the pan and bake in the preheated oven until a knife or a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Spread the frosting in a layer onto the top of the cake, or use a knife to go around the outside of the cake in the baking pan and then turn the cake out onto a dish, then take the dish you plan to use for the cake and turn the cake onto it, then add the frosting. One more thing... EAT! Frosting: To a heavy-bottomed pan add the sugar, cocoa powder, milk and butter. Over low heat, cook the mixture, stirring often (almost constantly, as these are ingredients that love to stick to the pan) until it comes to a boil for about a minute or so, then remove the pan from the heat.

WORD HISTORY:
Tenure-This word is related to a great number of words, including, "tenacity" and "tension," words of Latin derivation borrowed by English through French, and to "tendon," a word borrowed by English from Latin, which had gotten it from Greek, and to the "tain" part of both "sustain" and "abstain," words of Latin derivation borrowed by English via French. "Tenure" goes back to Indo European "ten," which had the notion "to stretch, to extend out, to draw out." This gave Latin "tenere," meaning "to hold, to have;" thus also, "to have control over, to keep in possession, to maintain a situation or status." This then became "tenire" in Vulgar Latin and passed into Latin-based Old French as "tenir," with the same general meanings, and then produced the Old French noun "tenure," meaning, "the legal possession or holding of land;" thus, "an estate in the time of feudalism," which also expanded secondarily to "legal holding, right of possession in a more general sense." English borrowed the word in the first part of the 1400s from the French still spoken in England at the time (Anglo-French, that had developed from the Norman dialect), and its application to "holding an employment position, or holding a particular status within a profession" was being used by the late 1500s. This later developed into the extended, "guarantee of employment status/position."     

Creamy Brazilian Cornmeal Cake: Bolo de Fubá

Brazil is the largest Portuguese speaking country or region in the world. The basic recipe for this cake was given to me by my friend Gustavo of Brazil, whom you can just call "G." Over the years I have helped him with his language, which has left him as one of the few people to speak "Klingon." The problem is, I was helping him with English! Hahahaha  The Brazilian name for the cake is "Bolo de Fubá," in Portuguese, and it is common throughout Brazil, although with many recipe variations, some of which do not include cheese. Those without cheese are very much like American cornbread, although the Brazilian form tends to have more liquid and more sweetener (some use sweetened condensed milk). I read some articles about the cake, including one from a Brazilian cookbook I have, and most note that this cake is often served at breakfast or later in the day, on both occasions with a cup or two of coffee. I also found different pans/dishes used for the cake, and I chose a round pie/cake dish (10 inches x 2 inches), and G uses a round cake pan (Hm, I wonder what 'cake pan' is in Klingon?). I used Pecorino Romano cheese, although Parmesan cheese is traditional. G used a blender/food processor to mix his cake batter, but I just used a hand mixer. The thing is, the batter will be runny, but that is okay; it's supposed to be that way. When poured into the baking pan and put into the oven, the milk and the melting cheese will form a layer of creaminess on the cake (see top 2 photos, below). You do need to keep track of the time or set a timer for this cake, as you can't insert a toothpick to see if it's done, because of the creamy layer. Preheat the oven to 350 F and bake the cake for about 50 to 55 minutes. Since this was the first time I made this cake, I baked it 55 minutes, although slightly less would likely have been fine. The top should be nice and golden brown (see photos, below). I would have just put G's recipe here, but I figured none of you know Klingon. Hahaha  Actually, his English is very good, no thanks to me! But if anybody wants to pretend to learn English while actually learning Klingon, I'm your guy! 

Ingredients:
3 eggs
1/4 cup butter
2 1/2 cups of milk
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 cup of yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (I LOVE Pecorino Romano)
1 1/2 tablespoon baking powder

In a blender or a bowl, add all the ingredients (except the baking powder). Mix in the blender or use a hand mixer to mix the ingredients together very well. Add the baking powder and mix it in with a spoon. The batter will have a pretty liquid consistency. Preheat your oven to 350 F and let your cake bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the cake has a "golden" surface. Let the cake cool down about 30 minutes before slicing.

WORD HISTORY:
Jaguar-This word for "a large cat of prey of the Americas, especially in parts of South America." It goes back to Tupi, also called Tupian, a language family of some of the indigenous peoples of South America, particularly in Brazil. The early 1500s saw the Portuguese colonize Brazil and they took the transliterated Tupi word "yaguara/jaguara," which seemingly meant "a large meat eating animal," and therefore also used for the big cat, which was rendered as "jaguar" in Portuguese (also as yaguareté and jaguareté). English borrowed the word from Portuguese as "jaguar" around 1600. It was used as the name for a British automotive company and their line of luxury and sports cars beginning in 1935, later often shortened by the public to the trendy sounding "Jag."    

Brazilian Seafood Chowder: Moqueca

This is a common soup in the coastal state of Bahia in Brazil. Like many popular dishes, it has numerous variations, including some that are somewhat more involved. Fish with a relatively firm flesh are used in Brazil, one of those being a large type of catfish from Brazil, but cod, swordfish, halibut or other catfish can also be used. Traditionally cooked in a "moquequeira," a type of pan, the name of this chowder, "Moqueca," is derived from that type of cooking pan. Also traditionally, oil made from palm fruit, known as "dendê oil" in Brazil, is used to make "Moqueca." This oil has a bright reddish or orangish color, but it has become highly controversial, both for reasons of health (high saturated fat level) and for the environment, the cutting down of palm trees, thus contributing to the deforestation of the rainforest, which in turn reduces the habitat of many animals. You can substitute extra virgin olive oil and then add some saffron threads, and/or soak a little annatto* in the oil, or add some ground turmeric (see recipe below). Generally, while the dish contains red chilies, it is not really hot, as the amount of ingredients dilutes the heat of the chilies, but leaves just a hint of spicy tingle for the dish. If you prefer more spicy heat to your food, add another chili pepper or two. 

Ingredients (for about 6 to 8 servings):

1 pound cod, swordfish or halibut, cut into about 1 or 2 inch pieces
1 pound medium shrimp(s)
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
4 or 5 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 heaping tablespoon sweet paprika
juice of 2 limes
1 large red bell pepper, cut into rings
1 medium green pepper/Anaheim pepper, chopped or cut into rings
2 hot red chili peppers, seeded and chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 or 4 saffron threads, and/or a little annatto soaked in the oil, or 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric (I used both saffron threads and annatto) 
1 can (13.5 to 15 ounces) coconut milk
1 teaspoon salt
cilantro for garnish

Put the fish pieces and the shrimps in a dish, then add the garlic, lime juice and salt; mix well, cover the dish and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Heat the olive oil, saffron (or annatto or turmeric) in a pot or large pan over medium heat, then add the onion, red bell pepper, green pepper, tomatoes and chili pepper. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion softens somewhat. Add the paprika, green onions, chopped cilantro; stir to mix well. Then add the fish and shrimp mixture (lime juice, garlic and salt). Cook briefly until the fish and shrimp BEGIN to change color. Add the coconut milk, stir to mix, and let the dish come to a simmer; then adjust the heat to simply maintain a gentle simmer. Let simmer until the fish and shrimp are simply cooked through, then remove from the heat. Overcooked shrimp can often become tough. Often served with rice or good bread to sop up the excellent broth. 

* Annatto is a seasoning and food coloring product from the seeds of the achiote tree. It is commonly used in dishes from the Caribbean and Central and South America. 

WORD HISTORY:
Chowder-This word for a thick stew, often with fish or other seafood, is related to "cauldron," a Latin-derived word borrowed by English by way of Latin-based French. It goes back to Indo European "kelhe," which had the notion "warm, hot." This gave its Latin offspring "calidus," with the same meaning, and this produced "calidarium," meaning "warm or hot bath," which later produced "caldaria," meaning, "a pot for cooking." This passed into Old French as "chaudière," with the same meaning, and English borrowed the word in the mid 1700s as "chowder," but meaning "the fish stew cooked in a 'chaudière'."  

Brazilian Potato Salad: Salada de Batata com Maionese

I got the idea to do this recipe from my friend Gustavo from Brazil. Remember, Brazil is the largest Portuguese speaking country in the world. In doing some research, I found that potato salad is quite popular in Brazil, something I hadn't known. There are some variations in recipes, but "generally" nothing too substantial. For instance, as compared to what I used, Gustavo doesn't care much for carrots, so he doesn't use carrot in his version. No more Bugs Bunny for him! A friend of his adds a can of tuna to the potato salad, and Gustavo gave that a try and liked it; so you might want to try it too. I saw "some" recipes with olives, and I love olives, so I added them to my recipe. This salad is very good, and the apple adds a nice touch, especially if it is of the sweeter kind, to contrast with the varied tartness of the vinegar, lemon juice and mayonnaise. I believe all the Brazilian Potato Salad recipes I checked included apple. I'm not a big fan of "sour," so I tinkered around to find what I consider the best amounts of lemon juice and vinegar. Of course, if you like more of a sour taste, use my suggested amounts, then taste it, and add a little more vinegar until you get the taste you prefer. As you've likely heard many times, "you can always add, but you can't take it back out." If you get too much "sour," adding sugar might solve the problem, but it's likely to leave you with a "gritty" taste. HEY! We just invented "Gritty Brazilian Potato Salad!" Gotta go, it's time for Bugs Bunny.   

Ingredients:

2 to 2 1/4 pounds potatoes 
1 apple (I suggest a somewhat sweet apple like: Red Delicious, Fuji, Honeycrisp or Gala)
1 cup onion, chopped or sliced
1/4 cup peeled and diced carrot (fresh is best, but frozen is fine; I find canned carrots too mushy)
1/2 cup corn (canned/drained, frozen or cut off the cob)
1/2 cup peas (canned/drained or frozen)
2 hard boiled eggs
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 cup mayonnaise (light mayonnaise is fine)
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
10 to 12 olives (green or black or mixed), halved

Boil the potatoes in their jackets, cool, then peel them, then chop or dice them. Boil the eggs and let them cool, then remove the shells and chop the eggs. Cook the diced carrot until softened, but not mushy. Cook the corn and peas. If you're using canned or frozen corn and peas, you can begin cooking the carrot, and then add the peas and corn when the carrot is about half done. Let the vegetables cool down a bit. Peel, core and chop the apple, then mix the lemon juice with the apple to prevent it from turning brown. Now, in a bowl add the potatoes, corn, peas, carrot, apple (with the lemon juice), onion, olives and chopped egg. Add the olive oil, vinegar and salt (if using), mix and then add the mayonnaise and mix well to coat all of the potatoes and vegetables. Let the salad chill in the refrigerator before serving.

WORD HISTORY:

Anchor-This word is distantly related to "angle" and to "ankle." ^ It goes back to Indo European "ang," which had the notion of "to bend, to curve." This gave transliterated Ancient Greek "ankyra" (ánkȳra), meaning, "anchor, hook" (traditionally, anchors have hooks; that is, 'curved' metal or other heavy materials that hook onto underwater ropes or other moorings to help keep a vessel stable). The Greek form was borrowed by Latin as "ancora" in ancient times. The term was then borrowed by Germanic tribes in western Europe, but with no one term in Germanic.^^ The word spread through the old Germanic dialects, which gave Old English "ancor," but why it came to be spelled with the "ch" in the 1500s is puzzling to me, although it perhaps started because of a misspelling of the Latin form.^^^ The meaning expanded beyond nautical terminology to mean anything that provides stability, as in, "anchor store;" that is, "typically a large department store in a shopping center or shopping mall that provides a strong, stable base (anchor) for drawing in customers." "News anchor;" that is, "a person, alone or as part of a team, who regularly broadcasts the main news on radio or television." The verb "seems" to date from the 1200s (?), as "ancoren," then "anchoren," and came from the noun. Relatives in the other Germanic languages: German and Low German "Anker," Dutch "anker," West Frisian "anker" (?), Danish and Norwegian "anker," Swedish "ancare," and Icelandic "akkeri."

^ "Angle," meaning, "to fish" (and "angling," the act of fishing), is from the Germanic roots of English, as is "ankle." "Angle," with the specific meaning, "a corner formed by intersecting lines," is of Latin descent, but it too is from the same Indo European form, so it is also related to "anchor."

^^ There is quite a lot of uncertainty as to WHEN Latin "ancora" was borrowed into Germanic. Some sources don't even give a date or even an assumed date, which tells me, they don't know and they are not confident enough to even venture a guess, although it certainly was many centuries ago, in the times of the Germanic tribes; that is, before these tribes began to unite into something more akin to national groups. The idea is that the West Germanic tribes along the part of the Rhine River (the Lower Rhine) that flows from the present day German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (German: Nordrhein-Westfalen) through part of the present day Netherlands and into the North Sea borrowed the word, and that it eventually spread throughout the Germanic dialects/languages, including into the dialects that became English.    

^^^ "Dictionary of Word Origins," by John Ayto, Arcade Publishing, New York 1990, says it comes from the misspelling of Latin "ancora," as "anchora."

Brazilian Salted Tapioca with Ham & Cheese Filling (Tapioca Salgada)

First, "tapioca" is a starch made from cassava root. Cassava is a plant commonly grown in tropical and subtropical parts of South America, especially Brazil, parts of Africa and also southern Asia. Americans and Canadians, also likely the people of Britain, would almost surely think of pudding upon hearing the word "tapioca." The pudding is sweet and usually made with vanilla and pearl tapioca, a form which looks like fish eggs, and the pudding is even commercially produced for sale in supermarkets, typically sold in little tub-like containers. In some parts of the world, however, tapioca is an important starch, often used as flour in cooking. Unlike wheat flour, tapioca is gluten free, an important dietary consideration for people with digestive reactions to gluten, which is a protein in wheat and many other grain products. Tapioca flour, also known as tapioca starch, can be found in Latino markets, or in many supermarkets, often in the Latino/Hispanic section, although I found it in the "gluten free" section of one supermarket.

This recipe is from Brazil, where Portuguese is the language. This is unlike the other countries of South America, and Central America, for that matter, where Spanish is the common language.* The second word of the name of the dish comes from the meaning "salted," from the ham, which like true "country ham," tends to be dry cured by salting, and not necessarily by smoking of the ham. In fact, the Portuguese word for ham, "presunto," is from the same Latin source as "prosciutto," the Italian word for "ham." These are not difficult to make at all, as making the crepe is the only real work to it, and it's not much.

Ingredients (4 servings):

9 to 10 tablespoons of tapioca flour (depending upon your skillet size)
a pinch or 2 of salt
3 to 4 tablespoons of water
8 thin slices of ham (I used the very thin deli sliced ham, and it was smoked, but finding dry cured ham, like prosciutto, is not always easy, and it can be expensive, but if you have it, use it)
4 slices of mozzarella cheese or you can use it shredded
4 teaspoons of ricotta cheese, thinned very slightly with some milk (Brazilians have "requeijão," a type of  creamy cheese
slices of tomato
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

Put the tapioca flour/starch into a bowl and mix in a pinch or two of salt. Add 1 tablespoon water at a time and mix lightly, until a sort of crumb or streusel mixture forms. Not all of the starch has to be in one of the clumps, which can vary in size. No rocket science here. It should not be wet or runny AT ALL. Heat a small skillet over medium heat, do not add any oil! Brazilians do the next step right into the skillet, but I used a separate large plate. Use a sieve with relatively small openings and rub the starch clumps through the sieve to reduce the clumps to about the size of fine cornmeal or grits. Add about two + tablespoons or so of the starch mixture to the skillet, making sure to even it out in a round thin layer. Within about 30 seconds, the mixture should begin to meld together into a crepe or thin pancake. Layer on 2 thin slices of the ham, then a slice of mozzarella, then some tomato slices, then drizzle on a teaspoon of the thinned ricotta, and sprinkle on a little oregano. The mozzarella should be melting slightly by then. Fold the crepe over in the skillet. Ready to go. Repeat the process for the others. Serve warm.

* Portuguese and Spanish are both Latin-based languages from the Iberian peninsula in southwestern Europe. They are similar in many ways, and mutually intelligible to "some" degree, more so in writing, and I'm sure speakers of each find it pretty easy to learn the other language. Actually, Portuguese is much closer to Galician, a language of northwestern Spain, although it is perhaps thought by some to be a Spanish dialect.

The top picture shows more of the filling, and the bottom picture a bit more of the tapioca wrap.

WORD HISTORY:
Crepe/Crêpe/Crisp-These closely related words go back to the Indo European root "sker/skre," which had the notion of "bend, turn, twist." This gave Latin "crispus," which meant "curly, wavy," and this was "seemingly" borrowed into Old English directly from Latin, as "crisp," and with the meaning "curly, wavy." Later the meaning began to change to the modern sense of "crackly, brittle," "perhaps" from the idea of some foods being grilled or fried to the point where they, or the skin of meat, "curled, became wavy," which often then resulted in them being "crackly." In England later, the noun form, "crisp/crisps," was used for what Americans call "potato chip(s)." In the meantime, going way back again, Latin "crispus" was inherited by Latin-based Old French as "crespe," with the "curly" meaning. The French later used the term for a thin pancake which "curled" when fried. English borrowed the word as "crepe," still the preferred spelling in American English, but it later also borrowed the modified French form "crêpe," with the "^" mark, called a "circumflex," which is a modern way of showing that there is a missing letter from the original spelling of a word, often an "s."

Excellent Brazilian Shrimp Dish: Vatapá

"Vatapá" is the name of a great Brazilian stew featuring shrimp in a somewhat sweet creamy sauce. I recently fixed this dish and I intend to do so again. For those unaware, Portuguese is the language of Brazil.* I took the basic recipe from a Brazilian cookbook, "Brazilian Food," by Thiago Castanho, Firefly Books Ltd., Buffalo, N.Y. and Ontario, Canada, 2014, but I then used my own adaptations to make a version of the dish. This is not difficult to make and I have simplified it even more, and the ingredients are all things most people already have on hand, or they are easily found in the supermarket. 

Ingredients:
2 lb. shrimp (I used frozen cooked shrimp in the 41/50 size, with tail shell on, which I removed after thawing the shrimp and before adding them to the recipe)
3 or 4 slices of dried French or Italian bread
Panko bread crumbs (plain/non seasoned), if needed
8 oz. coconut milk (plus some water)
8 to 10 oz. clam juice (or homemade seafood stock)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, minced or chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 Roma or other small tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 or 2 mild chili peppers or 1 mild and 1 serrano, seeded and chopped
1 or 2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Sazón with culantro and achiote (easily found in Latino markets or in the Latino section of your supermarket or Latino shops)
(2 teaspoons palm oil, not palm kernel oil. I skipped using the palm oil completely.)
salt and pepper
1/4 cup of cilantro leaves, torn into pieces
1/4 cup basil leaves, torn into pieces
Serve with white rice (I added some onion and garlic, as per the cookbook, to the general recipe I use for white rice, which includes a little butter and some oil, besides the rice, water and a little salt).

First, the cookbook recipe calls for making homemade shrimp stock, made from the heads and shells of the shrimp. I have simply used store bought clam juice. Tear or cut the bread into smaller pieces, put it into a dish and pour the coconut milk over it, plus add 1 cup of water. Let the bread soak while you fix another part of the recipe. Using a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and then add the onion, then a minute or so later, the garlic, the tomatoes and the chili peppers. Saute to let the mixture soften. Add the shrimp and the clam juice and mix well. Add the bay leaf (or leaves). Bring mixture to a low simmer and then add the cumin, the Sazón, a pinch of salt and some black pepper (also the palm oil, if using). Add the bread mixture, stirring well to incorporate. The bread should thicken the dish into a sauce, but if it does not thicken properly (it should be pretty thick), stir in some Panko breadcrumbs a little at a time until the mixture does thicken. I had to use the breadcrumbs when I made this. The sauce should have a yellowish color to it. Stir in the cilantro and basil leaves. Cook for just a minute, and you're done. Serve with the white rice. If you want the dish to look nice, withhold a few shrimp from the recipe, cook them separately in some water and then add them to the top of each serving as a garnish, as I've done in the photo below. 

* Portuguese is a Latin-based language that developed in the Iberian Peninsula in western Europe. It is closely related to Spanish, but even more so to Galician, a language primarily spoken in northwest Spain. Brazil was once a colony of Portugal, and Brazil has the distinction of being the largest Portuguese speaking country in the world. Portuguese is from the Indo European family of languages, and thus it is related to English, but further down the family tree.  

 

WORD HISTORY:
Shrimp-This word for a "generally small, narrow shellfish" is related to "scrimp." The ultimate origin of "shrimp" is unclear, and its overall history is a bit "iffy," but Old Germanic had "skrimpanan," which had the notion of "to make smaller, to shrink." From this came Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "scrimman," which meant "to shrink." Whether a form of this English word then later produced "schrimpe" is not known, but that form later became modern "shrimp." Forms of the word in the other Germanic languages have a "p" sound,^ and it is "possible" that an English form of the word did too, but that that word had not been recorded by the educated part of English society from post Norman invasion times, when French and Latin were the preferences of the heavily Norman based nobility and high society. Of course it is also possible that even if the English word lacked the "p" sound, that the influence of its mainland Germanic relatives could have altered the English word, giving it the "p" sound, as the English traded with, and came into contact with, speakers of other Germanic languages, especially Flemish, Dutch, Frisian, Low German and Old Norse.         

^ The other Germanic languages do not use a form of the word for the shellfish.