Scallops, Farofa, and Passionfruit… oh my!
Flashback to January, I traveled to Brazil with my sister and parents to meet up with our family friends who live in São Paulo. Upon arriving in São Paulo, we drove a few hours to Paraty to meet the boat we’d be staying on for the next week. This was my first time in South America and I was really excited to explore the traditional flavors of Brazil since they were very unfamiliar to me. As a pit stop on the way to Paraty, we stopped at a roadside cafe called Tudo Da Roca which served sandwiches, smoothies, baked goods, and traditional spreads like dolce de leche. We tasted a mushroom sandwich on French bread and a classic açaí bowl, and the açaí bowl was like candy. So fresh and so perfect to have after traveling the whole day prior. We made our way to Paraty and arrived at the boat, and there we met our private chef for the next five days, chef Ticiane Carpanzano (instagram @ticianecarpanzano). Tici was nothing short of amazing and served us incredibly fresh flavors of the ocean, staying true to traditional Brazilian dishes while also putting her own unique spin on them. Every single day when we’d wake up, there was a breakfast spread waiting for us on the dining table filled with yogurts, fresh juices, fruit, granola, farmers cheese, and a special Brazilian dish which was sort of a tapioca crepe with cheese in the middle. It felt like we were having a quesadilla for breakfast, and it was amazing.
Breakfast spread
One of my favorite food memories from the trip was sailing up alongside a fisherman boat and buying fresh sea scallops straight out of the water from the fisherman. Tici served the sea scallops on the shell with olive oil, micro greens, and herbs and it was the perfect bite! My favorite dinner was definitely our surf and turf night, where we had barbecued cheese (very similar to halloumi), lobster, steak, corn, and an out-of-this-world flavorful chimichurri sauce.
Sea scallops
Surf and turf, boat style
A standout dish that we ate with almost every meal in Brazil was farofa, which is a dish made of toasted bread crumbs or toasted flours with finely diced, sautéed onion and garlic. This is extremely similar to a breadcrumb topping I always make at home to go into salads, but instead of it being a topping it was its own dish. We loved farofa so much, and Aline taught me how to make it with breadcrumbs and corn flour. It was so beautiful to stand in her kitchen and see how passionate she was about teaching me their native dishes that she was so proud of. Food is the best love language!
Ceviche with coconut, passionfruit, and citrus / spicy guacamole with beetroot chips
The ceviche we ate on the trip was to die for. I used to think that raw red onions in ceviche made it very harsh, but this was citrusy, spicy, and delicious. It was white fish with coconut milk, passionfruit, lime, ginger, thinly sliced red onion, and red bell pepper. I dream about this ceviche and have to try to remake it soon because I simply couldn’t stop eating it. Passionfruit was a favorite flavor of mine that week, and I also flipped out over a lemongrass panna cotta with passionfruit, coconut, and vanilla. Another highlight ingredient was cashew fruit, which the cashew nut that we’re familiar with comes from. It tastes and smells very floral, with notes of mango, strawberries, and bell pepper. Such an interesting fruit to get to know considering I eat cashew nuts almost every single day!
Brazilian Cashew fruit
Panna cotta with passionfruit, coconut, lemongrass
Something that I had looked forward to indulging in, that my parents both loved so much when they first visited Brazil, was grilled octopus. We definitely got our fair share of it! For dinner one night Tici made us seared octopus with crispy potatoes, carrots, greens, and cherry tomatoes. This dish was a crowd favorite and really highlighted the natural flavors of the octopus. It was earthy, savory, and completely delicious.
Octopus with crispy potatoes, carrots, greens, and tomatoes
The food adventures didn’t end when we got back to São Paulo, and either did the hospitality which goes hand in hand with the flavors of Brazil. Our family friends Aline and Rodolfo took such great care of us and their home was such a representation of their love. Our last breakfast in Brazil consisted of carrot cake, cheesy bread, fresh papaya, yogurt, green juice, farmers cheese, and homemade granola… and the food kept flowing. I always tell people that one of the reasons I love food so much is because it brings people together in such a natural way, and my Brazilian week highlighted just that. Through spending time together at meals, celebrating local ingredients, and exploring indigenous flavors, we were able to bond and really develop an understanding of one another. The way that I show my love is definitely through my cooking, and I’m so excited to eventually host their family and return the hospitality and love that we felt so deeply. Obrigada, Brazil!
