So, I did something a bit different last week. Cooking wise I assure you! One of our Melbourne restaurants, Atlas Dining is surviving lockdown by sending out food boxes based on a theme. Included in the price of the ingredients are a series of masterclasses with the chef, done via Youtube showing you how to cook each meal. There are also written instructions for those who prefer to read rather than watch. I chose the Brazilian Food box because I have never eaten Brazilian food and thought it would be a great way to introduce myself to that cuisine, learn something new and eat some delicious food along the way. Win, win, win!
I was so excited when the box was delivered! It was like food Christmas! The food was all of the highest quality and there was a LOT of it. I ordered the singles box because the Fussiest Eater in the World was working on most of the nights I intended to cook. However, there was enough left over each night for me to have for lunch the following day.
And, to be honest, I am still eating some of the veggies!
Sausage Feijoada
Meal one was a Sausage Feijoada (pronounced Fey-zwah-dah) for those like me who have no knowledge of Brazilian food! This is apparently one of the most common dishes in Brazil. It is a stew usually made from mixed meats and black beans. Our version was made from sausages and it was 👌. It was served with a little salsa made with the most delicious guava dressing!!! This was my favourite meal of the week. It was so tasty and only took about 20 minutes to cook.
I am sure that a traditional Feijoada would take hours to cook and so this was a “dumbed down” of it but TBH, I don’t care. I was looking for an entry into the food of Brazil and this provided the perfect way to dip my toe in without getting too overwhelmed! Atlas had also done a lot of the work by pre-preparing the black bean mix which was delicious!
Pumpkin Vatapa
This was meant to be the meal for the third night but I decided to move things around because the Fussiest Eater in the World was going to be home on night 3. He is not really one for vegetarian food in gen and pumpkin in particular! He does like a steak however so the switcheroo occurred.
Again, this was quick and easy and so delicious. It’s kind of a Brazilian curry. It is late autumn here and these meals were perfect comfort food for cold nights! The vapata was served with a little salsa and two mixes sprinkled over the top. The salsa brought some freshness, the mixes brought some crunch. All in all this was delicious!
Because I made these out of order, I did not realise that one of these mixes on the top was also meant to be used with the beef dish and I used it all on the Vatapa. My suggestion here would be that if you are doing something different, to watch all the videos before cooking anything just so you know exactly what to use and when!
Carne Churrasco
Night three was a gorgeous marinated steak with parmesan polenta and a corn salsa and more of that brilliant guava dressing! It was a bright, colourful and luxurious way to finish off a superb three nights of food!
I loved cooking out of the Brazilian box, so much so that I have already signed up for the American box which is coming out in a couple of weeks! As soon as lockdown is over I definitely want to try some more Brazilian food. And who knows, one day when all of this is over maybe even travel there to sample it in situ!
Tell me, have you eaten Brazilian food? If so what can you recommend? Are there any must-haves I need to try? What about the desserts? I might try to find some delivery options!
Also, for any Americans reading this what would you include in an American food box? Two meat meals and one vegetarian? I would like to see how close your ideas line up with what’s in the box!
All props to Atlas Dining for such an innovative solution to life in lockdown! The meal box could not have been more welcome! At a time when all the days seem the same it brought a bit of vibrance that made me feel a little like this!
Have a great week everyone! Stay safe!
2 Comments on Going Brazilian
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Oh, that looks delicious–I’m super envious now. Especially of the guava dressing, gosh.
For an American box, I suppose a burger night is required. A classic burger from Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the Jucy Lucy, which features cheese in the center of the burger instead of on top. My favourite twist on it involves bleu cheese in the center and currant jam on top–but I think for a box, I’d do a classic Jucy Lucy with cheddar in the center and lettuce/onion/etc. on top. Serve with steak fries and a cold beer.
Cobb salad would be another good choice, since it’d allow you to get your vegetables in. 🙂 Bring your own hardboiled eggs and line all your salad toppings in pretty lines in a big bowl!
As far as a vegetarian dish goes…maybe a vegetarian chili? I love a good sweet potato and black bean chili, though certain pockets of the country refuse to acknowledge any kind of chili featuring beans. TBH, American food is so meat-heavy that I can mostly think of meatless versions of classic entrees.
Other likely possibilities seem like barbecue, tex-mex dishes, deli sandwiches like Reubens or subs, and buffalo wings, but my brain also keeps filling in the kinds of unfancy dishes that make up a lot of people’s childhoods: American goulash, tuna noodle casserole, tater tot hotdish, biscuits and gravy… Can’t wait to see what you end up getting!
Hello Miss Amy and thank you! You got one of the dishes in the American box exactly right – the vegetarian dish is a chilli! After hearing about your Juicy Lucy burger, I really wish one night was a burger night though! I’m going to keep the others under wraps until I get the box and cook them. Stay tuned! xx
PS (Always blue cheese!)