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This recipe is probably a version of the “pastel de camarão” (little shrimp pie), a legacy of Portuguese cuisine. It makes a great appetizer, snack or quick meal. There are many versions of “shrimp croquettes” all along the coast and over almost the entire Brazilian territory.
This recipe was inspired, long time ago, by the “shrimp croquette” of a little restaurant in “Perequê” beach, “Guarujá”, São Paulo.

Ingredients
For the filling:
• 600-800 g of raw shrimp with the shell on (about 400 g of cleaned shrimp)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons chopped onion
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 150 g ripe tomato, peeled and diced
• 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, approximately 25 g
• 100 ml milk
• salt, ground pepper or chilli
• 12 – 14 pitted green olives
• 12 – 14 cubes of Emmental cheese
For the shrimp stock:
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• the shrimp shells and fish scraps, if there are
• 2 sprigs of parsley
• a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper
• 500 ml water
For the dough:
• 500 ml of liquid (shrimp stock + milk)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• salt, ground pepper or chilli
• a teaspoon of colorau or a bit of tomato paste
• 100 g mashed potatoes
• 250 g all-purpose flour
For the coating:
• beaten eggs with a pinch of salt
• pane grattugiato

Preparation method

1. Wash the shrimps, peel them and remove the guts. Save the raw shells for the stock and cut the shrimp into pieces.
2. Make the stock. Melt the butter and sauté onion and garlic. Add the shrimp shells, toast and crush them with a wooden spoon to remove all the juices. If desired add ½ cup white wine and, once the alcohol has evaporated, add the parsley, salt, pepper and the water. Allow to cook for at least 30 minutes. Pass the stock through a fine strainer.
3. Make the filling. Melt the butter and sauté onion and garlic. Then add diced tomatoes and let simmer. Add parsley and chopped shrimps, turn the heat to high and cook for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the flour, mix well, add the milk and cook for a few minutes until it becomes creamy.
4. Pour the stock into a measuring cup and add milk until the level of liquid reaches 500 ml. In a large pan combine the liquids (stock + milk), butter, salt, pepper and “colorau” or tomato paste (they are used to add colour to the dough) and bring to the boil. Add the mashed potato and the flour all at once. Stir vigorously until the mixture comes together to a smooth consistency and forms a “ball”. Put the dough on a plate and let it cool down.
5. Prepare the croquettes. Divide dough into 10-12 equal parts. Take one part of the dough and use your hands to press it into a thin disk. Add a tablespoon of filling to the middle of the “disk”, an olive and a cheese cube. Fold over the sides to cover the filling. Then roll it to create croquettes.
6. Dip them into beaten egg (slightly salty), then roll in breadcrumbs.
7. When the oil has reached the correct temperature (it starts to form small bubbles around a wooden toothpick when you stick it in the oil) deep fry until they are golden brown.
8. Transfer them to a plate covered with paper towels to soak up any excess oil. Serve hot.

Yield: 12-14 croquettes.

Posted on: 18 May 2014

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“Cuca” is a sweet bread of German origin, typical of Southern Brazil. “Cuca” can be filled with banana, apple, grapes, berries, “goiabada” and “dulce de leche”. The name of the recipe is probably derived from the German “kuchen”, meaning “cake”.
Sweet bread dough takes a long time to rise, so, there are also simplified versions of this recipe, made with baking powder.
Here you will find the traditional recipe.

Ingredients
For the dough:
• 250 all-purpose flour
• 150 g sugar
• 7 g active dry yeast (15 g fresh yeast)
• 50 g butter
• 100 ml whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon of liqueur (optional)
For the topping:
• 5-6 Chiquita bananas
• 120 g all-purpose flour
• 200 g sugar
• 1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 100 g cold butter

Preparation method

For the dough:

1. Dissolve dry yeast and a teaspoon of sugar in two tablespoons of warm water. Let it rise inside the turned off oven until it has doubled in volume.
2. Put the butter in a small bowl with the milk. Heat them until butter is melted and set aside.
3. In a large bowl combine flour and sugar, add the yeast mixture, the egg, the butter and milk mixture and the liquor.
4. Use a spatula or a wooden spoon to mix until a smooth, soft dough forms. The dough will look resemble a batter.
5. Let it rise covered inside the oven until doubled in volume. It takes more than an hour because it is a very rich dough.
6. Grease a rectangular mould (20×30 cm) with butter or line it with parchment paper.
7. Gently pour the dough into the mould and allow to rise for 30 minutes more.

For the crumble topping:

1. In a bowl combine flour, sugar, cinnamon and the cold butter cut into small pieces.
2. Work the dough with your fingertips until the mixture has a texture like sand.
3. Using your hands, press and form the mixture into a ball and put it into the refrigerator to cool down.

To assemble the “cuca”:

1. When the dough will be puffy and almost doubled in size add a layer of sliced bananas.
2. Remove the top dough ball from the refrigerator. Use your hands to break up the top dough into crumbles. Sprinkle crumb topping over banana slices. If you want, you can let it rise a little more.
3. Bake in a preheated oven at 220° C until it is lightly browned. It takes about 30 minutes.
   

Posted on: 06 April 2016