Costeletas de Porco

Brazilian  Pork Chops/Costeletas  de Porco


Serve hot with  white  rice, mashed beans, and collard greens. 


4 to 6 lean pork chops  (about 1 lb.)
2 tbsp. olive oil juice of 1 lemon
1 to  2 cloves  garlic, peeled and minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black  pepper
1 minced hot pepper (optional)

1. Wash pork chops under cool running water and pat dry with a paper towel. Trim off any visible fat.
2. In a wide baking dish or bowl, combine all ingredients except pork chops and mix well. Add pork chops, stir well to coat, and cover dish with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook 3 pork chops for 5 to 7 minutes on each side. If you have 2 skillets and someone to help you, you can cook all the pork chops at once. Otherwise, carefully place the first batch on an ovenproof plate in a warm oven (about 200˚F) while you cook the second batch.

Preparation time: 10 minutes (plus 1 hour marinating time) Cooking time: 15 to 30 minutes Serves 4 to 6

To give this dish extra spice, some Brazilian cooks add a finely minced hot pepper. Jalapeño, malagueta,  and serrano peppers make good choices. If you are not used to eating spicy foods, begin with  a small amount of chili pepper and adjust to your tastes.

Special Brazilian Ingredients 

abóbora Brazilian pumpkin. Abóbora is a member of the squash family.
If abóbora is not available, use acorn or butternut squash instead.bay leaves The dried leaves of the bay (also called laurel) tree
carne  seca Cured  and salted beef that has been dried. Carne  seca must be soaked for at least eight hours before being used.cilantro an herb used fresh or dried as a flavoring and garnish cinnamon a spice made from the bark of a tree in the laurel fam­ily.
Cinnamon is available ground or in sticks.

coconut milk a rich liquid made by simmering shredded coconut meat with milk or water.
dendê  oil the  strongly flavored oil from the dendê palm tree, native to Africa. Latin American, Caribbean, and African markets may carry dendê oil. If you can’t find dendê oil, you can substi­ tute peanut, vegetable, olive, or another cooking oil, but the taste will not be quite the same.
garlic an  herb that grows in bulbs and has a distinctive flavor that is used in many dishes. Each bulb can be broken into sev­ eral sections called cloves. Most recipes use only one or two cloves. Before you chop a clove of garlic, remove its papery covering.
gingerroot a knobby, light brown root used to flavor food.
To use fresh gingerroot, slice off the amount called for, peel off the skin with a vegetable peeler, and grate the flesh. Freeze the rest of the root for future use. Fresh ginger has a very intense taste, so use it sparingly. (Do not substitute dried ground ginger in a recipe call­ ing for fresh ginger, as the taste is very different.)
hearts of palm the tender stems of certain palm trees. Hearts of palm are available in the canned food section of most grocery stores.
malagueta a chili, or hot pepper, favored by many Brazilian cooks.You may be able to find fresh or preserved malagueta at Latin American or Asian markets. If you have trouble finding it, you can substitute fresh poblano, Anaheim, jalapeño, or other hot peppers for this chili. If you do not eat spicy food very often, try a milder pepper, such as poblano or Anaheim, before moving on to hotter chilies.
manioc a tuber (root vegetable), similar to the potato. Also called cas­ sava or yucca, manioc can be baked, mashed, or fried. It is also made into flours and starches that are staples of Brazilian cooking. Manioc flour, called farinha  de mandioca   in Portuguese, is a relatively coarse meal made by drying and grinding the entire tuber. Manioc starch, called polvilho, is a finer powder that is made by a different process. Manioc starch and manioc flour cannot be substituted for one another. Latin American, Caribbean, and Asian markets often carry both products.
olive oil an oil made by pressing olives. It is used in cooking and for dressing salads.
rice flour a flour made from ground rice and commonly used in desserts
salt cod codfish that has been salted and dried to be preserved for long periods of time. Salt cod must be soaked before using. It can usually be found in the seafood or specialty section of grocery stores or at Latin American markets.

Brazilian Food

Brazilian Food 

A short list of key ingredients forms the basis of Brazilian cooking. Beans, rice, and manioc have been a big part of local cuisine for centuries. Tasty tropical fruits such as bananas, papayas, pineapples, avocados, and oranges also brighten Brazilian tables, alongside fresh vegetables, including collard greens, squash, yams, and eggplant.
In southern and central Brazil, the wide plains provide abundant grazing for the beef cattle favored by meat lovers. Pork and chicken dishes are also popular. In the Amazon Basin of the north, however, and all along Brazil’s Atlantic coast, regional dishes are more likely to include fresh fish and seafood. Many spices and flavorings enhance all of these ingredients. Hot  peppers, garlic, lemon  and  lime juice, coconut milk, and dendê oil (the oil of the dendê palm, a tree native to Africa) are staples in a Brazilian cook’s pantry.
Perhaps the most typical Brazilian dish is feijoada, a thick stew of black beans and pork. A dish formerly prepared by slaves, feijoada has hundreds of variations, and nearly every cook has his or her favorite. Feijoada was first prepared near the southern ports of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, where many slaves arrived. It is often served with the traditional accompaniments tutu a hearty side dish of mashed beans, onion, and garlic and couve, collard greens sautéed with oil or butter. Prepared “à Mineira,” or in the cooking style of the southeastern state of Minas Gerais, these three dishes date back two centuries.
Other dishes from Minas Gerais include corn, beans, pork, and cheese. In south-central Brazil, beef is more common  than other meats, and meat barbecued over an open fire is a local favorite. In the northeastern state of Bahia, on the other hand, cooks along the coast make good use of fresh seafood. African influence is strong in this region too. Coconut milk livens up plain white rice, and diners use the spicy condiment vatapá, liberally.
In northern Brazil’s interior, where the land is often stricken with drought, dried staples such as cornmeal, manioc, and dried meat are essential. Thick angús warm cornmeal mashes that are often served
with meat sauces are popular. Northern Brazilian cuisine is also heavily influenced by indigenous cooking and makes good use of time-tested ingredients such as yams, peanuts, and fruit.
With so many influences, Brazilian cooking has its own very dis­ tinct identity. Like a complex melody that requires many musicians to work together, Brazilian food draws on each of its historical elements to create a perfect and delicious harmony.