Shrimp cake on a scallop shell (Casquinha de Camarão) (1 portion)

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tablet of chicken bouillon
• 1/2 onion small diced
• 70g of shrimp
• 1 tbsp of minced cilantro
• 4 tbsp of Bechamel sauce
• 1 tbsp of coconut milk
• 1 tbsp of cream cheese
• 1 tsp of Saffron
• 1 tbsp of Parmesan cheese
• 1 cleaned Scallop shell

Method
In a pan, saute the olive oil with the saffron and onions until translucent. Add the 1/2 tablet of chicken bouillon and the shrimp. Next, add the cilantro and saute more. Add the remaining ingredients except the parmesan and the Scallop shell. Mix everything and simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer the mix into the Scallop shell, add the parmesan on top, and finish off in a hot oven until the parmesan is golden brown. Enjoy!

The state of Ceará

Ceará located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest state by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of Fortaleza.

The state is best known for its extensive coastline, with 573 kilometers (356 miles) of sand. There are also mountains and valleys producing tropical fruits.

 This is a photo of the famous Jericoacoara beach located 300km west of Fortaleza.

Bacuri Flan (Pudim de Bacuri) (8 portions)

• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 can of bacuri juice
• 1/2 tbsp of vanilla extract
• 1 pinch of salt
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup sugar

Method
Blend the sweetened condensed milk, bacuri juice, vanilla, salt, and eggs in blender. In a pan over medium-high heat mix water and sugar and heat until it forms a caramel. Place the caramel into a flan dish that is 23cm diameter. Place the mix from the blender on top of the caramel. Cook in 350F oven in water bath for 40 minutes. Cool down and turn it upside down into a big serving place. Serve and enjoy.

Duck Breast Belenense (Pato Belenense) (4 portions)

• 4 Duck breasts
• 3/4 cup of white wine
• 1 tbsp of minced ginger
• 1 tbsp of minced garlic
• 1/4 cup of butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 200g of Bacuri pulp
• 3/4 cup of water
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Score and season the Duck breasts with salt and pepper. Heat pan with olive oil and sear the breasts fat side down first and other side. Place breasts in 350F oven for 10 minutes and cook to medium rare. In another pan, melt butter and saute the garlic and ginger. Add the sugar, Bacuri pulp, and cilantro. Deglaze with white wine and water and reduce the sauce. Pour the sauce over the Duck and serve with rice. You can also large dice the Duck and serve it that way, its your choice.

In case you are wondering, Bacuri is native to South America in the humid forests of Brazil, Paraguay, parts of Colombia and northeast to Guyana; specially in the Amazon. The fruit is round to oval, 7-14 cm long, with a thick, yellow skin, looking similar to a papaya. The sticky white pulp, which is wrapped around the three to five seeds somewhat like a pomegranate, is fragant, with a taste that is both sweet and sour.

Caruru from Pará (Caruru Paraense) (6 portions)

• 1 kg shrimp
• 3 liters of water
• 1 cup of Palm oil
• 2 onions small diced
• 5 cloves of garlic minced
• 2 tomatoes rough chopped
• 3 green peppers small diced
• 6 alfavaca leaves chopped
• 6 chicory leaves chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
• 1 yellow pepper small diced
• 1 kg okra sliced
• 500g manioc flour
• Salt to taste

Method
In a pan saute the onions and garlic in the palm oil. Add the green and yellow peppers. Add the tomatoes, alfavaca, chicory, and cilantro. Next add the shrimp and stir. Add the water and bring to a boil. Bring down to a simmer and add the okra. Add the manioc flour little by little and continue stirring. Season to taste and serve with rice of choice.

Moving on to the state of Pará

Pará is the second largest state of Brazil. Its most famous icons are the Amazon river and the Amazon rain forest.

Crab Cocktail (Coquetel de Caranguejo) (1 portion)

• Olive oil to taste
• 1/2 onion small diced
• Chopped cilantro to taste
• 2 tbsp lump crab meat
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• Salt to taste
• 8 crab claws (small)
•  3 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup table cream
• 1 tbsp cognac

Method
Saute onions, cilantro and lump crab meat in a pan. Season with salt and lime juice. In another pot, steam the small crab claws. In a small bowl mix the ketchup, mustard, cream, and the cognac. In a glass of choice, preferably a martini glass, place the sauce on the bottom to about a little over half way up the glass. Place the sauteed crab on top of the sauce and the steamed crab claws around the glass. Garnish with a lime slice on the rim of the glass and serve

Açaí sweets (docinho de açaí) (50 balls)

• 100g brazil nuts
• 2 cups of açaí pulp
• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1/3 cup of table cream

Method
Slice the brazil nuts and roast them at 325F untill golden brown. In a pan, heat the remaining ingredients for 15 minutes at low simmering heat. Cool this mixture down. Form into little balls and place a slice of toasted brazil nuts on top of each ball. Serve and enjoy.

As you may already know, Açaí is becoming very popular in the U.S. Bloomberg reported that the expanding popularity of açaí in the United States was "depriving Brazilian jungle dwellers of a protein-rich nutrient they’ve relied on for generations."

Pirarucu with escabeche sauce (Pirarucu ao molho escabeche) (1 portion)

Fish 

• 200g pirarucu filets
• Juice of 3 limes
• 1 tbsp of salt
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 3 tbsp of olive oil

Sauce

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion cut into julienne
• 1 tomato cut into 4 wedges
• 2 tbsp minced cilantro
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 3 cups of tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of manioc (yucca) flour

Method
Season the fish with lime and salt. Lightly dredge in flour and pan sear it. Once cooked, remove from pan. Using the same pan, saute the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic in the olive oil. Add tomato sauce along with the water. Add the manioc flour a little at a time constantly stirring. This process takes about 3 minutes until it thickens. Adjust the seasoning of the sauce. When ready, just pour the sauce over the fish. Serve this dish with white rice, potatoes, or however you like. This fish may be the fish of your choice, feel free to change it up. 

Let's begin with the north. The first region will be Amazonia...

Amazonia includes a large part of the rainforest and the amazon river. This area is populated by native Indian and a mix of Portuguese and native Indian ancestry. They live on a diet of fish, root vegetables, peanuts, palm, and tropical fruits.

This is the Pirarucu fish. It's a tropical freshwater fish and one of the largest freshwater fishes in the world.

Pirarucu Cakes (Bolinhos de Pirarucu) (24 Cakes)

• 400g chopped Pirarucu filets
• 3 tbps olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 onion small diced
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp minced parsley
• 2 Tbsp minced cilantro
• 500g of potatoes
• 1 egg
• 3 cups of frying oil

Sautee onions, garlic, and fish in the olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, and herbs. Cool down. Cook your potatoes in salted water. Mash your potatoes like you're making mashed potatoes. Mix the mashed potatoes with the egg and the fish that you sauteed. Season with salt and pepper to taste if needed. Mold them into little balls and fry them to golden brown. This recipe can be changed to taste. I'm sure its hard to get Pirarucu in the states, so you can use a different kind of fish. Also, you can use yucca instead of the potatoes, or a combination. If you like black olives, add about 100g of it in there. It's all up to you.

A little history...

Just about 1 million native indians lived in Brazil before the first Portuguese explorers. Five million Africans arrived before the abolition of slavery in 1888. Mix those with Asian, Italians, Germans, Lebanese, etc...All arriving by the 1930's. This eclectic mix has created a cuisine marked by profound differences. The national cuisine of Brazil is more a collection of unique regional ones.

The regions are divided into five. North ( Acre, Amazonas, Amapá, Pará, Rondonia, Roraima, and Tocantins) Northeast (Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Maranhao, Paraiba, Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio Grande do Norte, and Sergipe) Central-West (Federal District of Brasilia plus Goias, Mato Grosso, and Mato Grosso do Sul) Southeast (Espirito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and Sao Paulo) South (Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, and Santa Catarina)