Golden Manioc Meal
Cookbook
The South American Table: The Flavor and Soul of Authentic Home Cooking from Patagonia to Rio De Janeiro, With 450 Recipes
Published by Harvard Common Press
Brazilians love farinha de mandioca (manioc meal), especially prepared in the form of farofa, which is nothing more than the meal toasted to a pale golden color, either in a skillet on top of the stove or in the oven. This is put in a farinheira, a shaker that appears on every Brazilian table, and is sprinkled on all kinds of savory foods. The recipe here is for the basic farofa. There are other, more elaborate ones, such as farofa de dendê, which is fried in dendê (palm oil) after being toasted, and farofa de ameixas, which is made with prunes. Cooks, depending on the menu, may add onions, crispy bacon, passion fruit pulp, or shredded kale, to name just a few favorite ingredients.
Serves6
Cooking Methodsauteeing
CostInexpensive
Total Timeunder 30 minutes
Recipe Courseside dish
Dietary Considerationhalal, kosher, peanut free, soy free, tree nut free, vegetarian
Five Ingredients or LessYes
Taste and Texturebuttery, crisp
Ingredients
- 2 cups manioc meal or fine dry bread crumbs
- ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
- 4 hard-cooked eggs
- Salt
- 8 black olives for garnish
Instructions
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In a large, heavy skillet, toast the manioc meal over low heat, stirring constantly, until it begins to turn a pale beige. Remove from the heat.
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In a medium-size saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the toasted manioc meal slowly, stirring so that it doesn’t burn, and cook until all of the butter is absorbed and there are no clumps. Remove from the heat.
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Peel the eggs, cut in half lengthwise, and remove the yolks. Chop the whites and set aside. Finely chop the yolks and add to the farofa. Season with salt to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and decorate with the egg whites and olives.
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To Serve:
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Serve with feijoada, fowl, fish, or barbecued meat.
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2003 Maria Baez Kijac
