• Capital: Brasilia
• Population: about 200 million
• Area: 8 515 767 km²
• Currency: Brazilian Real

For my Brazilian recipe, I made Feijoada. Feijoada is a black beans stew with a bunch of different meats and sausages in it. It is usually served with some rice. I also made pao de queijo which are small bread balls with cheese and garlic. Recipe for feijoada and pao de queijo follows!

Feijoada

Ingredients:

• 1 pound black beans
• 1 pound pork shoulder
• 2 fresh Italian sausage
• 4 smoked sausage (I used kielbasa)
• 1 smoked ham hock
• 1 14 ounce can crushed tomato
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 large onion
• 10 cloves of garlic
• Salt
• Olive oil

Directions:

Bring a full pot of water to a boil. Once the water is boiling, put the black beans in a large bowl and pour the water on top. Cover and reserve.

Once the beans are soaking, prepare all your ingredients to be ready for cooking. Slice the onion and chop the garlic cloves. Cut the pork shoulder in 1 inch cubes.

In a large pot, heat olive oil on high heat. Brown the pieces of pork shoulder. Once the meat is browned, remove it from the pot and set aside.

Add the onions to the same pot and cook until translucent. When the onions are translucent, add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Add back the pork shoulder and add all the meats and sausages. Add water until all the meat is covered. Add the bay leaves, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to gently simmer for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, drain the beans and add them to the pot. Cover again and let simmer for 1 hour and a half.

After one and a half hour, add the tomato, stir well and taste. Adjust salt to taste. Simmer on low heat uncovered for 2 hours. The ham hock should fall of the bone.

Serve with rice.

Pao de queijo

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups tapioca flour
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2/3 cup parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs

Directions:

Finely chop the garlic and grate the parmesan cheese if using fresh parmesan.

In a saucepan, heat milk, olive oil, water and salt. As soon as the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat and add the tapioca flour and garlic. Stir well until fully combined.

Set aside to rest and cool down for 15 minutes.

Once the mixture has rested, add the beaten eggs and grated parmesan cheese and stir well until combined (I use my hands to slightly knead the dough and combine).

Preheat the oven to 375F

Roll the dough in small 1/4 cup sized balls and put them on a baking tray with parchment paper.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Once cook, let the balls cool down before eating.

Bom apetite!