Brazilian cuisine is still relatively mysterious in America. Exotic and hard-to-pronounce dishes like feijoada and moqueca may seem unapproachable, or the recipes are laden with hard-to-source ingredients such as palm oil or açaí. But Brazilian food deserves a special place in world cuisine as its uniqueness defies comparison. Our most memorable food moment on a trip to Brazil took place in a jaw-dropping outdoor restaurant space etched into the hillside neighborhood of Santa Teresa in Rio. There, we feasted on giant fresh hearts of palm, fileted tableside and served with a simple herb oil. Underneath a canopy of tangled floral vines that danced their way through ancient treetops, we sipped a local pink wine and dipped toasty cassava rolls in just a bit of malagueta pepper sauce. It was divine. This recipe is a little kick-start to bring home some Brazil.
Ingredients
- •45 ml (3 tablespoons) sunflower oil
- •15 ml (1 tablespoon) Latin Spice Blend*
- •15 ml (1 tablespoon) malagueta pepper sauce (substitute equal parts Tabasco and sriracha)
- •5 ml (1 teaspoon) minced garlic
- •10 ml (2 teaspoons) dried oregano
- •10 ml (2 teaspoons) Worcestershire sauce
- •One 454 grams (16-ounce) can whole hearts of palm (palmito)
* Click for Latin Spice Blend recipe
Preparation
If using bamboo skewers (as opposed to metal) soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before grilling.
Whisk together the oil, Latin Spice Blend, pepper sauce, garlic, oregano, and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl until smooth.
Cut each palmito stick into three 4 cm (1 ½ inch) plugs then toss them in the marinade and let them sit for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
Preheat a chargrill to high or a grill pan over high heat and skewer the plugs of palmito, 3 to 5 per stick.
Grill the skewers for 3 minutes or until you achieve nice char marks, flipping and rotating once. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.