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But what is this dish? Coxinhas, crunchy croquettes
In Brazil, we put on these little fried balls at all hours. Originally from São Paulo, coxinhas are supposed to be shaped according to the shape of their filling: a chicken thigh mixed with requeijão, the local cream cheese. “It was the first dish I sold in my life, says Alessandra Montagne Gomes, Franco-Brazilian chef at the head of Nosso in Paris (1). I distributed them in front of the schools to earn a little money. There was no work in the village of Minas Gerais where I was born, between Rio and Brasília. The chef took a long time to put them on her menu, wanting to erase the bad memories of the hassle. Encouraged by her second, she now offers it in her tasting menu, as if to reconnect with her past.
For about 15 coxinhas, you need: 500 g of chicken, 2 tbsp. at s. of tomato paste, 400 g of water, 12 g of sunflower oil, 50 g of whole milk, 250 g of flour. For the stuffing: 250 g of cream cheese (requeijão), 1/2 bunch of coriander, 1/2 bunch of parsley. For the breading: 200 g whole milk, 200 g brown breadcrumbs, sunflower oil.
Fry the poultry with the tomato puree, wet well and cook forty-five minutes to an hour. Remove the poultry and reserve it. Weigh 400 g of poultry cooking water, add a large pinch of salt, pepper, oil, milk and bring to the boil. Add the flour all at once and cook like a choux pastry, until a homogeneous paste is obtained.
Shred the chicken then add the cream cheese, cilantro and chopped parsley. Add salt and pepper. Make a ball of dough of 30 g and flatten it by hand. Put inside 25 g of chicken stuffing. Fold the dough over itself to form a pointed ball. Put the point down between the palms of the hands and shape them as in the photo. Bread the coxinhas by rolling them in the milk then in the breadcrumbs. Repeat the operation twice.
Fry the coxinhas in sunflower oil for two minutes at 180°C. Do not hesitate to generously season the chicken broth because the flour will absorb the tastes.︎
(1) From Rio to Paris, my favorite cuisine by Alessandra Montagne Gomes, texts by Laurène Petit, photographs by Maki Manoukian, Flammarion, 2023.
Napkin rings: Jolia, it’s bathing
Chef Steve Zylbersztejn brings back to the Père Lachaise district, in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, the beautiful Levantine tradition of grilling. In a luminous decor, the plates tumble like a series of scented Polaroids. We ate an olive oil brioche with homemade dukkah, tehina and zhoug butter; a burnt beet, black sesame, zaatar and olive oil labné; an astonishing celeriac skewer, served on the skewer, as if coming out of the barbecue, accompanied by a delicious salad of coriander and red onions and a spicy mayo. Finally, we dared to try the amberjack sashimi, a very fashionable fish, swimming in water of burnt mandarins, coconut and tangy vinaigrette. Mamma mia! When we could literally no longer close the button on our jeans, we were warmly recommended for dessert the sponge cake, custard, pomegranate molasses, rose petals and caramelized pistachios but, not being able to swallow a single extra calorie, we will keep this mystery intact for next time.︎
Pretty, 123 rue du Chemin-Vert, 75011 Paris. About 50 euros per person with wine.
Sauce that can: A tarama with smoked cod eggs
Ok, we’re cheating a bit, the tarama isn’t really a sauce but rather a spread or a dip. But the recipe, drawn from Grand Cafe d’Athens (2), made us look too much to resist. For four people, you will need: 200 g smoked cod roe; 50 g of dried white sandwich bread; 1 lemon (the juice); 15 cl of olive oil; salt, ground pepper.
Crumble the previously dried sandwich bread. Then mix finely with the cod eggs and half the lemon juice. Transfer to a salad bowl and gently whip the olive oil mixture with a whisk. Season, then add the rest of the lemon juice. Enjoy chilled.︎
(2) Grand Cafe d’Athens, all the soul of Greece in 80 recipes, by Chloé Monchalin and Benjamin Rousselet, ed. Hachette Kitchen, 2022.