Rio de Janeiro Recipes

Presidente FHC Diced Filet Mignon

Top local chef Roberta Sudbrack presents an entrée exemplifying Rio’s cosmopolitan cuisine, and made with easy-to-find ingredients—a favorite dish of former Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso.

Ingredients:

3 pounds filet mignon

1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finally chopped
6 seedless, skinless tomatoes, cubed
1/4 cup pelati tomatoes, strained
2 cups demiglace (concentrated veal stock)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Unsalted butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:

Cut filet mignon into small cubes. Sauté meat with butter and olive oil until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper; set meat aside. Sauté onion and garlic in same pan (add more olive oil if needed). Put in meat and cubed tomatoes and simmer. Add pelati tomatoes and demiglace. Cook over medium heat until thick. Salt to taste. Serve with white rice, manioc flour and carrots slices toasted in butter, and fried breaded banana.

Servings: Serves eight

Caipirinha

Local chef Roberta Sudbrack’s formula for Brazil’s signature drink

Ingredients:

1 lime
1 shot cachaça (cane spirit)
2 tablespoons sugar
Half glass crushed ice

Directions:

Peel lime and quarter. Cut away center core. Place lime pieces in shaker, add sugar, and crush with pestle. Add cachaça and ice. Shake well. Pour into glass and decorate with lime wedge.

Servings: Serves one

Brigadeiro

Created in the 1940s and named for Brazilian Air Force brigadier Eduardo Gomes, these traditional fudge balls are a staple on Rio dessert trays.

Ingredients:

2 quarts whole milk
1 pound sugar
5 ounces high-quality powdered chocolate
1 ounce unsalted butter
Granulated chocolate (for topping)

Directions:

Simmer milk and sugar on low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally. When almost as thick as condensed milk, add butter and chocolate powder. Cook for 20 minutes, until thick and creamy. Cool at room temperature. Butter hands and roll tablespoon-sized scoops into balls. Sprinkle with granulated chocolate.

Servings: Makes about three dozen