We usually buy some Minas Cheese from the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais whenever we go to a Brazilian market. It is a good snacking cheese we like to keep in our refrigerator. It is a cow’s milk cheese usually cured in the open air. It is a mild cheese more used for cheese boards rather than cooking.
Alex enjoyed the mild flavored cheese when paired with a cracker 8 out of 10.
Alex tried this corn pudding freshly made when he was in Brazil so we purchased this container when we saw it in a Brazilian market. A sample recipe is below:
Mingau de Milho – Cornmeal Pudding
5 cups of whole milk 1 cup cornmeal ¼ cup of honey ½ teaspoon whole cloves (about 5 or 6 individual cloves) ½ cinnamon stick
Pour cold milk into large pan; add cornmeal, cloves, and cinnamon. Stir well while cold to dissolve cornmeal completely. Turn on heat to low and add honey; allow to simmer, stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Allow to simmer 5-7 minutes until pudding become thick. Pour into large bowls (one bowl will inevitably get the cinnamon stick!)
Best served warm, but can be chilled.
Not quite as good as when it was warm and freshly made but Alex polished off the entire container 9 out of 10.
Pinhão are Brazil’s “Pine nut on steroids.” Unlike the pine nuts we are used to here in the US these are gigantic. We shelled the nuts and boiled them. We then mixed them with rice, garlic, some herbs and farofa. After topping with fried eggs the finished dish was excellent. The nuts themselves were similar to the smaller variety in taste and texture. The nuts are brownish in color as opposed to the North American white nuts and they come from a different tree than our variety 8 out of 10.
The Framingham Station Brazilian Steakhouse is a Rodízio style restaurant in Framingham. We have visited many different rodízios throughout the US and Canada and this restaurant was the best of its type. High end meats including picanha, filet and lamb chops were available for lunch. The buffet had all of the traditional Brazilian staples. 9 out of 10.
Framingham is the go to town for Brazilian shops and restaurants
On a recent trip to Framingham we stopped at Seabra Foods to pick up some Brazilian supplies. The market is well stocked with a variety of fresh and pre-packaged products. The bakery and meat sections are also top notch. 9 out of 10.
Framingham has a great number of Brazilian restaurants and shops