Barbecues are undoubtedly one of the all-time great inventions. What could be better than a delicious meal cooked on an open flame?
Why not do something different and try a Brazilian style barbecue? Coming just behind the United States, Brazil is the second-biggest supplier of beef in the world. And like us, they know how to make great barbecue.
There are many elements for the perfect churrasco. The meat is the main attraction, of course, but the side dishes make a sumptuous meal.
Here are the top six side dishes to give your barbecue an international flavor.
- Brazilian-Style Garlic Bread
Brazilian-style garlic bread is a favourite staple at many barbecues.
To make it, you will need:
- One Baguette bread
- Two tablespoons of cream cheese spread
- Three tablespoons of mayonnaise
- Two tablespoons of well-diced garlic
- One tablespoon of oregano
- ½ cup of parmesan cheese
- Fresh parsley to taste
- Fresh chives to taste
Mix the garlic, mayo, parsley, chives, cream cheese spread, and parmesan into a container, then slice the baguette.
Put the bread in the horizontal position and slice it vertically, but not all the way through. Leave the bottom uncut, so the baguette stays together. Spread the mix evenly around the crust.
Take it to your grill and toast it until the bread is nice and gold (around 5 minutes for each side).
- Farofa
This one is one of the most traditional sides for many Brazilian meals, but it holds a special place for barbecues where it is used over the meat for an extra flavor.
From the outside, it looks like simple bread crumbs, but it is actually toasted cassava or cornflour. To make it, you will need:
- Two cups of cassava flour
- One small diced onion
- Three chopped cloves of garlic
- 3.5 oz of diced bacon (small pieces)
- Two tablespoons of chimichurri seasoning
- Salt, fresh chives and fresh parsley to taste
- Olive oil
Pour enough olive oil in a frying pan to cover the center of it, then add the bacon. Even though the bacon will release water when you fry it, you want to have this extra oil to moist the cassava flour.
Fry the bacon until it’s almost toasted, then add the onion and garlic together. Stir and fry them evenly. Be careful not to burn the garlic. You can add salt to taste. Then add the chimichurri seasoning.
After that, add the cassava flour and stir the mixture for a couple of minutes. Add the fresh chives and parsley to taste.
- Vinaigrette Sauce
Vinaigrette is a very popular sauce for churrascos. This versatile relish can be added to a loaf of bread, over the rice, or over the meat. To make it, you will need:
- Two medium-sized diced onions
- Five diced tomatoes
- One diced green pepper
- ¼ cup of fresh chopped parsley
- ¼ cup of fresh chopped chives
- ½ cup of chopped green olives
- One cup of olive oil
- ½ cup of vinegar
- ½ cup of water
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparing the sauce is pretty straightforward: put all of the ingredients in a bowl, mix well, and let sit for 30 minutes before serving.
- Potato & Egg Salad
A potato salad is always a good choice to freshen up any meal. And in Brazil, potato salads can get quite extravagant, with raisins and even apples. But, if that’s a bit too tropical for you, here’s a simple recipe. You will need:
- 21 oz of peeled potatoes
- 5 oz of mayonnaise
- 3 oz of mustard
- 2 oz of black olives
- Two eggs
- One small diced red onion
- White wine vinegar
- Olive oil to taste
- Fresh chopped chives to taste
- Fresh chopped parsley to taste
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
First, put the diced onions in cold water and leave aside. Next, boil the eggs. The yolk should be firm so boil the eggs for 8 to 10 minutes. After that, put them in cold water to stop the cooking process, and leave aside. Boil the potatoes, let cool, then dice.
To make the sauce, mix the mayo and mustard, vinegar and olive oil, spicing it up with salt and pepper.
Mix in the diced potatoes, onion, and eggs, and add the olives and parsley (and more salt and pepper if needed).
If you want to jazz your salad up and try something different, peel an apple, dice it and add in your Brazilian potato salad!
- Arroz Carreteiro, “Wagoner” Rice
The wagoner rice is very traditional for churrascos from the South of Brazil. The southern region has been the cattle belt of the country for many years, and the gauchos (habitants from the South) developed several barbecue related traditions, such as meat preparation, serving methods, and etc. The Wagoner Rice is one of the side dishes that was made to nourish the wagoners on their trips across the south.
To make it, you will need:
- 6.5 oz of Spanish chorizo sausage
- 1.8 oz of chopped bacon
- ½ of medium-sized diced onion
- 0.5 oz of pork lard
- 3.5 oz of long-grain white rice
- One clove of garlic
- ¼ cup of fresh chopped chives
- ¼ cup of fresh chopped parsley
- Half chopped chili pepper
Fry the bacon and leave aside. Then, stew the chorizo sausage with pork lard until the meat is sealed. Once that is done, add the onion and garlic, cooking them golden. Add the rice and cook it until the grains are soft. Take out of the oven, so the rice doesn’t burn. You can now put the chopped chili to give some extra taste. Add the fired bacon and the fresh chives and fresh parsley when serving.
- Grilled Fruits and Veggies
Some fruits such as pineapple, mango, banana and even carambola (also known as “star fruit”) are great grilled and go very well as a side dish or even as a dessert.
Vegetables like eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, and peppers are also good grilled, especially when brushed with olive oil and salt on top and are a great option.
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