Cruise Night in the Amazon

This past weekend we had a ward activity where we went to the Amazon on a cruise. It was really fun, but stressful at the same time because I was in charge of all of the food. They have this activity every year and have gone to places like Alaska and Italy. Since their first idea for the menu was fajitas of some sort and I spoke up saying that they don't eat tortillas nor know what they are in Brasil, I was put in charge of food. Note to self: never open your mouth! But we had a really fun time making Feijoada and Farofa. There was a request that we serve a hunk of meat (even though I would have preferred to eat Feijoada as the main dish instead of a side) so I found a really yummy Brazillian garlic and lime marinade. We then broiled the meat for about 8-10 minutes on each side. We got quite the compliments on everything (even from people that had also served in Brasil on their missions) so I just thought I would share this all with everyone...

we got to add a piece of grilled pineapple, too...

and the salad was much more than this.

This picture is my practice round for my family.

Mmmmm....yummy!

Brazilian Garlic Lime Marinade
6 cloves garlic
2 tsp. coarse salt (kosher or sea)
¾ cup lime juice
½ cup white grape juice
2 TB red wine vinegar
1-2 tsp tobacco sauce
3 TB fresh snipped flat leaf parsley
2 scallions finely chopped (use all of the green, too)
1 TB chopped fresh rosemary or mint

Place the garlic and salt in a bowl and mash to a paste with the back of a spoon. Add the lime juice, grape juice, vinegar, tobacco sauce, parsley, scallions, and rosemary and stir until all the salt is dissolved. The marinade tastes best used within a few hours of making.

Makes 2 cups enough to marinate 2-3 pounds of meat

Feijoada (Black Bean & Meat Stew)
8 main course servings
Beans
2 lb dried black beans picked over
¼ cup olive oil
1 large Spanish onion chopped
¼ cup chopped fresh garlic
4 bay leaves
12 cup water
2 ham hocks

Adobo
¼ cup ground cumin
¼ cup ground coriander
¼ cup kosher salt

2 TB ground cayenne pepper
1 TB adobo-style seasoning

Meat
2 TB olive oil
1 lb breakfast sausage links
1 lb smoked sausage links
1 lb chorizo sausage
1 lb beef tenderloin cut 1" cubes
1 lb pork tenderloin cut 1" cubes

For Serving
8 cup hot cooked white rice

Make the Beans: In a large bowl, add the beans and cover with cold water by 2 inches. Let the beans soak in the refrigerator overnight. Drain.Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 8 minutes.Meanwhile, make the Adobo: In small bowl, whisk together cumin, coriander, salt, cayenne, and adobo seasoning.Add the garlic and bay leaves to the onion and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beans, water, ham hocks, and half of the adobo. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are very tender, about 2 hours. Remove the ham hocks and pull and shred the meat. Add the meat back to the stew and discard the bones. (The stew can be made up to this point up to 3 days ahead.)Make the Meat: In a large bowl, toss the sausages with the remaining adobo.Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Working in batches, brown the sausages and transfer them to a plate. Roughly chop the sausages and stir them into the stew. Return the skillet to high heat and, working in batches, brown the beef and pork and add them to the stew.Return the stew to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes more.When ready to serve, arrange a mound of rice in the center of 8 plates and spoon some of the stew over the top of each. Sprinkle with the farofa and chopped scallion and garnish with orange wedges.

Farofa
1 cup chopped bacon
½ cup chopped Spanish onion
½ cup tapioca
8 TB unsalted butter
¼ cup chopped scallions
Kosher salt to taste

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until its fat has rendered. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add tapioca and cook, stirring, until toasted. Add the butter and cook, stirring, until absorbed. Add the eggs and scallion and cook, stirring, until scrambled. Season with salt, to taste. Transfer to the farofa to a bowl and let cool slightly. (Makes about 2 cups)

P.S. Couldn't have pulled this all together without the help from my husband and friend Maria...THANK YOU!!!