salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1 lemon
200 ml of coconut milk (the bottled, thick kind)
2 tbl of dende palm oil
3 tbl of olive oil
* Season shrimp with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Let stand for 1 hour. Boil the shrimp shells in water with cilantro leaves. Let simmer for 5 minutes, strain and use this broth to cook cassava pieces until tender. After cooking cassava, puree it in blender or food processor with the broth and 10 shrimps. Saute onions, red peppers and tomatoes in olive oil Add shrimp and let cook for 5 minutes. Add cassava puree, coconut milk and dende oil. Let boil for 2 minutes
* (LOW FLAME, STIRRING ALL THE TIME). When ready, the consistency is that of VERY thick soup. Serve with rice and "farofinha de dende"
* (Recipes below)
* Farofinha de dende:
Saute finely chopped onion (about 1 tablespoon) in Dende oil. Add manioc flour (funny looking subproduct of cassava-resembles sand, and tastes like nothing until you season it LOL! Stir constantly over low flame a few minutes, so it doesn't burn. Looks a lot like orange- colored sand. Salt to taste. Odd-looking, but good.
* Brazilian white rice:
Wash 1 cup of rice thoroughly and let dry (That's a hint to get rice that's not soggy) Saute 1 tablespoon of finely chopped onion and 1 clove of garlic, also finely chopped, in cooking oil (I use canola).
* Add rice and fry it until it becomes sort of transparent. Add two cups of hot water, salt to taste, put the lid on the pan and let cook over VERY low flame, until water has evaporated. Let stand in covered pan until serving time. If it forms lumps, use a fork to fluff it.
* Hope you enjoy the flavors of my beautiful Brazil
