Gluten free Cheese Biscuits

Cheese Biscuit is a classic recipe from the states of Minas Gerais and Goiás in Brazil. The main ingredient for this recipe is a popular item of Brazilian origin: the tapioca starch or tapioca flour. The history tapioca flour begins on farming and cropping cassava root, the most Brazilian of the ingredients.

In the traditional communities of Brazil, tapioca is a by-product of manioc flour production from cassava roots. In this process, cassava is ground to a pulp. The pulp is squeezed, releasing a white starch-rich liquid. This liquid is collected and left to decant. The water is discarded, and the moisture is allowed to evaporate, leaving behind a fine-grained tapioca powder similar in appearance to cornstarch.

Tapioca flour is great for baking and an excellent alternative to wheat flour, as it is gluten free. For this recipe, the main ingredients are tapioca flour and a good cheese. Simple and quick to make, these cheese biscuits are great to serve for breakfast or afternoon tea.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup grated cheese

• 1 cup tapioca flour

• 1 tbsp butter

• 1 egg

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a bowl, mix and knead all the ingredients until the dough becomes uniform. It should be very soft and easy to model. Taste the dough and adjust the salt if necessary.

2. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Model the biscuits as you wish, using a tsp measuring for each one. Place it on a non-stick baking tray.

3. TIP:To make the marks you see in the photos, use the back of a fork and apply gently on the side of the biscuit.

4. Bring the biscuits to the oven and bake it until slightly golden on the surface - usually 30 minutes. You can not let it get golden brown; otherwise, it will get dry and hard.

5. Remove from oven and serve. It's great for breakfast or afternoon tea! Enjoy

Moqueca - Brazilian fish stew

Moqueca is a Brazilian fish stew recipe commonly found on the coast. It is a fragrant and flavourful dish, usually prepared with white fish, tomatoes, coriander, garlic and onions, with some variations.The Moqueca Capixaba is from the state of Espírito Santo and influenced by Native Brazilian and Portuguese cuisine. They use olive oil and natural urucum pigment powder, and it is always cooked in a traditional clay pan. Moqueca Baiana also has a strong influence from African cuisine. They use dendê palm oil and coconut milk in the preparation. It is easy to find the dendê is Brazilian Shops.I will share the best version I have prepared at home, mixing those references, with an accompanying recipe for pirão, which is a moqueca sauce polenta.

INGREDIENTS

• 600 g fish white firm, skin off

• 1/2 lime

• 1 tsp salt

• 5 plum tomatoes ripe

• 2 onions medium

• 2 bell peppers yellow and green

• 1 bunch coriander

• 1 bunch chives

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1 green chilli fresh

• 1 tsp paprika (substitute for urucum powder)

• 5 tbsp olive oil

• 200 g coconut milk

• 2 tbsp dendê palm oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut the fish in 4 big pieces and season it with salt, black pepper, the lime juice and leave it to marinate in a glass dish while you do the next step.

2. Chopp finely the chives and coriander (saving some for garnish in the end). Don't throw away the coriander stalks (you will use them). Dice the tomatoes and onions. Slice finely the bell pepper.

3. Using a food processor, combine the peeled garlic, urucum (or paprika), coriander stalks, fresh chilli, 1 tsp of salt and blend until you have a paste. Divide the paste into 2 parts. Use one half to spread over the fish as it continues to marinate.

4. Place the olive oil and the rest of the paste inside a large deep frying pan, and turn the heat on. At medium heat, fry the onions, tomatoes, bell pepper, chives and coriander. When the vegetables releases their juices, add the fish pieces into that, cover with lid and let it gently simmer for 10 minutes.

5. After 10 minutes cooking, turn down the heat, add the coconut milk and let it simmer for 5 more minutes, until the fish is properly cooked. Open the lid and garnish with chives and coriander. If you want, add a splash of dendê palm oil.

6. Serve hot, with long grain rice, farofa and pirão. It will be a success, a truly flavourful meal!