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Quibe is a meat croquette and esfiha is a turnover filled with meat and veggies. |
There are many people in Brazil from the Middle East, mostly Lebanese and Palestinians. In the city of São Paulo (and others in that state) "arab" fast food places are extremely popular. There are also restaurants that have adopted the Brazilian buffet-style by the kilo method of serving lunch. Here are two places we tried in the city of Campinas.
A buffet-style restaurant. A fast food joint at the mall.
This recipe for esfiha comes from Aleatha in northern California. She lived in the state of Paraná in southern Brazil and her Brazilian "mom" gives her all sorts of great recipes. Aleatha graciously agreed to share this and other recipes with our visitors. Thanks a bunch, Aleatha!
1 tbsp yeast
1 cup warm milk
1/2 cup oil
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cup flourDissolve yeast in warm milk. Put it in a mixer bowl and add other ingredients. Mix until smooth and uniform. Leave dough to rise for 1/2 hour at room temperature. While you are waiting, prepare the filling:
1/2 - 1 lb ground beef
3 or 4 medium tomatoes peeled and seeded
1 lemon
1 medium onion finely chopped
green onions
cilantro (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Mix filling together in large bowl. I find that using your hands works the best.
Preheat oven to 350º. Make 1/2 to 1 inch balls of dough until dough is all gone. Flatten until round and very thin (like small pizzas). Put filling in the center, and close opposite ends overlapping each other. Seal each flap with a touch of water. (Look at the picture so you can see what they're supposed to look like.) Brush egg yolk over the top and put into the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until done. Esfihas are done when golden brown and meat inside is cooked.
Great for parties!