Ixta Belfrage excites again

"Not seasoning food is against my religion" Ixta Belfrage

Well it's time I did a kind of overview of this exciting cookbook. It's been sitting on my desk for a while, with a dozen or so yellow post-it stickers poking out of it, saying, cook me, cook me. So today is the day. I just worry that then I will find it a place on my shelves and it will never see the light of day again.

Although I see I have already made one thing from it - a passion fruit and white chocolate mousse. I was a tiny bit disappointed, for two main reasons. The passion fruit did not shine through - but that was because I used a tin of pulp not real passion fruit, and the mousse mix stubbornly would not thicken, which was probably down to my impatience. Nevertheless it got 4* and the cacao cinnamon crumble that topped it was amazing - 5*.

But I digress a little.

Fusão, of course means fusion - used by Ixta to explain many things:

"In the context of this book, the word fusão describes me; the union of a Brazilian mother and English father. It also describes Brazilian cuisine; a fusion of Indigenous, Portuguese and West African influences that incorporates inspiration from diverse immigrant populations."

There are short informative sections on the influence of these immigrants which taught me a few things - Brazil has the largest Lebanese diaspora in the world - some 7-10 million of Lebanese or part Lebanese descent - more than the population of Lebanon; it is also home to the largest Japanese community outside of Japan and there are an estimated 30 million Brazilians of Italian or part Italian descent - also the largest diaspora. Then there are also major groups of Syrians, Palestinians, Peruvians, Germans, Hungarians, Poles and Ukrainians. So a lot of fusion going on there in every possible way.

This kind of intermingling has its disadvantages as well. For Ixta herself it means a somewhat confused relationship to Brazil, the home of her mother:

"My love for Brazil runs deep, but I never feel at home there; my Portuguese is shaky, I don't look Brazilian and there are certain nuances that can only be understood when you grow up somewhere. Despite the fact that my Brazilian friends and family welcome me with open arms I always feel like an imposter."

This is definitely a book about Brazil. There are sections that feature the people that Ixta spent time with, essays on politics, immigrant communities, ingredients and music as well as it being a kind of travel/geographical story of the country through the dozens of photographs of the country and its people. Below are a couple - one a vibrant double-page spread that really expresses the business of a port somewhere - the other Ixta in the kitchen of one of her contacts - Heloísa. Just about every dish she creates is pictured as well, although there are a few exceptions.

So yes it's all about Brazil, and yet it is not, because Ixta is not truly Brazilian, she lives in England and she constantly states that her recipes are not traditional but her expression of Brazilian dishes and ingredients:

"In this book, you'll find twists on classic recipes that will probably make purists uncomfortable. You'll also find new recipes inspired by Brazil, its native ingredients or ingredients that have made their way to Brazilian soil. ... None of these recipes are strictly traditional and those that are inspired by classics have been adapted with my own personal touch."

And for that we should be grateful, because she begins with a list of ingredients, most of which we are unlikely to come across here - e.g. red palm oil, plantain, cassava, annatto, banana leaves ... However, she realises that we probably won't be able to get them, and so she suggests alternatives, or has created her own alternatives such as sumac + black pepper + sweet paprika for Annato/Urucum.

Having done that she then shows you her flavour bombs - a series of sauces, pastes, powders - witches' brews if you like - that appear here and there in the book. And the very first section contains the recipes for most of them, from something as simple as a ginger/garlic mix or citrus pickled onions, to cashew coconut chilli oil, pineapple pimenta and tempero verde.

Although it doesn't stop there, because throughout the book you will find recipes with an additional something - a flavour bomb which is essential for the dish you are making but which also can be used in different circumstances.

The rest is a sampling of some of those recipes that I bookmarked with little yellow post-it stickers. Alas hardly any of them are online at the moment. In fact I found just one, so you will have to buy the book! I'll begin with the first 'real' recipe - which illustrates a few things about first recipes and also her general approach. .

Angu with roasted oyster mushroom and spiced tomato sauce. It's the first in the vegetable section, for the book has, if you like, an ordinary, sequence of chapters. This is the vegetable section - I think the most important for her.

Re first recipes. It's very in your face with its bright colours and a good way to start a book of recipes from such a colourful country.

It's based on the Brazilian version of polenta, which is generally just polenta and water - a kind of porridge, so Ixta says:

"Not seasoning food is against my religion so in this version I've flavoured the angu with coconut milk, garlic, curry powder and Parmesan and I've turned it into a hearty, veg-based meal with addition of roasted oyster mushrooms and a smoky butter sauce."

Very Ixta. There's a fairly lengthy list of ingredients I suppose, but a pretty simple process - and of course there is chilli.

Grilled fish with mango curry butter - which you can find on The Dinner Plan website. I also did find a blogger who had made this with the words "A dish that exceeded my expectations! As someone skeptical about sweet notes in savory dishes," My Magic Skillet

The principal flavour bomb here is a mango curry butter, which she suggests can be used in other ways:

"try rubbing it over a spatchcocked chicken before roasting at 230ºC fan for 40 mins, or melt it over grilled prawns or roasted plantain. Try a variation with papaya jam instead of mango jam in the butter."

Keep your eye out for recipes online - I'm sure that before long people will be trying various recipes out and posting them online. And probably varying them to their own preferences too.

Herewith some of those I noted: Fried greens with charred red pepper pimenta; Corn pie with caramelised onions and green chilli oil - this is a kind of crustless quiche; Roast mackerel with lime butter and green chilli vinagrete; Chicken in beetroot sauce; Mango and urucum chicken; Duck in golden tomato broth, Slow-cooked pineapple pork with green vinagrete; Vaca atolada - a kind of beef stew; Chicken, bacon and spring onion skewers with stroganoff sauce; Spatchcock chicken with dendë and coconut peppercorn sauce - Ottolenghi has made this one and raved.

There should be something to tickle your fancy there I think. Different - and mostly pretty easy. Not sure which one I shall try first. I do recommend asking for it for Christmas.

YEARS GONE BY

November 12

2024 - A dessert problem - vegan

2023 - Old or new? - en papillote

2022 - The story of last night's dinner

2021 - Nothing

2020 - Missing

2019 - A gift of artichokes

2018 - Nothing

2017 - Mason Cash mixing bowls - a blast from the past

2016 - Tea and oranges all the way from China