One of the favorite months of Brazilians has finally arrived, for those who don’t know, the month of June is the month in which Brazilians celebrate the Festa Junina, a very famous party in Brazil. And for this date not to go unnoticed, nothing better than understanding a little more about the history of this celebration and making some food and drinks to enjoy. If you are Brazilian and don’t know how to explain the date very well to your foreign friend, show him this video below! If you are Irish and want to understand more about Brazilian culture, then watch this video too.
To celebrate the date, see below 3 recipes for traditional Festa Junina foods or drinks that are easy to make, so the date doesn’t go unnoticed wherever you are. So you can do it to celebrate with your Brazilian friends or even for your Irish friend to try.
Meat Pastry
A classic, pastel goes well all the time, right?
Ingredients:
- 500 g of ready-made pastry dough (just look in Brazilian markets)
- 650 g of ground beef (the type of meat you prefer)
- 4 tablespoons of oil
- 1 clove of garlic cut into small pieces
- 2 tomatoes cut into small cubes
- 2 small boiled eggs
- parsley cut small
- 2 tablespoons of cream cheese
- About 400 ml of frying oil
Preparation:
- Place the 4 tablespoons of oil in a medium or large saucepan
- fry the garlic
- put the meat to fry together
- break it down as much as it frys
- add tomatoes
- Stir everything until the tomatoes start to fall apart
- Lower the heat of the meat until it is more dry
- When it dries, turn off the heat
- Add parsley, cottage cheese, eggs and stir
- Place pastry dough on a table or counter
- Add a satisfactory amount of stuffing (can’t be too much as it has to close)
- Dip your finger in the water and apply it to the edge of the dough to moisten
- close in half
- Use the fork aid to close well
- Place in the pot or pan when the oil is already hot (it is advisable to leave the oil to heat up while assembling the pastries)
- Let the pastry fry for about 3 minutes
- Remove the pastry ready
- Place on a paper towel in a container to drain the oil
- Wait for it to cool down a bit so you can eat
quentão – A traditional drink made of hot cachaça
Want a more typical Festa Junina drink than this one? Impossible!
Ingredients:
- 1.5 cups of sugar tea
- 1.5 cups of tea of water
- 50 grams of thin slices of ginger
- 1 whole lemon cut into slices
- 4 cups of tea of your favorite cachaça
- 3 cloves
- 2 small pieces of cinnamon stick
Preparation:
- Heat the sugar over high heat (while stirring until caramelized)
- Add all ingredients except cachaça
- Boil and stir until sugar dissolves
- Take it out of the fire and add the cachaça (never do this in fire as it is dangerous)
- Mix
- go back to fire
- Bring to a boil for about 3 minutes (over low heat)
- Serve preferably in a crockery mug (this way it doesn’t change the taste of the mulled wine)
Tomboy’s Foot
A dessert is always welcome, right?
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of sugar tea
- 1 cup of roasted peanuts (without skin)
- 1 can of condensed milk
Preparation:
- Put the sugar and peanuts on low heat
- Stir without stopping until the sugar caramelizes, but not letting it brown.
- Add the condensed milk on a string while stirring with the spoon (about 15 minutes)
- Butter a baking sheet
- pour the mixture
- Put the whole mixture on the same level with the help of a rolling pin
- wait to cool down
- Cut to desired shape (usually small rectangles)
Understanding more about this special date is even more fun to celebrate, and of course, now it’s just a matter of separating a good Festa Junina playlist, buying the ingredients, inviting friends and making a very fun Arraiá. Happy celebration!
