Cuscuz Paulista

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •22 cm ring mold or deep heatproof bowl
• •Wide 4-liter pot
• •Wooden spoon or sturdy silicone spatula
• •Thin knife for unmolding

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the mold

   Grease a 22 cm ring mold or deep bowl with oil. Line the bottom and sides with some egg slices, tomato slices, sardine pieces, peas, and hearts of palm. Press them gently against the oiled surface so they stay put. This is not vanity. Whatever touches the mold first becomes the outside of the cuscuz, so give the slices something nice to show.

   Keep the decoration simple. A few clean slices look better than a crowded mold, and crowded pieces fall apart when you unmold.
2. 2

   Build the refogado

   Warm the 3 tablespoons oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring now and then, until the onion goes soft and see-through, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, just until you smell it. The onion needs time to turn sweet, and the garlic needs less time because burnt garlic is bitter and bossy.

3. 3

   Cook the tomato

   Add the chopped tomatoes, salt, and black pepper. Cook until the tomatoes collapse and the mixture looks saucy, glossy, and a little darker, about 6 to 8 minutes. Raw tomato tastes sharp and thin. Cooked tomato gives the cornmeal a broth worth absorbing.

4. 4

   Make the filling

   Stir in the water, sardines, hearts of palm, peas, and olives. Bring it to a lively simmer, then taste the liquid. It should taste slightly more seasoned than soup, because the cornmeal will drink it up and soften the salt. Break some sardines into the broth and leave some in bigger pieces, so every slice has flavor and texture.

5. 5

   Add the cornmeal

   Lower the heat. Sprinkle in the flaked cornmeal slowly with one hand while stirring with the other. Keep stirring until the mixture thickens, pulls away from the sides of the pot, and drops heavily from the spoon, about 4 to 6 minutes. Add it too fast and you get dry lumps. Cook it too little and the cuscuz won't hold when sliced.

6. 6

   Press and rest

   Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley. Spoon the hot mixture into the prepared mold in layers, pressing each layer firmly with the back of a spoon. Pressing matters because air pockets make weak spots, and weak spots become broken slices. Smooth the top, cover loosely, and let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.

7. 7

   Unmold and serve

   Run a thin knife around the edge of the mold. Place a plate over it, flip with confidence, and lift the mold slowly. If it resists, wait 5 more minutes and try again. Serve warm, room temperature, or chilled, sliced cleanly with a salad, sautéed greens, or the rest of the everyday plate.

Chef Tips

• •Use farinha de milho flocada, the coarse yellow flakes, not fine fubá. Fine fubá turns pasty and heavy here. The flakes hydrate into a tender, sliceable crumb.
• •Canned sardines are an honest Tuesday shortcut. You lose the delicacy of fresh fish, yes, but you gain a pantry lunch that still tastes like real food. Drain them well and choose sardines with a short ingredient list.
• •Do not use bouillon cubes or seasoning powders. They make everything taste the same. Onion, garlic, tomato, sardine, olive, and palmito already know what to do.
• •If tomatoes are tired and expensive, use canned crushed tomatoes. That's not cheating. That's choosing a tomato that was preserved when it was actually good.
• •Let the cuscuz rest before unmolding. Hot cornmeal is still settling. Rush it and the slice will slump, then you'll blame your hands instead of the clock.

Advance Preparation

• •Boil the eggs up to 3 days ahead and keep them refrigerated, unpeeled.
• •The whole cuscuz can be made up to 24 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate, then serve chilled or let it sit 30 minutes at room temperature before slicing.
• •Leftovers keep for 3 days in the fridge. Slice cold with a sharp knife; reheating can soften the shape.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)