Recipe: Four Cheese Crunchy Rice with Aubergine Salsa

BRAZA is the first cookbook by passionate Brazilian chef and restauranteur Andre Felicio, it focuses strongly on the BBQ and offers an authentic taste of Brazilian cuisine.

Simple ingredients and methods are combined to create dishes with punch, featuring chicken, beef, pork and seafood as well as dishes like salad, sides, desserts and drinks.

We are fortunate to bring you some of his recipes.

Four Cheese Crunchy Rice with Aubergine Salsa
arroz crocante com cuatro queijos e vinagrete de berinjela
Serves 6–8

This is something I once ate in Brazil and, because of its intense flavors, I never forgot it.

INGREDIENTS
traditional brazilian white rice (p137)
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons grated provolone cheese
2 tablespoons cream cheese
2 tablespoons blue cheese

Aubergine Salsa
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 tomato, diced
1 yellow pepper (capsicum), diced
1 aubergine (eggplant), diced
3 fl oz (100 ml) white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
7 oz (200 g) semi-dried tomatoes

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease a 8 in (18 cm) round loose-bottomed baking tin (with removable base) with oil.

Mix the cooked rice with all four cheeses and using your hands, start spreading the rice on the base and sides of the tin, creating a sort of rice bowl. Bake for for 15 minutes.

To make the aubergine salsa, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is soft. Add the tomato, pepper and aubergine and cook for about 15

minutes, or until the aubergine is soft. Add the vinegar and parsley and season with the salt and pepper.

Leave to cool a little and add it to the “rice bowl”. Finish by placing the semi-dried tomatoes on top. Garnish with parskey if you like.

Note:
It is absolutely perfect with any type of meat, even seafood.