3 savory recipes to celebrate Festa Junina at home

To keep the June festival tradition alive, the Umami Committee has selected three recipes to make your arraiá even tastier.

June 2020 – Festa Junina is one of Brazilians’ most beloved celebrations. No wonder its fame comes with music, games, bonfires, and plenty of food. Corn and peanuts are the darlings of the season and are very versatile for creating different recipes.

And to ensure the tradition and the June festivities continue, the Umami Committee, the organization responsible for promoting the fifth basic taste of the human palate, has selected three recipes to make your arraiá even more delicious.

Check out the recipes below:

SAVORY PAMONHA

Ingredients

• 10 ears of green corn (2.2 kg)
• 1 cup milk (200 ml)
• 1 tbsp sugar (12 g)
• 2 tsp salt (10 g)
• 1 tbsp margarine (15 g)
• 1 cup soybean oil (200 ml)
• ½ tsp baking powder (2 g)
• 100 g grated Parmesan cheese
• Corn husks for cooking the pamonhas

Directions

1. Remove the husks from the ears of corn and save them for cooking the pamonhas.
2. Grate the corn or cut off the kernels with a knife and blend with the milk until smooth.
3. Transfer the blended corn to a saucepan, add the remaining ingredients except the husks, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
4. Wash and dry the reserved husks. Fold each one into a cone shape, overlapping the sides and keeping the wider part at the top. Hold the overlap with your fingers and fold the lower part of the cone upward, forming a small cup. Fill it with some of the corn mixture, close it like a little package, and tie with kitchen twine.
5. Cook in boiling water for about 1 hour, or until the husk changes color and turns yellowish.
6. Remove from heat, drain, and serve.

Yield: 10 servings.
Prep time: 120 minutes.

SAVORY PAÇOCA WITH PINE NUTS (PINHÃO)

Ingredients

• 350 g pork shoulder, cut into 1 cm cubes
• 350 g beef top sirloin, cut into 1 cm cubes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tbsp pork lard
• 200 g diced bacon
• 250 g diced linguiça calabresa sausage
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 700 g cooked and ground pine nuts (pinhão)
• ½ bunch scallions, chopped

Directions

1. In a bowl, season the pork shoulder and the sirloin with half the salt and pepper.
2. Heat a cast-iron pot over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp lard, the bacon, and the sausage, and fry over low heat until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl. In the same pot, repeat the process with the pork shoulder and then with the sirloin, adding ½ tbsp lard at the start of each batch. Reserve all meats together.
3. Still in the same pot, add the remaining lard and sauté the onion and garlic for 1 minute, or until translucent without browning. Add all the reserved meats back to the pot and stir until heated through.
4. Add the pine nuts and stir to combine all ingredients.
5. Season with the remaining salt and pepper and remove from heat.
6. Sprinkle with scallions and serve immediately.

Yield: 12 servings.
Prep time: 1 hour 30 minutes.

CHEESE CAKE WITH PAÇOCA TOPPING

For the batter

• 3 egg yolks
• 200 g sugar
• 125 g unsalted butter
• 100 g coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp coconut milk
• 150 g all-purpose flour
• 3 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks
• 1 tsp baking powder

For the topping

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 small carton heavy cream (200 g)
• 100 g crumbled paçoca (peanut candy)

For decoration

• 50 g crumbled paçoca

Directions

1. Make the batter: in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar, butter, and egg yolks, and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the grated cheese and beat briefly to incorporate. Add the coconut milk, alternating with the flour, gently mixing with a whisk so as not to deflate the batter. Once homogeneous, gently fold in the beaten egg whites and, lastly, the baking powder.
2. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 20 cm (8 in) tube pan and bake in a low oven (160°C/320°F), preheated, for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
3. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before unmolding. Set aside.
4. Make the topping: in a saucepan, add the condensed milk, the cream, and the paçoca, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened to a porridge-like consistency.
5. Remove from heat and spread over the unmolded cake.
6. Decorate with the crumbled paçoca and serve at room temperature.

Yield: 8 servings.
Prep time: 1 hour.

UMAMI
It is the fifth basic taste of the human palate, discovered in 1908 by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda. It was scientifically recognized in 2000, when researchers at the University of Miami confirmed the existence of specific receptors for this taste on the taste buds. The amino acid glutamic acid and the nucleotides inosinate and guanylate are the main umami substances. The two main characteristics of umami are increased salivation and the persistence of taste for a few minutes after eating. To learn more, visit www.portalumami.com.br and follow us on facebook.com/ogostoumami and instagram.com/ogostoumami.