"HIDDEN INSIDE"/ ESCONDIDINHO

This dish is traditionally from Northeast of Brasil. It is so flavorful and delicious that is worth to try. In Brazil they use sun dried meat (carne do sol), and cured meat (carne de sertao). I twist a little bit because I can't find these kinds of meat here in the U.S. But it is delicious any way. You can use any kind of meat that you like. I prefer a mix of bacon, sausage, pork, and shrimp. In Brazil it is served at bars as an appetizer, or as a family meal at home as a casserole dish.The dish consists of one first layer of yucca puree, one thick layer of saute meat with veggies  and seasonings,  and a second layer of yucca puree that hides the meat. That's why it is called  "ESCONDIDINHO", in Portuguese, it means hidden inside because the meat is hidden in between the yucca puree layers. On this particular event I served it as an appetizer in these  cute little cast iron pans.  Enjoy it!

First prepare the meats:

4 oz diced bacon

1cup of smoked spicy sausage, peeled (casing off), and dice.

11 oz of country ribs

11 oz  of medium size shrimp, peeled, and deveined

Season the pork country ribs with salt and grounded black pepper, grill it, let it rest for 15 minutes, cub in bite size, and reserve it.

Cut bacon in small pieces and fry it. Remove from pan and reserve it.

Peel the sausage and small dice it. Fry in the same skillet that you fry the bacon, and reserve it.

Season the shrimp with salt, grounded black pepper, and lemon juice. Saute in  the same skillet that you fried bacon and sausage. Cut each shrimp in two, and reserve it. (do not overcook the shrimp).

In the same skillet saute the veggies and seasonings listed below:
Add onions, and bell pepper, cook until soft. Add garlic and cook it for 30 seconds. Add all the other ingredients below but cilantro and scallions. Saute all of them together. Add all the meat reserved and shrimp, and mix it well. Add cilantro and scallions. Reserve it.

1 big onion diced

4 cloves of garlic mashed

1/2 cup of green bell pepper diced

1/2 cup of diced tomatoes and its juices (canned diced tomatoes)

Salt to taste

1/2 tbs dried basil

1 tsp powder bay leaves

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp cumin

2 tbs soy sauce (low sodium)

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

3 tbs cilantro chopped

4 tbs of scallions chopped

Ingredients for yucca puree.

2, and 1/2 lb of yucca root

4 tbs butter

a pinch of salt

3 oz of Parmesan cheese

1tsp grounded black pepper

1 cup of warm milk

1 cup of catupiry cheese( Brazilian cheese), you can substitute for provolone cheese, although the catupiry cheese imparts better flavor and texture.

Peel the yucca, cut in smaller pieces and boil into water with a pinch of salt. Cook until it is soft enough to mash. Drain it.

With a potato masher, mash the yucca as you would with a potato. Add milk, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and mix until well combined. Add catupiry cheese or provolone cheese and mix until well combined. It is better to do when it is still hot. When the puree (mashed yucca) is ready, assemble the dish immediately.

To assemble the dish:

In a little cast iron pan, or ramekin, or a baking dish, assemble 1/2 of the yucca puree  leveling  with a spatula.Cover it with sliced mozzarella cheese or the cheese that you prefer. Cover with a thick layer of the saute meat and seasonings. Add the second layer of yucca puree, sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top. Put into oven to melt cheeses. Cook until bubbling. Garnish it with a little of the filling, cilantro leaves, and scallions.

Voilà