130 Years in, a Brazilian Community’s Shabbat Recipes Live On

Shared by Esther Serruya Weyl
Recipe roots: Spain > Morocco > Belem, Brazil > Montevideo, Uruguay and New York City 

When Esther Serruya Weyl was little, Shabbat afternoons in the city of Belem, in the north of Brazil along the Atlantic coast, were spent at synagogue and then around tables where families celebrated over pots of dafina, a slow-cooked Shabbat stew or feijoada, a staple of Brazilian cooking made with stewed beans and meat. Esther, who is now an extern at the prestigious Hudson Valley restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns, recalls those Saturdays warmly. “We would stay [at the synagogue] because someone would always offer a big lunch for the community,” she says. They would set up tables wherever there was space for the feast and everyone was welcome. 

“After eating all that lunch, we would still go to our families’ homes,” Esther adds. ”Mostly everyone would go to their grandmother’s house or mom’s house and there would be a very very big [second] lunch.” Her grandmother, who was also named Esther, would make a whole fish with coconut milk, a recipe that was her own invention. When it was too large to fit in the oven, she would take it to the baker and have it cooked there. After the fish course, she would serve meatballs, or albondigas. There were also Shabbats when dafina or couscous was at the center of the celebration and weeks when her grandmother made amoronia, a layered dish of chicken, onions, and eggplant spiced with nutmeg and cinnamon and sweetened with a touch of honey. After the meal, Esther’s family would spend the entire afternoon together at her grandmother’s home, until sunset and the end of Shabbat arrived. 

Shaar Hashamaim Synagogue in Belem, Brazil, founded in the late 19th century.

Her family is part of a Jewish community that’s lived in this region of Brazil since the 1890s, but traces their roots to Morocco and to Spain before that. “I don't know who was first or why,” Esther says about the relocation to Brazil. Some came seeking opportunities in the area’s rubber industry. Approximately 300 Jewish families, she says, came to north Brazil to build a new life across the Atlantic. 

Today there’s a rabbi and more than one synagogue. But at the start, these Jewish families strove to maintain their traditions, keeping kosher law to the extent they could without a rabbi or a shochet, someone who performs the kosher slaughter of animals. Shabbat always remained sacred. In Esther’s community, four blessings are recited over dishes on the Shabbat table, sometimes over salads, other times, over fish, vegetables that grow in the ground, an olive, and another over a cracker. 

And, cooks like her maternal grandmother kept traditions from Morocco alive in the kitchen, regularly preparing dafina, a smoky eggplant dip the community calls fumaça, roasted pepper salad, and cojada, a potato casserole — a recipe that appears in a notebook she kept. Esther remembers sitting on her grandmother’s lap as she would cook, but never helping with the cooking when she was little. It was only after her grandmother passed away that she started to explore her recipes. 

Esther’s grandma, Esther, at her wedding in 1953 in Belem.

In 2017, Esther tracked down a woman named Sandra who had cooked for her grandmother when she was older and asked her to teach her the family recipes she remembered. Even 20 years later, Esther explains, Sandra remembered the recipes clearly. 

Esther invited her entire family over for a meal of her grandmother’s recipes. “My mom told me that for ages she hadn’t seen everyone reconnect in a shabbat lunch like that. Since my grandma died… we don’t eat lunch together anymore,” Esther explains. That meal was an exception and “It was really really beautiful.” 

Roasted Pepper Salad

Makes: 6 servings
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
3 red peppers
2 yellow peppers
1 green pepper
½ onion, thinly sliced
½  cup olive oil + 1 tablespoon
1 spoon white vinegar 
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cumin 
¼ bunch cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

Preparation

1. Place peppers directly on the flames of a gas stovetop over medium high heat. Cook the peppers, flipping them occasionally until charred on all sides and tender inside, about 10 minutes. Set the peppers aside until cool enough to handle. Peel the charred skins from the peppers and scoop out the seeds. Slice the cleaned peppers lengthwise into ¼ inch thick slices. Set aside.

2. Place a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the sliced onions. Saute until translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3. In a mixing bowl, place the pepper slices, sauteed onions, ½ cup olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, cumin, cilantro. Combine well.

4. Serve at room temperature.

Fumaça (Roasted Eggplant Dip)

Makes: 4 to 6 servings
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
1 large eggplant
½ teaspoon kosher salt
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup vegetable oil
1 egg yolk 
2 teaspoons white vinegar 
4 sprigs cilantro, roughly chopped
½ teaspoon olive oil

Preparation
1. Place the eggplant directly on the flames of a gas stovetop over medium high heat. Cook the eggplant, flipping occasionally until it is charred on all sides and is tender inside, about 10 minutes.

2. Remove the eggplant from the heat and let it rest for about 10 minutes until it is cool enough to handle. Scoop the eggplant meat out of its skin and into a mixing bowl. Discard the skins and stem. 

3. Transfer the eggplant meat into a blender, add the egg yolk and pulse about 4 times until combined well. Add the vinegar, salt, black pepper and blend. While the mixture is blending add the vegetable oil in a very slow and steady stream. When all the oil has been incorporated into the mixture and the eggplant dip is thick it is complete. 

4. Transfer to a small serving bowl, garnish with a few sprigs of cilantro and a drizzle of olive oil. 

5. Serve at room temperature with a side of challah.

Cojada (Potato Casserole)

Makes: 4 to 6 servings
Total Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Ingredients
3 large russet potatoes 
7 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided 
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped 
1 teaspoon sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cumin 
¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 420 degrees. 

2. Place the potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water, add about 3 tablespoons of salt. Place over high heat, bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium low, cooking the potatoes at a gentle simmer. Cook until fork tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Drain potatoes from the water and set aside to cool. 

3. Grease an 11 x 5 inch casserole dish with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Set aside. 

4. Heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Once oil is hot, add the onions and sugar and saute until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Set aside. 

5. Separate the egg yolks and egg whites. Reserve egg yolks. Place the egg whites into a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and beat on low for about 2 to 3 minutes. Increase speed to medium and whip the eggs for another 3 to 5 minutes until stiff peaks have formed. Set aside. 

6. Peel the potatoes and discard the skins. Smash the potatoes with a fork until a puree like consistency is formed. 

7. Place the smashed potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Add the caramelized onions, salt, pepper, cumin, nutmeg and egg yolks. Mix all the components with a large fork until combined well. Pour the whipped egg whites into the potato mix and gently fold it in until combined. Gently transfer the mixture into the casserole dish. Smooth out the top layer with a spatula. Sprinkly 1 teaspoon of olive oil on top and transfer to the oven. Bake for about 40 minutes until the cojada is golden brown on all edges.

8. Serve hot.

Amoronia (Baked Chicken and Eggplant)

Makes: 4 servings
Total Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Ingredients
1 pound chicken thighs, skin-on bone-in
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 large eggplant, cut into ¼ inch slices crosswise
⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
¼  cup honey
¼  teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼  teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 430 degrees.

2. Prepare the chicken: season each chicken thigh with about ½ teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Make sure to season all sides of the chicken. Place on a baking sheet, skin side up, and roast in the oven for about 50 minutes until the chicken is golden brown, with an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Transfer out of the oven and set aside to cool for about 15 minutes.

3. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. 

4. Meanwhile, fry the eggplant: Place the eggplant slices on a wire rack and sprinkle all the pieces with salt on both sides, about 1 tablespoon of salt in total. Set the eggplant aside for about 30 minutes. Pat the eggplant slices dry with a paper towel. Place ⅓  cup olive oil in a large saucepan over medium to high heat. Once the oil is hot, carefully place about 4 slices into the pan. Fry the eggplants until deep golden brown on each side, about 5 to 7 minutes for each side. Transfer fried eggplant to a paper-towel lined baking sheet to drain any excess oil. Continue frying the rest of the eggplants in batches, adding more oil if needed and adjusting the heat if necessary. Set aside. 

5. Saute the onions: Place a large saucepan over medium to high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and allow the oil to heat up. Add the onion slices into the pan and cook the onions until they are soft and brown, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and the honey into the pan, stir into the onions until combined and turn off the heat. Set aside. 

6. Shred the chicken: Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred all the the meat off the bone using two forks into bite size pieces. Discard the chicken bones and any cartilage. Place the shredded chicken into a medium sized bowl. Add cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt and mix well to combine. Set aside.

7. Assemble the amoronia: Place about 5 pieces of the eggplant slices into the bottom of a 7.5 x 5.5 inch baking dish in one layer. Place half of the shredded chicken over the eggplant in another layer. Spread ¾ of the onions over the chicken. Add the remaining chicken over the onion and top it with a layer of the remaining eggplant slices. Sprinkle the rest of the sautéed onions on top. Transfer into the oven and bake uncovered for about 30 minutes. 

8. Serve hot. 

Dafina

Makes: 4 to 6 servings
Total time: 1 hour active + 16 to 24 hours inactive

Ingredients
For the beef bone and brisket marinade: 2 beef bones with marrow, 3 inches long each
1 ½ pounds brisket or stew meat, cut into 2 inch cubes
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons kosher salt

For the Café de Massa (Dumplings):
1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
1 egg
½ cup water 
½ teaspoon kosher salt

For the Dafina stew:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Marinated beef bones and brisket
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½  teaspoon granulated sugar
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
4 to 6 eggs

Preparation
1. Marinate the beef bones and brisket: Place the beef bones and brisket into a medium sized bowl. Add the garlic, vegetable oil, white vinegar and salt. Mix until all the meat is coated with the marinade. Seal the bowl with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator to marinate for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

3. Make the dumplings: In a large bowl, place 1 3/4 cups flour, 1 egg, ½ cup water, ½  teaspoon kosher salt. Stir the ingredients until a dough is formed. Knead dough for about 5 minutes until smooth. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into an 8 inch to 12 inch log, about 1½ inches thick. Cut each log crosswise into ½ inch thick pieces. Roll each ½ inch piece between two palms with a lot of pressure creating a spherical dumpling with a dimple in the center and place the shaped dumplings into another mixing bowl. Continue with the rest of the dough, until all the dumplings are formed. Sprinkle a pinch of flour into the bowl with the shaped dumplings and mix until all the dumplings are coated with a bit of flour. Place the dumplings onto a parchment lined baking tray. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 20 to 30 minutes until the dumplings are golden brown and crispy. Set aside.

4. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

5. Cook the dafina: Remove the beef bones and brisket from the refrigerator and pat dry with a paper towel. Place a large pot over medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil. Once the oil is hot, place the bones and brisket into the pan. Sear the meat and bones on all sides, until golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes each side. Transfer meat to a heatproof bowl. Pour 2 tablespoons of water into the hot pan and deglaze, scraping the bottom of the pan with the meat juices and fat. Add the sliced onion and garlic and saute over medium high heat until they are a deep golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, ½  teaspoon sugar, ⅛ teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook for another minute. Transfer the seared meat back into the pan with the onion mixture. Add water into the pot until it reaches about 3 inches below the top edge of the pot. Add the potatoes and eggs and stir the mixture. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid and transfer to the preheated oven for 1 hour. Transfer the pot out of the oven, add the baked dumplings and gently stir the mixture. Cover the pot and place back into the oven and cook the stew for at least 8 more hours or overnight. 

6. After the dafina has cooked for 8 hours, check to make sure the meat and dumplings are very soft and tender. 

7. Transfer the eggs out of the dafina. Peel the eggs, place them back into the dafina.

8. Serve hot.