A dear friend of mine, Mr Robert Brunton Esquire, a connoisseur of sorts, well schooled in the finer things in life and generally a man of an altogether more sophisticated nature, well, this Mr Brunton recently happened to bestow upon my naive ears a meagre kernel of his worldly knowledge, of which I am most humbly grateful for the rest of eternity.
We were on our way back from the carnival, feeling a bit peckish, and Rob suddenly made a swift left turn into a small, unassuming little shop. With an almost other-worldly accent he announced to the fragile bird of a women behind the counter that he would like two Coxinha's.
Two what? I thought. What is this odd chap up to now?
But the women knew exactly what he meant, she gave him a subtle, almost unnoticeable nod of the head, which seemed to me to be some sort of recognition, it struck me as Masonic even, a secret sign between fellow brethren, like she was saying 'yes my son, you have travelled far, across treacherous sea and ravaged land in your quest for the sacred Coxinha and I respect you for it. But fear not, the moment of deliverance is almost upon us... First, let me pop it in the microwave for a min.'
Somewhat bemused, with a raised eyebrow and skeptical disposition, I awaited the mysterious Coxinha.
Well! I fear the the rest of this riveting anecdote is difficult to describe. My memory of it is blurry, streaks of light, like slow shutter speed photography. But what I do remember as clear as the sky on a bright summers day is the taste. More than just 'taste' though, that word is inadequate... rather the sensation of taste... the joy, enlightenment, transcendence, the manifestation of Jesus Christ in a bite sized morsel of snackage.
The Coxinha, the mighty, all powerful Messiah. I salute you.
Recipe
3 boneless chicken breast, 1/2 chopped onion, 2 chopped cloves of garlic, 6 tablespoon margarine, 2 cubes beef bouillon, 3 cups water, salt, ground pepper, 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 (8oz) cream cheese, 2 eggs bread crumb
Cut chicken breasts into two-inch cubes. Combine chicken breast, chopped onion, garlic, beef bouillon, salt, ground pepper, margarine and 3 cups of water in a saucepan. Cook over medium-heat for about 30 minutes or until done. When done, remove chicken breasts.
Bring 3 cups of the remaining broth to boil. Add flour to boiling broth and stir vigorously with a wood spoon for about 1 minute until it becomes dough. Remove dough from pan. Knead until smooth, about 10 minutes.
Flatten dough with a rolling pin to about 1/4-inch thick and cut medium size circles with a biscuit cutter. Place the dough in your palm, and add a small cube of cream cheese and a teaspoon of the prepared chicken filling. Make sure you can close the dough with the filling inside. Knead scraps and re-roll, repeat cutting circles until all dough is used.
Fold and close the dough in the shape of a drum stick (a little chicken drum stick in Portuguese translates to "coxinha"). Grease hands if necessary. Baste the filled dough with egg whites and roll them over the breadcrumbs.
Deep-fry the snacks at 350°F for about 8 minutes or until golden brown. Place in baking cups and serve.
Makes 60 bite size coxinhas or 30 mediums.
