Cuscuz Paulista, Steamed Cornmeal Cake
Cuscuz paulista is the Sao Paulo version of a savory steamed cornmeal cake, an old dish carried from the Portuguese and Indigenous kitchens of Brazil and now a fixture on buffet and party tables. It is nothing like North African couscous: think of a thick, tomatoey cornmeal, packed with vegetables, pressed into a mold lined with tomato and unmolded into a striking round. Made with stone-ground cornmeal rather than refined flour, and built on a water-sweated refogado instead of oil, it stays within the rules while keeping every bit of its character. The two things that make or break it are streaming the cornmeal in slowly to dodge lumps and pressing it firmly while hot so it sets sliceable. It is meant to be eaten cool, which makes it an ideal make-ahead dish to carry to a gathering.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Polenta / coarse cornmeal
- 1 whole Yellow onions, finely diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 whole Bell peppers, diced
- 1 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 cup Canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp no-salt vegetable bouillon
- 3/4 cup Frozen corn
- 3/4 cup Frozen peas
- 1 whole Fresh tomatoes, sliced into rounds
- 3 wholes Scallions, sliced
- 1/4 cup Flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp White wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Sweat the onion, garlic, and bell pepper in a wide pot with a few tablespoons of water until soft, about 8 minutes. This is the refogado, the sweated-vegetable base that starts most Brazilian dishes, built in water instead of the usual oil.
- Push the vegetables aside, add the tomato paste to the bare pot, and toast it until it darkens to brick red, about 2 minutes. That quick toast concentrates the paste and gives the cake a deep, savory background it would otherwise lack.
- Stir in the crushed tomatoes, bouillon, corn, peas, and 2 cups (475 ml) water, and bring to a gentle simmer. Grind in the black pepper. Getting the liquid seasoned and hot now matters, because once the cornmeal goes in there is no stirring flavor through evenly.
- Rain the cornmeal in slowly with one hand while stirring hard with the other. Adding it in a thin stream is the only way to avoid lumps, since dumping it in sets instant knots the spoon cannot break. Cook, stirring, until very thick and pulling from the sides of the pot, about 5 minutes.
- Off the heat, stir in the scallions, parsley, and vinegar. Line a bowl or ring mold with the tomato rounds, press the hot cornmeal in firmly, and smooth the top. Pressing it while hot is what makes it hold together as a sliceable cake rather than a scoop of mush.
- Let it cool at least 30 minutes to set, then invert onto a plate so the tomato pattern shows on top. Serve at room temperature, cut into wedges.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 230 calories, 6 g protein, 6 g fiber, 120 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
