Brazilian Strogonoff
(Beef or Chicken Strogonoff)

Aleatha, who lives in northern California, is a big fan of her Brazilian mom' s cooking and agreed to share some of her recipes with us. Well, you may ask, what does strogonoff have to do with Brazilian cooking? Nothing really, except that everyone in Brazil loves the dish and has their favorite recipe...so we decided to include it in Maria's Cookbook. It's very yummy! You can find Brazilian-style creme de leite on the Internet or in Latino markets around the U.S. Or use crème fraîche, available in fancy food markets. Or, in desperation, use good old heavy cream!

2-4 lbs beef or chicken (if using beef we recommend filet mignon)
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
salt to taste
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 to 3/4 tsp dry oregano
dry white wine (optional, but yummy, so use it!)
heavy cream or Brazilian creme de leite (sinfully good this stuff!)
3-4 tbsp catsup
3 tbsp yellow mustard

Cut up meat into 1-inch pieces. Put into a bowl and mix with garlic, half of the onion, salt, nutmeg, oregano and wine. Let it marinate for 1 hour. Sauté remainder with a bit of oil. Add meat/chicken and marinade to the pan and cook. If it is a bit dry, add a few tablespoons of water, and cook a little while longer. Then add catsup and mustard. When ready to eat, add cream and let cook for one minute.

Serve over white rice and decorate with matchstick potato chips (in Brazil, they're called batata palha and sold in bags).

Maria's Cookbook