Picadinho na Cerveja (Beef Tips in Beer Sauce) and Authentic Brazilian Home Cooking

Authentic Brazilian Home Cooking: Simple, Delicious Recipes for Classic Latin American Flavors, written by Olivia Mesquita, features a delicious collection of homestyle recipes with vibrant Brazilian flavors. A few highlights include Estrogonofe de Carne (Beef Stroganoff), Barquinhos de Banana da Terra (Plantain Boats with Cheese), Arroz de Rabada (Oxtail Rice), Biscoitos de Polvilho (Parmesan Tapioca Cookies), and Baba de Moça (Brazilian Coconut Custard). I will also be sharing her recipe for Picadinho na Cerveja (Beef Tips in Beer Sauce) following the review.

Disclosure: I received this book from Page Street Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and statements are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Olivia Mesquita

Olivia Mesquita is a blogger and photographer. She created the recipe website, Olivia’s Cuisine, in 2014 to share globally-inspired recipes adapted with ingredients found at her local grocery store.

Her work has been featured in Buzzfeed, Parade, Country Living, ShopRite, and more. Olivia was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil and is currently based in New Jersey with her family. This is her first cookbook.

Authentic Brazilian Home Cooking

Olivia begins Authentic Brazilian Home Cooking with a short introduction and how she learned to cook (and eat) from her grandmother. She has created this book to share a taste of home and Brazilian cuisine with others.

The chapters are divided according to the following: Carnes (Beef, Chicken, Pork and Seafood), Vegetarianos (Vegetarian Dishes and Sides), Arroz e Feijão (Rice and Bean Dishes), Petiscos (Snacks, Appetizers and Bar Food), and Sobremesa (Desserts and Treats). The contents have a list of the included recipes with page number for easy reference.

The photography is also provided by Olivia. Every recipe is paired with a full-page, beautifully styled photo of the finished dish.

Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. Titles are written in Portuguese and English. Each recipe has a headnote with background information, history, personal stories, yield, helpful tips, and notes.

Picadinho na Cerveja (Beef Tips in Beer Sauce)

The Picadinho na Cerveja (Beef Tips in Beer Sauce) is such a comforting meal and packed with flavor.

Olivia’s version has succulent beef tips simmered in a savory beer gravy. To thicken the sauce, she uses a French technique with the addition of beurre manié (equal parts butter and flour) mixed in towards the end of cooking.

The resulting flavors were absolutely amazing and reminded me a bit of the Flemish Carbonnade Flamande (Beef and Beer Stew) with the incredible combination of beef, bacon, ale, and mustard.

I served the Picadinho na Cerveja with an additional sprinkling of parsley, rice, and a fried egg. Olivia also recommends Farofa de Banana (Toasted Cassava Flour with Banana- recipe in book).

Other Dishes

I also made Filé à Parmigiana (Filet Parmigiana), Frango Xadrez (Chicken Stir-Fry with Peanuts), Pão de Batata (Potato Rolls Stuffed with Cream Cheese), and Mousse de Maracujá com Ganache de Chocolate (Passion Fruit Mousse with Chocolate Ganache).

This Filé à Parmigiana (Filet Parmigiana) comes from the state of São Paulo, which is home to a large Italian community. Thin sirloin steaks are breaded and fried until golden, then served with a homemade tomato sauce, cheese, rice, and French fries.

The Frango Xadrez (Chicken Stir-Fry with Peanuts) was quite the delicious and easy weeknight meal. This Brazilian version was inspired by the Sichuan Gong Bao Chicken with less heat and an abundance of onions and bell peppers.

The Pão de Batata (Potato Rolls Stuffed with Cream Cheese) were so fun to make! These light and fluffy rolls have mashed potato incorporated right into the dough. After proofing, the dough is divided into individual balls and filled with catupiry cheese or cream cheese before baking until golden.

The Mousse de Maracujá com Ganache de Chocolate (Passion Fruit Mousse with Chocolate Ganache) was another favorite. This decadent dessert pairs a creamy and tangy passion fruit mousse with a bittersweet chocolate ganache topping. It was quite the incredible contrast. It also comes together easily (just have to wait for everything to set!) with the use of frozen pureed passion fruit pulp.

Authentic Brazilian Home Cooking is a great pick for those interested in Brazilian cuisine. The recipes have been created for the home cook with a variety of meat, seafood, vegetables, and snacks. Some come together with only a handful of ingredients and less than 30 minutes, while others require a little more prep.

Many of the ingredients are readily available in larger American grocery stores. Having a market with South American ingredients will be helpful in locating Batata Palha (shoestring fries), yuca, catupiry cheese, canjiquinha, Calabresa sausage, dendê oil, farinha de mandioca, guava paste, and polvilho azedo.

For those in the DC area, I have been able to find most of these items at European Foods Import Export in Arlington, Virginia.

Picadinho na Cerveja (Beef Tips in Beer Sauce) Recipe

Excerpt from Authentic Brazilian Home Cooking

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5 from 4 votes

Picadinho na Cerveja (Beef Tips in Beer Sauce)

A recipe for Picadinho na Cerveja (Brazilian Beef Tips in Beer Sauce)! Beef tips are simmered in a savory beer gravy until tender.

Course Main

Cuisine Brazilian

Keyword beef, beef tips, beer, Brazil, Brazilian, stew

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

0 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients

For the Picadinho:

• 1 1/2 pounds (680 grams) tenderloin, sirloin or equivalent cut into 1/4 inch (6 millimeter) chunks
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper as desired
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon (8 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) vegetable oil
• 2 ounces (57 grams) slab bacon cut into small cubes
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic finely minced
• 1 cup (240 milliliters) brown ale
• 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) beef stock
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon (15 grams) Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon (15 grams) Worcestershire sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon (4 grams) chopped parsley

For the Beurre Manié:

• 1 tablespoon (14 grams) butter softened
• 1 tablespoon (8 grams) flour

Instructions

To make the picadinho:

• In a large bowl, combine the beef, salt, pepper, paprika and flour. Mix well so all the beef chunks are coated.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the beef and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until browned. Remove to a bowl or plate and reserve.
• Add the cubed bacon to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, or until the fat has rendered and the bacon is no longer raw.
• Stir in the onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened.
• Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant.
• Pour in the brown ale and cook, using a wooden spoon to loosen all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until reduced by half.
• Add the beef stock, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Bring the mixture to a boil, and then lower the heat to medium-low. Return the beef to the pan, cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the beef is very tender.

While the beef simmers, make the beurre manié:

• In a small bowl, stir together the butter and flour.
• Add the beurre manié to the beef, and cook, uncovered, over medium heat until the gravy thickens.
• Remove the bay leaf. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• Stir in the parsley and serve immediately.