Queijo na Brasa

Brazilian Beach Food: Grilled Cheese on a Stick

Needless to say we spent a lot of our time in Brazil on the beach. Our routine was to do work and homeschool in the morning, and then each afternoon when it was too hot to stay in the house, we would head down to the beach to hang out until the sun set. We never had to worry about feeding the kids before we left, or even bringing snacks; in Brazil one of the greatest delights of the beach scene is snacking.

Each desirable section of beach seems to be serviced by a restaurant or a pousada, and of course one can always order drinks and food off of the menu. The food was often good, sometimes even exceptional, but my favorite beach food was provided by the constant stream of vendors who walked up and down the beach selling simple snacks. In a typical day at the beach we might eat pineapple, mango, melon, cashews, and our favorite of them all, queijo na brasa, or grilled cheese.

My kids would set off running toward any vendor who approached with a coffee can suspended from wires (picture a hanging planter). When we ordered one or two (or five), he would whip the can (which was full of hot coals) around like a bolo until the coals were glowing orange. Then he’d pull out a cooler full of cheese on sticks, roast two sticks over the coals, marshmallow-style, browning each side of the cheese in turn. When the cheese had browned slightly, he would roll it in dried oregano and voila! Grilled cheese is crispy on the outside and melted on the inside, but not to the point where the cheese started to go limp. The cheese is quite salty and a bit squeaky when you bite into it; the perfect complement to fresh fruit (or fruity drinks).

We made queijo na brasa often at our home in Brazil using the local queijo coalho. We didn’t have a charcoal grill, so we improvised, cooking over the open flames of our gas stove, which worked great. This became a favorite snack. We would often take a mid-morning break from work and studies to munch our way, “squeak, squeak”, through a grilled cheese stick or two. Since we returned to the States, it has been hard to replicate this treat. Queijo coalho isn’t available in Santa Fe, so I tried numerous cheeses from paneer to various farmers’ cheeses without much success. Recently someone turned me on to halloumi, a fresh, brined cheese from Cyprus whish is also made for grilling and is quite common (at least in our area). I have found it to be a more than adequate substitute… but alas, no squeaking.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. queijo coalho, halloumi, or grilling cheese
• 12 skewers, soaked in water for 1-2 hours
• 2 T dried oregano

Directions:

1. Cut each block of cheese into long rectangular strips. The length should be 3 or 4 inches, and the thickness about ¾ inch wide. It is best to use cold cheese directly out of the refrigerator; warm cheese will melt too quickly.

2. Skewer each piece of cheese directly through the middle. Be careful not to let the skewer come close to the face of the cheese or it will split.

3. Grill the cheese, one stick in each hand, over hot coals (or a gas burner if you’re improvising). Hold cheese close enough to the flame so that it browns in about 2 minutes. Rotate the skewers to brown all four sides. When all sides are browned, the cheese will be starting to get limp on the stick.

4. Roll the cheese in dried oregano.

5. Serve hot with fresh fruit or your favorite fruity drink.