Alex Atala blazed a new culinary trail in Brazil when he opened D.O.M - his São Paulo restaurant - in 1999, and over a decade later, he is still at the helm of contemporary Brazilian cuisine. Last year he opened his second restaurant, Dalva e Dito, specialising in local dishes, and next up is his São Paulo padaria, a traditional bakery opening in July. Here, Brazil’s best-known chef tells us how to recreate some of his iconic dishes.
Photograph by Cassio Vasconcellos
Heart of palm fettuccine with coral butter and glazed shrimp
Serves four
Ingredients:
For the coral butter
500g shrimp heads
30ml olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
400g creamed butter
300ml water
For the fettuccine
1,3kg fresh hearts of palm
12 cleaned big shrimps with the tail
Salt
Black pepper from the mill
Preparation:
Heat the oil in a big frying pan. Add the minced garlic and fry until it starts to release its perfumes.
Add the shrimp heads and mix until they release their coral (which adds colouring and flavour to the butter). Continue this process for 5 minutes.
Transfer the heads to a deeper pan and deglaze the frying pan with a bit of water. Add the resulting liquid to the deeper pan.
Add the rest of the water to the deeper pan and cook for approximately 20 minutes. Cool down and add the creamed butter. Mix well until it is all incorporated.
For the fettuccine:
Peel the bark around the heart of palm and slice it with a Japanese mandolin to make long strips like a fettuccine in the length. The thickness must be around 1mm.
Place the salt in a pot with boiling water. Add the fettuccine for about a minute, until they are soft.
To finish:
Melt the butter in a frying pan. Add the blanched fettuccine and season correctly. Stir the hot pan in circular movements until the sauce thickens.
For the shrimp:
Season the shrimp heads with salt and pepper and grill them in a very hot frying pan until they are bronzed. The center must remain uncooked.
Glaze the shrimp heads and serve with the fettuccine.
