My Mom’s Mandrakery
| Submitted by: Daniela Sandler, Associate Professor, Department of Architecture |
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My mom would make this recipe when I was growing up. My parents got married very young, still in medical school, and started with almost nothing, so they had to be creative (plus it was the 80s in Brazil, a time of hyperinflation). This recipe comes together with cheap pantry staples and leftovers, and creates something delicious out of them. So my mom called it Mandrakery (in Portuguese, Mandrakaria), to suggest that it was like magic. Also, the way the batter forms into a double-crust fully-filled pie is also a nice trick. My mom made this with lots of cheese, tomato, maybe a little ham or chicken. It was and still is one of my absolute favorite comfort foods, and now I make it for my French-Canadian husband and American daughter. The basic recipe (more commonly known as Blender Pie, or “torta de liquidificador” in Portuguese), is very common in Brazil. I was surprised when I moved to the US and realized it’s not very common here (well, I never encountered it in over 20 years, and every time I served it to Americans they were surprised and delighted).
| Servings: 4-6 | Cultural Connection: Brazil |
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 360 F.
- Butter/oil and flour an oven-proof glass, ceramic, or metal dish for ca. 1.5 quarts. (It can be rectangular, round, or square).
- Blend all the batter ingredients in a blender. It is best to add the wet ingredients first, and then the flour. Pause, blending to scrape sides to integrate the flour as needed. Add the cheese at the end. Cheese can be blended (to incorporate fully) or stirred by hand (to melt in distinct shreds).
- Assemble your filling so it’s ready to be deployed.
- Pour about 1/2 of the batter into the baking dish into an even layer. Batter will be thick but liquid (like a thick pancake batter).
- Gently place your filling of choice in an even layer, leaving a small space (1/8th of an inch) between the filling and the edges of the pan.
- Gently pour the rest of the batter on top to cover the filling completely.
- Bake for ca. 50 minutes.
- Test for readiness at 45-50 mins by inserting a toothpick. If it comes out clean, it’s ready.
- Let it cool for 5 minutes before serving. It might puff up in the oven and deflate as it cools. It will result in a kind of pie with a discernible crust all around and the filling inside. The crust is fluffy, a little like a cakey-bready texture.
- If there are leftovers, they can be kept in the fridge for a few days or frozen for several months. To reheat, just microwave.
- Note: Another way to prepare this is to mix the filling evenly into the batter. This works best for fillings like pieces or shreds of cheese and ham, cubes of chicken, assorted chopped vegetables etc. In this case, the result is a cross between a soufflé and a Dutch-baby pancake! It is endlessly customizable for flavor combinations and texture preferences! I highly recommend fillings that include creamy, melty cheeses (including vegan cheeses).
- This recipe is very customizable, some other examples of fillings include:
- 1 cup shredded cooked brisket or pulled pork or pulled chicken 1/3 cup corn 1/3 cup peas 1/4 cup diced onions
- 1 cup sautéed mushrooms and onions 1/2 cup cheese of your preference
- 1 cup of flaked tuna or other fish 1/2 cup cheese 1/4 cup diced onions
- This recipe is very customizable, some other examples of fillings include:
