Ixta Belfrage‘s cooking is heavily informed by the cuisines of three places: her mother’s homeland of Brazil, Italy (where she spent part of her childhood), and Mexico, where her grandfather lived. In MEZCLA, her debut solo cookbook after co-authoring Ottolenghi FLAVOUR, she brought together these three distinct culinary traditions with an array of flavour-packed fusion recipes.
In her latest cookbook, FUSÃO, Ixta focuses on Brazilian cuisine, bringing her trademark flair and inventive twists to traditional dishes and staple ingredients. Featuring beautiful photography throughout and fascinating insight into the history, diversity, and local ingredients that make up Brazil’s varied food landscape, this cookbook is the culmination of a three-week trip spanning 8,000 kilometres across the country.
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FUSÃO
Vibrant recipes inspired by Brazilian cuisine
Discover unique dishes alongside stunning photography
Find meals that are made for bringing people together
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Below, we’ve rounded up 12 of our favourite recipes from this unique and beautiful love letter to the food of Brazil.
Roasted Aubergine with Mango Sauce, Lime Yoghurt & Sesame Salt
Ideal as a side or part of a dinner party spread, this aubergine dish is the perfect blend of savoury, sweet and zesty flavours.
Stir-Fried Papaya With Crispy Basil
When cooked, papaya takes on a savoury quality similar to roasted pumpkin. This recipe blends sweet, smoky, and spicy flavours and makes a perfect hearty side dish, finished with a dollop of yoghurt and crispy fried basil.
Feijão with Chocolate & Spices
Ixta’s unconventional take on a Brazilian staple incorporates seaweed, ginger, Worcestershire sauce, curry powder and chocolate. The result? A dish with notes of umami and sweetness that is rich and comforting yet great for gut health.
Moqueca Fish Burgers
These summer-ready burgers take inspiration from moqueca, a seafood stew from the Brazilian state of Bahia made with red palm fruit oil, bell peppers and coconut milk. Fillets of fish are slathered in a sauce made with traditional moqueca ingredients (plus a few non-traditional additions) and topped with a simple yet delicious cabbage slaw.
Grilled Fish with Mango Curry Butter
Ideal as a midweek meal or effortless (yet impressive) dinner party main, this quick-cook fish recipe uses a versatile mango curry butter made with just six ingredients that works equally well on chicken, seafood, and even roasted plantain.
Coconut & Cassava Fried Fish
Infused with a salty yet zesty marinade and coated in a desiccated coconut and cassava flour crumb, these fried fish pieces are crispy and packed with flavour.
Slow-Cooked Pineapple Pork with Green Vinagrete
This one-pot recipe requires minimal prep; chunks of pork collar (or shoulder) meat are left to slowly cook in a warming, smoky and sweet blend of spices and pineapple juice, then finished with a six-ingredient vinagrete made with fresh coriander, onion and green chilli.
Spatchcock Chicken with Dendê & Coconut Peppercorn Sauce
A warming curry powder and yoghurt marinade, along with a moreish peppercorn and coconut milk sauce, are the perfect accompaniment to spatchcock chicken, which ensures the whole chicken cooks quickly and evenly.
Duck Rice
Taking inspiration from arroz de pato com tucupi, a dish typically found in Brazil’s Amazonas and Pará states, this recipe features shredded duck legs baked with a coffee and spice rub, incorporated into a rich and golden base of brown rice flavoured with yellow tomatoes, garlic and ginger.
Quick Steaks with Coffee & Chilli Butter
Charred on the outside, juicy and tender on the inside – this method of cooking rump steak pairs perfectly with the earthy, sweet and spicy notes of Ixta’s coffee-, chilli-, and maple-infused butter recipe.
Plantain Fritters with Warm Choc Fudge Sauce
Ripe plantains, tangerine zest, and a dusting of peppery cinnamon sugar form the flavour base for these vegan and gluten-free doughnuts – made complete with a rich yet beautifully balanced coconut milk and cocoa sauce for dipping.
Corn Cake with Guava-Strawberry Jam, Cinnamon Cream & Caramelised Coconut
This cake recipe brings together corn, guava, and coconut, described by Ixta as three of her “favourite quintessentially Brazilian ingredients”. The result is a moist, complexly flavoured sponge, topped with cream, jam, and coconut flakes that can be made a few days in advance.
