Growing Chefs! Ontario Farofa

Farofa

Toasted cassava flour, known as farofa, is a Brazilian dish often served alongside feijoada. It’s made from cassava flour that’s lightly toasted with seasonings, and sometimes with added ingredients like bacon, onions, and herbs.
Difficulty
Intermediate
Yield
6-8
Ingredients
2 cups cassava flour (manioc flour)1/4 cup olive oil1 small onion, finely diced2 cloves garlic, minced1/2 cup bacon, chopped (optional) Salt to taste
Equipment
Measuring spoonsMeasuring cupsMixing bowls of various sizesCutting boardChef’s knifeRasp (optional)Wooden spoonLarge frying panTasting spoonsPeelerDish towel

Directions

Get Organized!

Gather your mise en place; get together all of the equipment needed for the recipe and gather your ingredients.

Get Prepped!

Measure out the cassava flour and olive oil.

Finely dice the onion by cutting it in half through the root. Remove the skin or the onion and cut it in small incisions about ½ centimetre wide, from tip to root, almost all the way to the root but leaving the root end intact. Dice the onion by cutting against these incisions from tip to root.

Finely mince the garlic with a rasp, or alternatively chop very finely with a chef’s knife.

Chop the bacon into small pieces about 1 centimetre thick.

Get Cooking!

Preheat a large frying pan to medium heat. Cook the bacon for about 5 minutes until it begins to crisp, then add the olive oil.

Add the onion and garlic to the pan and continue to cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes until the onion is translucent and softened.

Gradually add the cassava flour to the pan, stirring it frequently to coat it with the oils.

Continue to cook the flour for another 810 minutes, until it is golden brown and has a nice toasty aroma. Season with salt to taste, and serve.