Artist’s Palate: Campana Brothers’ surf and turf

Mundane materials, from wood scraps to soft toys, have been transformed into distinctly Brazilian furniture in the hands of Humberto and Fernando Campana. Appropriately, the Paulistano brothers serve up a double dose of local culture for this month’s recipes. Humberto offers us bacalhau à Gomes de Sá (salt cod), like their grandma used to make, while Fernando opts for beef brochette with mushrooms, potatoes and béarnaise sauce, an off-the-menu dish from São Paulo restaurant La Casserole. ‘It combines a staple of French cuisine with the everyday food of the Brazilian Sertão,’ he says. Shown here in deconstructed form, their dishes are proof that, like the best furniture, great food can come from humble origins.

Fernando Campana’s beef brochette with mushrooms and béarnaise sauce
Recipe by La Casserole

Ingredients (serves 4)
20g fresh tarragon, well chopped
280ml white wine vinegar
120g shallots, chopped
250g unsalted butter
6 egg yolks
600g beef tenderloin, cut into 4cm cubes
2 tomatoes, sliced
100g mushrooms, sliced
8 precooked small onions
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method
Put the tarragon, vinegar, shallots and 80ml water in a small casserole and reduce over a very low heat until you have approximately 30ml.

Clarify the butter by melting it in a small saucepan over a low heat. When it starts foaming, remove from the heat and wait a few minutes, then pass the butter through a fine sieve and discard the solids.

Beat the egg yolks with a little water, then stir into the tarragon reduction. Pour the mixture into a bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water and whisk constantly, adding the lukewarm clarified butter very slowly until the sauce has thickened, increased in volume and appears shiny. Add some fresh tarragon leaves and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To prepare the brochettes, thread metal skewers with beef cubes, tomatoes and mushrooms. Put an onion on each end and season with salt and pepper. Preheat the grill to high, then reduce the setting to medium and grill the brochettes for 3-4 minutes on each side so the beef is rare and the vegetables al dente.
  
Humberto Campana’s bacalhau à Gomes de Sá

Ingredients
500g desalted cod
3 medium-sized potatoes
Olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
Chopped scallions
2 large tomatoes, peeled and deseeded
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
12 pitted black olives
Salt and black pepper

Method
Flake the cod into small pieces, removing any bones. Set aside.

Boil the potatoes in their skins, then drain, peel and slice. Set aside.

In a frying pan, heat some olive oil over a medium high heat for a few minutes. Add the sliced onion and cook until golden brown. Then add the cod and scallions and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease a medium ovenproof casserole dish with a teaspoon of olive oil. Spread half of the cod mixture over the base of the dish. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper. Arrange half of the potatoes, tomatoes, eggs and olives over the cod. Spread the other half of the cod over the potatoes. Spread the other half of the potatoes, tomatoes, eggs and olives over the cod. Drizzle with oil, then bake for 30-40 minutes, or until golden.

As originally featured in the May 2018 issue of Wallpaper* (W*230)

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Campana Brothers website and the La Casserole website