These Cannelloni Enchiladas Are the Comfort Mashup We Need

[Celerity]

For chef and cookbook author Ixta Belfrage, “fusion food” isn’t a bad thing.

https://www.thrillist.com/eat/nation/cannelloni-enchiladas-recipe-chef-ixta-belfrage



Ixta Belfrage seems like she’s from everywhere all at once. She was born in London, but spent much of her childhood in Tuscany and often visited Mexico, where her grandparents lived. Later she’d move to Brazil, her mother’s home country. And all along the way, Belfrage ate and helped cook, plucking foods and flavors that would eventually inform her palate and culinary career.

Belfrage’s global experiences often confuse people. “No, I’m not Mexican, but I love it. No, I’m not Italian, but I love Italy. Yes, I am half Brazilian.” But it’s this multicultural melange that’s reflected in Belfrage’s cookbook Mezcla, which translates to, “mix,” “mixture,” “blend,” or “fusion” in Spanish.



In her first solo cookbook—a former chef at Yotam Ottenghi’s test kitchen for four years, Belfrage co-authored Ottolenghi Flavor—she pulls from a lifetime of eating. In Mexico, she remembers watching cooks pound chiles and press tortillas in her grandparents’ kitchen. You see this inspiration in dishes like her Cheesy Roasted Eggplant with Salsa Roja and Torta Ahogada with Shrimp Miso Bisque.



Ilha Grande, a Brazilian island three hours from Rio de Janeiro, is a relatively quiet paradise where she’s spent time with her parents and friends. “There are so many of these little fish shack restaurants around the island where you can eat meals with the water lapping up around your feet,” she recalls. Specifically a bowl of seafood stew called moqueca is one of Belfrage’s favorites. In her book, find a recipe for Caldo de Feijão with Spicy Pine Nut Oil, a dish she loved ordering with her oldest best friend, Roma, with whom she would frequent Bar do Mineiro in Santa Teresa on rainy days, Belfrage recalls in Mezcla.

snip

[babylonsister]

1. The pictures are spectacular, they make

my taste buds unlock!

[Celerity]

2. I almost always add a lot of relevant pics on my own to these type of posts

[Ilsa]

3. What is that yummy-looking fettuccine dish?

If it isn't too complicated getting the ingredients, I might try it.

[Celerity]

4. Porcini ragu, from 'Mezcla: Recipes to Excite'

[Ilsa]

5. Thank you! Looks pretty easy. nt