It’s July — National Hot Dog Month! OK, I just made that up, but I was eager to try this recipe for Brazilian hot dogs because it looked easy to make and would be fun for kids. I was not disappointed.
View a larger image of the ingredient list
Next, I sliced all my veggies. My grocery store had run out of green peppers (the nerve!), so I used an orange pepper, which was perfectly delicious. I decided to make a third of the recipe, as it was just for me and my husband.
I sautéed the onion and pepper in olive oil until they were tender, and then I added the tomato, salt, pepper, and enough water to cover the vegetables — about 1 cup.
At first I thought it was too much water, as it looked too diluted, but it turned out to be just right.
After that had cooked down a bit, about 30 minutes, I added the hot dogs. Perhaps because I had cut the recipe in a third, there wasn’t much liquid left to cook the hot dogs in. But because the hot dogs were pre-cooked, I simply made sure they got plenty hot before serving.
In the meantime, I tossed some frozen shoestring fries in the oven. The recipe called for “commercially packaged” shoestring potatoes. I’m not sure what that means, but I’m guessing it’s those canned French fries. I wasn’t sure where to find those in the grocery store, so I went for the healthier option of baking frozen shoestring potatoes.
I also had some frozen corn in the freezer, so I zapped a serving of corn in the microwave rather than using canned corn. While all this was cooking, I toasted the hot dog buns.
Finally, I heaped it all onto the hot dogs: First a good serving of the vegetable sauce, then some corn, then mashed potatoes, then the fries. It looked like street food I would see Anthony Bourdain eating in Brazil, which made it all the more fun.
I really liked it. Granted, I’m a lover of hot dogs, but I even liked it with the corn, mashed potatoes and French fries despite how weird it seemed. The mashed potatoes added creaminess, and the French fries added crunch.
My favorite part was the vegetable sauce. It was savory and made the hot dog seem like something special. (I liked it enough, I would even make this sauce in the future to put over hot dogs.) My husband’s verdict:
“This is actually really good.”
So if you have a sponsored child in Brazil, or even if you don’t, this would be a fun recipe to try this July … and maybe even trick your kids into eating some vegetables with their hot dogs.
8 Comments |Add a comment
vinaigrette sauce =pico de gallo
when cooking the mashed potatoes, add anything you want – butter is totally ok
I’m from Sao Paulo and I love these!
Try adding some parmesan too <3
Sounds interesting. What area of Brasil is the recipe from? I sponsor a child from Fortaleza area.
I love that you added pictures to your cooking adventure. (Looks like you’re a Pampered Chef fan, as the cutting board and from the looks of it, the frying pans, are Pampered Chef brands.)
Thanks for posting your adventure.
Hi Leah! I checked with our office in Brazil and this recipe is very popular in southeast Brazil, especially in Sao Paulo. Fortaleza is on the northeastern tip of Brazil.Thanks for asking! -Susan
Hi Leah! I am checking into what area of Brazil this recipe is from and I’ll let you know as soon as I know! -Susan
This is the first of these recipes I have tried. The others either seemed too daunting or something I or my family wouldn’t like.
First off, I forgot to get the shoestring potatoes (either type), but I went ahead with making them anyway.
When I mashed the potatoes, I wondered if I should put any butter or milk in them like traditional mashed potatoes, but since the recipe didn’t call for those additions I left them out. I also wasn’t sure what it meant by “vinaigrette sauce”, so I didn’t put anything additional in the sauce, besides the water.
My outcome was not bad. It seemed a little bland and I am not sure if I was crazy about the mashed potatoes. I peeled the potatoes, but I realized that you left the skin on. That would probably have helped the flavor. I put ketchup & mustard on them, which I really thought was a good addition. I definitely think having the shoestring fries would have helped give it flavor & texture.
Overall, it was fun to try – and like you I think I could modify the sauce & use it in the future. Thanks for sharing it!
I just had a meal today here in Bolivia and it had some hot dogs in it and also some French fries.
You don’t like potatoes?! Looks like a nice recipe though. Is Brazil the only country sending in recipes? I would love to see some from other countries too.
We’ve had several recipes posted on the blog from various countries we serve in. You can check them out here:
https://blog.compassion.com/tag/cook-with-compassion
I really want to make this and the Tes Laches cake!