Blasta Books

We’ve been hearing something special about Samba: Brazilian expats here in Ireland have been telling us how grateful they are to have something they can hand to their partner, friends or in-laws that captures their culture, history and food to help the people in their lives understand them better. Because that’s the thing about food and stories – they’re what we all have in common, no matter who we are or where we’re from. This is at the heart of what Blasta Books is all about. So make a feijoada feast (pictured above), invite your friends and family over and put on Giselle’s Samba Spotify playlist. As Giselle says, ‘You don’t eat Brazilian food alone. You cook it together and you share it around the table, and suddenly it’s a party.’ Blasta Books 18: SAMBA by Giselle Makinde it out now! @sambabygiselle Styling by @charlotteoco Photography by @jomurphyphotographer

In Brazil, there’s no such thing as life without pão de queijo. You can eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner or as a snack. You’ll always find a bag of frozen pão de queijo tucked away in a Brazilian freezer, just waiting to be baked and shared with a cuppa. Pão de queijo fresh from the oven smells like home. If you make only one recipe from SAMBA, make this. Blasta Books 18: SAMBA by Giselle Makinde @sambabygiselle is out now! Styling by @charlotteoco Photography by @jomurphyphotographer

SAMBA OUT NOW! Giselle Makinde @sambabygiselle is a Brazilian-born chef and food entrepreneur who moved to Ireland in search of new opportunities and a fresh start. Like many who leave home, she felt disconnected from her roots, yet her childhood memories remain at the heart of everything she cooks. SAMBA is a joyful celebration of Brazilian cuisine, family and cultural memory. It brings to life the flavours and traditions passed down from Giselle’s mother and grandmother, and honours the deep connection between food, identity and home. Out now in all good bookshops, indie retailers and on our website. 💃 Styling by @charlotteoco Photography by @jomurphyphotographer Cover by @ellaginn Design by @janematthews100

🇧🇷✨ DROPCHEF COMPETION: BRAZIL EDITION ✨🇧🇷 This May, we’re bringing a bit of Brazil into your kitchen. To celebrate the launch of my cookbook SAMBA, I’ve partnered with @DropChef to bring one of Brazil’s most iconic dishes: moqueca de peixe And to make it even better… We’re giving one lucky person a one-month DropChef subscription. Here’s how to enter: • Follow @sambabygiselle , @DropChef and @blastabooks • Like this post • Share to your stories • Tag someone you’d share this meal with 📍 Ireland only 🔞 18+ ⏳ Closes 00:00 on 7th May 🏆 Winner contacted via DM on 8th May Let’s bring some samba to your kitchen. #samba #brazilianfood #irishfoodies #FoodCulture #booklaunch

Sundays are for trying new recipes. 🧑‍🍳🍳⏲️ From our Modern Gifting section: a curated collection of recipe books by Blasta Books. 📚 • #sorokalondon #sundayplan #receipeoftheday

📺 SAMBA ON UK TV 🇬🇧 This Sunday, 26th April, I’ll be on @sundaybrunchc4 @channel4 Brunch talking about Brazilian food and my book, Samba @blastabooks that will be launch on April 30th. The show starts at 10am (UK time) I’ll be on around 12pm (UK time). 📍 You can watch: • In the UK — live on Channel 4 • In Ireland — via Channel 4 (Sky, Virgin or streaming) • Outside the UK — through Channel 4 online (if available in your region) Let’s bring a little Brazil to your Sunday. See you there 💃🇧🇷

PODKA! 🫛 Meet podka, an infusion that captures the green, grassy flavour of fresh bean or pea pods. It’s just vodka (or gin if you’re a juniper fan) steeped with the very thing you’d usually throw away. The result? A drink that tastes like the smell of a June garden: bright, clean and quietly surprising. This isn’t a gimmick; it’s genuinely good. Serve it straight from the freezer in a martini or mix it with tonic for a podka tonic and sip in satisfaction knowing that nothing went to waste. From Blasta Books 17: BEANS by Ali Honour @honouryourfood , out now! 🫘 Styling by @charlotteoco Photography by @jomurphyphotographer

📍 PÃO DE QUEIJO Pão de queijo is a staple of Brazilian cuisine, and today, April 22nd, the day Brazil was discovered, is your perfect opportunity to discover the magic behind this beloved recipe! 🇧🇷 Crisp. Chewy. Unmistakable. Made with a combination of sour and sweet tapioca starch, this Brazilian cheese bread gets its signature texture from a simple but essential step: pouring hot milk and oil over the starch to partially cook it before mixing the dough. This is one of the recipes from my book — and it had to be the first one I shared here. If you understand pão de queijo, you understand Brazilian baking. 🧀 Ingredients 250g (2 cups) sour tapioca starch (polvilho azedo) 250g (2 cups) sweet tapioca starch (polvilho doce) 1 tsp salt 285ml (1 cup + 3 tbsp) milk 80ml (⅓ cup) vegetable oil 2 medium eggs 300g (3 cups) grated mature Cheddar cheese 🔥 Method Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Line two trays with baking paper. In a large heatproof bowl, combine both tapioca starches and salt. Bring the milk and oil to a boil. Gradually pour the hot liquid over the starch mixture, stirring continuously. This step partially cooks the starch and gives pão de queijo its unique texture. Let it cool for about 10 minutes. Add the eggs and grated cheese. Mix until smooth and uniform. If needed, transfer to a countertop and knead briefly — but don’t overwork it or the bread will be heavy. Roll into balls (about 50g each). You should get around 24. Bake until puffed and golden. Best eaten warm. They won’t last long. Do you know where to get polvilho sweet and sour? @atlanticofoodsonline use the code samba10 for 10%off @delicias.uk is your place in UK for all your Brazilian needs You’re not skipping this one, right?! #PãoDeQueijo #BrazilianFood #BrazilianBaking #CheeseBread #BrazilianCuisine

Our BEANS author, Ali Honour @honouryourfood , says fibre maxxing might be the new trend, but we’ve always known fibre is essential – for gut health, disease prevention, energy, longevity … the list goes on. We just got a little distracted by ultra-processed “convenience”. Meanwhile, beans have been sitting quietly on the shelf like “we’ve been here all along". 👀 Affordable. Nutritious. Climate-friendly. And one of the easiest ways to radically improve how we eat. If we’re serious about changing our food system, we need to start with what’s on our plate. More fibre, more plants, more real food. And with recipes like this one, for lentil, walnut and mushroom rissoles, it's no hardship. Blasta Books 17: BEANS is a celebration of one of the most powerful, affordable and sustainable ingredients we have. Good for our gut, good for farmers, good for our soil and good for the planet. Get your copy on our website. 🫘

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