Olympic Themed Appetizers

By Food & Wine
Updated January 17, 2017
Traditional Brazilian ingredients like yuca, hearts of palm, and salt cod give these simple dishes authenticity. Whether you want to keep things classic with Pao de Quejio (cheese bread) or go for something more mainstream, like roast beef sliders, these appetizers will bring a little Brazilian flavor to your Olympics party.
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Chile-Cheese Yucca Chips

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Yucca, sometimes called cassava, is a starchy root that grows in very warm climates and makes supercrunchy chips. To remove the tough outer skin, use a sharp, heavy knife rather than a peeler.

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Brazilian Cheese Bread Sliders with Roast Beef, Red Peppers and Arugula

Credit: © Phoebe Lapine
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These Brazilian cheese bread sliders are great for gluten-free entertaining. The dough is made from sour tapioca flour (starch), and the cheesy rolls are extra-delicious stuffed with roast beef, marinated peppers, and fresh arugula.

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Yucca Empanadas

Credit: DAVID NICOLAS
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"We try to make a different menu every day, often using the same ingredients," says Pedro Miguel Schiaffino about the challenges of creating recipes for a cruise ship. Yucca, one of the most ubiquitous root vegetables in the Amazon, appears in many of his dishes. Here he turns pure yucca into a dough for fried empanadas, a typical street food in Iquitos, the largest city in the Peruvian rain forest.

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Bacon-Wrapped Hearts of Palm with Pesto

Credit: © Phoebe Lapine
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This Brazilian three-ingredient appetizer couldn't be easier. Simply wrap canned hearts of palm with bacon and roast in the oven until the bacon is crisp. They're delicious with homemade pesto or chimichurri for dipping, and are sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

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Bolinho de Bacalhau

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Look for thick pieces of salt cod when you shop--they are easier to shred and are better quality than thinner pieces.

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Crispy Arepitas with Mozzarella and Chorizo

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Arepas, fried or baked skillet breads made from corn flour, are eaten night and day in Venezuela (usually stuffed) and Colombia (usually not). Bernstein says they're also her favorite snack at street fairs and carnivals in Miami. Here, she makes mini arepas, or arepitas, to serve as canapés, adding cheese and chorizo to the dough. They're her answer to the corn dog.

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Guacamole with Charred Jalapeño and Scallions

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F&W's Grace Parisi invented this smoky guacamole, then presented three ingenious ways to use it: in a soup, an hors d'oeuvre and a salad dressing.

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Sausage-Stuffed Brazilian Cheese Breads (Pao de Queijo)

Credit: © Phoebe Lapine
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Pao de queijo is a traditional Brazilian cheese bread made from sour tapioca flour. If you can't find the sour version, you can substitute regular tapioca flour. This recipe includes browned pork sausage that's mixed into the rolls. Cut them in half and fill with a fried egg for a perfect mini breakfast sandwich.

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Coffee-Cured Pulled Pork

Credit: John Kernick
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Linton Hopkins turns this slow-roasted pork shoulder into sliders. "Why are we so obsessed with the 30-minute meal?" he says. "I want to create a TV show called The 36-Hour Meal. The best things take a little bit of time."

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Beef-and-Onion Empanadas

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These traditional Argentine empanadas are filled with a mixture of ground beef, smoked paprika, green olives and cumin, then baked until golden.

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Feta-Filled Arepas

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In this recipe, chef Peter Berley looks to Latin America, creating a sophisticated take on the ubiquitous arepa (corn cake) stuffed with feta cheese.

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