Escondidinho: Brazilian Dried Beef Baked Under Cassava Mash

Steps

1. 1Desalt and cube the beef

   If your carne seca is still salty, cover it with water and soak it overnight, for at least 8 hours, then throw the water away. Cut the desalted beef into small cubes. The cubes are ready when they are even and small enough to cook through at the same rate.

2. 2Pressure-cook and shred the beef

   Put the cubes in the pressure cooker, cover them with water and cook for 30 minutes. Let the pressure drop, open the lid, and lift out the meat. Throw away the cooking liquid, which holds the salt that came out of the beef. Shred the meat with two forks. It is done when it pulls apart into long fibers without any effort.

   Pressure cooker

   Open the cooker only after the pressure has fully dropped, following the cooker's instructions, and tilt the lid away from your face as you lift it.

3. 3Cook the filling

   Heat a little oil in a pan and cook the onion, garlic and tomato until the onion is soft and the tomato has broken down. Add the shredded beef, black pepper, parsley, tomato paste and ¼ cup water. Stir until the paste coats every strand and the filling turns red-brown. Take it off the heat and set it aside. It should be moist with no liquid pooling in the pan.

4. 4Cook the cassava and remove the core

   Put the peeled cassava in the pressure cooker with water and a little salt, then cook for 20 minutes. Let the pressure drop and drain the cassava well. Split each piece and pull out the hard, stringy core that runs down the center. The cassava is ready when a fork slides in easily and the flesh crumbles.

   Find every core

   Check each piece for the core. A single strand left in turns into a tough thread in the purée, and the purée can only be as smooth as your core-picking.

5. 5Mash the purée

   Melt the 4 tbsp butter in a separate pot. Mash the hot cassava with a fork and add it to the butter with salt and the milk. Stir and beat until everything comes together into one mass. Stop when the purée is smooth and spreadable and has no lumps left.

6. 6Lay the bottom layer

   Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Butter the baking dish all over, including the corners. Spread half the purée across the bottom and push it into the corners with the back of a spoon. The base is ready when it is level and covers the whole dish.

7. 7Add the filling

   Spoon the beef filling over the purée. Spread it out to the edges so every slice will have meat in it. Press it down lightly with the spoon. The layer is ready when it is even and covers the purée completely.

8. 8Hide the filling and add the cheese

   Drop the rest of the purée over the meat in spoonfuls, then join them into one smooth layer. Seal it against the sides of the dish so the beef is completely covered. Lay the mozzarella slices over the top, overlapping them slightly. The dish is ready for the oven when no meat shows anywhere and the cheese covers the surface.

   Seal the edges

   If the top layer is sealed against the sides of the dish, the filling stays moist and hidden. Gaps at the edges let the beef dry out and spoil the reveal.

9. 9Bake until golden

   Put the dish in the hot oven and bake until the cheese is melted and golden. Take it out, let it cool a little, and then cut it into squares. Resting firms the layers so each slice comes out with the purée, beef and cheese clearly separated.