No, it's not the North African couscous and not the

cuscuz from Bahia. This gorgeous and delicious dish

from São Paulo makes for a spectacular centerpiece

for brunch, according to my friend Steven Raichlen in

Miami. Steven gave me this and other scrumptious

Brazilian recipes a few years ago. My friends from

Brazil serve it at parties, as part of a buffet dinner. It

consists of an assortment of meats and vegetables,

cornmeal (farinha de milho, a Brazilian variation on

the theme. It comes in powdery flakes and can be

found in Latino, Brazilian and Portuguese markets)

and manioc meal. If you can't find manioc meal

where you live, use bread crumbs instead. I promise

to take a picture of a cuscuz paulista next time I'm in

Brazil, so you can see how beautiful it looks.

For the broth:

1 pound chicken (breast or thighs)

1 clove garlic

1/2 small onion

1 bay leaf

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons oil

2 strips bacon, cut into 1/4 inch slivers

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 teaspoons)

1 small onion, minced

1 large ripe tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped

(about 1/2 cup)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

3 tablespoons chopped scallions

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

4 ounces fresh mushrooms

1 8-ounce can green peas

1 8-ounce can cooked corn

salt and fresh black pepper

2-3 splashes Tabasco sauce

To finish the cuscuz:

2 large carrots

2 eggs

1 green bell pepper

1 red bell pepper

1 cup pitted green olives

1 cup manioc flour

3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

3 tablespoons finely chopped scallions

3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro

1 1-pound bag cornmeal

1 8-cup soufflé mold or charlotte mold, the bottom

lined with parchment paper, the whole mold thickly

buttered

1. Cook the chicken and prepare the broth. Place the

chicken in a small saucepan with the garlic, onion,

bay leaf and water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce

the heat, and gently simmer for 20 minutes, or until

the chicken is tender. Drain the chicken, reserving

the broth. When the chicken is cool enough to

handle, remove the skin and bones and finely shred

the meat. Discard the onion, garlic, and bay leaf.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Heat the oil in a

large saucepan over a medium flame. Cook the

bacon for 2-3 minutes to render the fat. Pour off all

but 2 tablespoons fat. Add the garlic and onion and

cook for 2-3 minutes, or until soft but not brown. Add

the tomato, tomato paste, parsley, scallions, and

cilantro and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the

mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the

mushrooms are limp. (I'm not a fan of mushrooms, so

I leave them out.) Stir in the shredded chicken,

chicken broth, green peas, and corn. Season the

mixture with salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce. It

should be very flavorful.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the garnishes. Boil the carrots

for 6-8 minutes, or until soft. Refresh under cold

water and drain. Cut the carrots into 1/4 inch slices.

Simmer the eggs for 11 minutes, rinse under cold

water, and shell. Cut the eggs into slices. Core and

seed the peppers and cut into rings.

4. Arrange the carrot slices, egg slices, peppers and

olives around the bottom and sides of the mold to

form a decorative pattern. These are what you'll see

when the cuscuz is inverted and unmolded. Chop up

any remaining vegetables and add them to the

sauce.

5. Add the manioc flour and herbs to the sauce. Little

by little, stir the cornmeal into the sauce. The mixture

should be just moist enough to hold together when

you squeeze it in your fist. If necessary, add a little

broth -- but not too much. The mixture should remain

quite dry.

6. Spoon the mixture into the soufflé dish, taking care

not to disturb the decoration. Pack the mixture tightly,

pressing with your fists. The cuscuz can be prepared

ahead to this stage and left at room temperature for

two hours.

7. To serve, dip the soufflé dish in warm water for 30

seconds. Run a knife around the inside of the soufflé

dish to loosen the cuscuz. Place a platter over the

cuscuz and invert. Give the soufflé dish a little shake:

the cuscuz should slide right out. (If you're a klutz like

me and your husband isn't, like mine, ask him to do it

for you. It always works.) Decorate the platter with

lettuce leaves or sprigs of parsley and serve at room

temperature. To serve, cut the cuscuz into slices, like

a cake.