Welcome to my Kitchen

Brazilian-ish & California-esque.

A WORD

I lean into the deeply nourishing plate composition of a Brazilian “Prato Feito,” with farmer’s-market driven seasonal ingredients. I’ve come to call this style Carioca-California.

Food has always been my family’s love language, and the dinner table is where we traded stories, advice, and affection. When thinking of how to bring my culture to my American home, it had to come back to food. And someone had to do something about my Grandmother’s mysterious recipe books, lacking ingredient lists, oven temperatures, and cook times.

My addiction to cookbooks and twenty years of experience creating in my own kitchen has been put to work to translate, document and adapt classic recipes from my childhood in Rio. I’m not a trained chef, but neither were the people who cooked some of the best meals I’ve ever had.

With American kitchens in mind, recipes are written using readily available grocery store ingredients, and in standard US measurements.

Recent Recipes

Camille Morgenstern 3/13/26 Camille Morgenstern 3/13/26

Brazilian Cheesy Shrimp (Camarão com Requeijão)

Inspired by the creamy Brazilian dishes I grew up loving, this Camarão com Requeijão comes together in about 15 minutes.

Camille Morgenstern 2/14/26 Camille Morgenstern 2/14/26

Mac & Blue Cheese

He would have likely not approved of the name I gave to this pasta, but I think he would have enjoyed the dish itself. My husband (who he also did not approve of for a long time), certainly did.

Camille Morgenstern 9/18/25 Camille Morgenstern 9/18/25

Vegan Feijoada (Brazilian Black Bean Stew with Butternut Squash)

I know what you all are going to say. But I promise you won't miss the meat in this smoky bean stew with butternut squash that is perfect for fall days ahead.

Camille Morgenstern 5/5/25 Camille Morgenstern 5/5/25

Healthy Brazilian Beef Stroganoff (Estrogonofe Fit)

Cariocas are known for a lifestyle of balance. While not traditional, this recipe "fits" into our habit of taking something we love and waving a healthy wand at it.

Camille Morgenstern 3/6/25 Camille Morgenstern 3/6/25

Halibut Moqueca with Green Papaya (Brazilian Coconut Fish Stew)

Chef Emme Ribeiro Collins once beat Bobbly Flay with a Moqueca. Here is one of her takes on this traditional Afro-Bahian seafood stew.

Camille Morgenstern 2/21/25 Camille Morgenstern 2/21/25

Camarão à Paulista (Brazilian Garlic Lime Shrimp)

This is a recipe from Olivia Mesquita’s book Authentic Brazilian Home Cooking. It's kind of like Scampi, but you know, Sao Paulo style.

Camille Morgenstern 1/29/25 Camille Morgenstern 1/29/25

Truffled Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Shrimp

On the 29th of every month, there is an opportunity to will good fortune for the coming month, and all you have to do is eat gnocchi. Worth a try right?