Acarajé

Place the Dried Black-Eyed Peas in a large bowl and cover with cold Water. Soak 4–8 hours or overnight, then rub the peas between your hands or on a sieve to loosen and remove the skins; rinse until the water runs clear and drain thoroughly.

In a food processor, blend the drained peas with one Onion until you have a smooth, thick paste. Season the batter with a generous pinch of Salt and pulse just to combine — the mixture should be airy and hold its shape without being runny.

Heat about 2–3 inches of Dendê Oil in a deep skillet or pot until hot but not smoking (medium-high heat). With wet hands, form rounds or ovals from the batter and gently lower them into the oil. Fry, turning if needed, until deep golden and crisp, about 6–8 minutes. Drain the acarajés on paper towels.

To make the vatapá, tear White Bread into pieces and soak in Coconut Milk until soft. In a blender or food processor combine the soaked bread, Roasted Peanuts, Cashews, Dried Shrimp, remaining Onion, Garlic, Ginger and Malagueta Chilies and blend to a smooth paste. Transfer to a saucepan, cook over low heat with a few tablespoons of Dendê Oil, stirring constantly, until thickened and glossy; season to taste with Salt.

For the caruru, trim and slice the Okra and sauté briefly with chopped Onion and minced Garlic in a little Dendê Oil until the okra is tender and some of the mucilage has cooked off. Stir in chopped Dried Shrimp, a splash of Lime Juice and a little Water; simmer gently to meld flavors and finish with Salt to taste.

Make a fresh vinagrete by dicing Tomato and Onion, chopping Cilantro, and tossing everything with Lime Juice and a pinch of Salt. Let it sit while you finish the other components so the flavors marry.

Prepare a spicy dried-shrimp sauce by pulsing Whole Dried Shrimp with Malagueta Chilies, a clove of Garlic, a splash of White Vinegar and a pinch of Salt in a mini-blender; drizzle in a little warm Dendê Oil to loosen into a spoonable, hot condiment.

To assemble, slice each acarajé open and spoon in a generous amount of vatapá, add a spoonful of caruru, a little vinagrete and finish with the spicy dried-shrimp sauce. Serve immediately with extra Lime Juice on the side.