The Cook & Kitchen Staff are taking you to four different corners of the world to serve up a variety of regional recipes of the season. We're currently offering you a taste of holiday specialties from Brazil.

Because Brazil is such a large country, holiday celebrations can vary quite a bit from region to region throughout the vast nation. There are, however, two customs that are practiced universally in Brazil: Midnight Mass, which is known as Missa do Galo, or the Mass of the Rooster; and the Christmas dinner, ceia de Natal. Today's recipe is either served as a side dish or used as a stuffing for this holiday meal that we will be sampling over the next few days.

Christmas dinner in Brazil is very much a family affair as several generations of relatives gather together to share the holiday and attend mass together. Farofa is a standard part of their holiday table. It is made with manioc flour, which comes from a starchy, potato-like root that is a staple in the Brazilian diet. Manioc meal can be found at most international specialty stores, but you may elect to use Malt-O-Meal as a substitute in the Us. However, you may find that tracking down the specialty flour is well worth the culinary effort.

In a heavy 8-inch skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and tip the skillet to evenly coat the bottom of the pan.

Add the onion slices and sauté, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes or until they are soft and transparent, but not brown. Reduce the heat to low and pour in the lightly beaten egg, making sure to stir constantly. The egg will set and cook almost instantly as you stir.

Slowly stir in the manioc meal and cook, stirring frequently, for about 8 minutes, or until the meal becomes golden. (Watch carefully for any signs of burning.) Stir in the salt and parsley. Garnish the farofa with the sliced olives and hard-boiled eggs. Serve hot, or cooled to room temperature.

Kitchen Staff Tip: This is a very simple version of farofa de manteiga, or toasted manioc meal. The farofa may be embellished for the holidays with ingredients such as raisins, bacon, sausage, cashews, or banana, any of which may be added to the farofa after browning or toasting.