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Fondue in Brazil

September 4, 2009

Fondue? I love fondue. I’m not sure what it is about it. Maybe it is the slow leisurely process of enjoying the meal, the fact that it is a meal I often enjoy with my husband on special occasions, or maybe it is the food. Yes, the actual food ranks high on the list.

In the US our fondue experience has been limited to Melting Pot. We still enjoy that restaurant very much, but we have found a rather outstanding substitute here in Brazil.

I may have mentioned it before, but in the city we live in right now, food variety is limited. Sure there are lots of great Brazilian foods and even Japanese for that matter, but you won’t find a lot of cultural variety.

Curitiba, one of my favorite cities, is a completely different story. There you can find foods from just about every culture of the world and we take full advantage when we are visiting. On one of our first visits a friend told me about a great fondue restaurant, Chateau de Gazon. It was love at first bite and we’ve been back each trip since. We celebrated our anniversary there, my husband’s birthday and even no special occasion at all.

The fondue here is different, but in a very good way. However, those who fear they may miss the Brazilian cultural influences by eating at a fondue restaurant need not fear; there is a purely Brazilian twist in many ways.

I’ve been to a couple different fondue places in Brazil and it appears that using oil to cook the meat is the most popular option. I’m not a big fan of this and the broths seem hard to come by, but at this particular restaurant they have a great variation – na pedra – or a small stone grill they bring to your table. See, I told you there would be Brazilian twists all over the place.

We always have to start with the cheese fondue, of course. It’s served with bread, broccoli, carrots and mini-potatoes. I haven’t been able to figure out exactly what cheese they use here, but it has a mild flavor and pairs nicely with the bread and vegetables.

The meat usually consists of beef and chicken, sometimes there is lamb as well. It is cut into small pieces and pounded very thin so that it cooks quickly on the small grill. Along with the meat comes one of the best parts, the sauces! Thirteen total. From the Brazilian side of things you get farofa (toasted cassava flour), vinaigrette (chopped veggies tossed in lime juice), rose sauce (ketchup, mustard and mayo; not a favorite) and chopped eggplant in oil. To round that out there is spicy mustard, curry mayo, gorgonzola, onion marmalade, orange marmalade and a few more that we can never fully identify. I want to eat more meat just to try all the sauces!

The dessert course offers all the tropical goodness of Brazil – seven different types of chopped fruits. You get melon, papaya, strawberries, pineapple, banana, apple and grapes. With that there is typically marshmallows and one time we even got little wafer cookies.

The chocolate is of the dark variety and goes so well with all the fruit. The second time we went they started adding an extra dipper to the dessert. In addition to the chocolate we got a bowl of half melted ice cream to dip our fruit in. I wasn’t a huge fan of this. I guess I just find it difficult to get excited about melted ice cream. On our most recent visit, though, they pulled out the ultimate offering. Along with the chocolate we got a bowl of warm doce de leite! With each piece of fruit I speared I was faced with the difficult decision of which one to dip it in, they were both equally fantastic.

To sum up, fondue in Curitiba is a must. In fact, Curitiba in general is a must. If you ever plan a trip to Brazil you’ll likely get a lot of advice on where to go. My vote? Do not miss this great city. I’ve thought a lot about why it is so appealing to me. In addition the diversity and some of the best food I’ve eaten in Brazil, it is also that the city is manageable.

I travel a lot with my husband when he works and that means I’m out and about on my own much of the time. There are lots of great cities here in Brazil, but to be honest, I would not feel courageous enough to tackle many by myself mainly due to their size. I don’t feel that way with Curitiba at all. It is a city of about 1.8 million and it is the ideal size for exploring alone or with a partner. It’s full of parks and historic attractions, not to mention shopping malls and small boutiques. When you combine all of that with outstanding food you’ve got one great travel destination.

Where to find the fondue:
Restaurant Chateau de Gazon
Rua Pasteur, 134 – Batel
Curitiba – PR, Brasil
www.chateaugazon.com.br

Feasting on Pine

September 3, 2009

For a tropical country Brazil has some impressive evergreen trees, at least in the mountainous regions of the country. In fact, the claim-to-fame of the state we are living in is the majestic Araucaria tree. There are about 19 different types of Araucaria tree and each looks just a little different.

While some varieties can be found in other parts of South America, the type the state of Paraná is known for is the Araucaria angustifolia. It is also sometimes called the pinheiro-do-paraná (the Paraná pine). There are a few where we are living, but many more in Curitiba, about a 6 hour drive away, towards the coast. They can also be found in a few states north and south of here such as in Santa Catarina where the island of Florianopolis is located.

The trees have different shapes, but I love the ones that are more flat along the top. The branches extend out to make them almost look like a candelabra.

So what does all this talk about trees have to do with food?

Well, the pine nuts from the Araucaria tree can be eaten and happen to be quite popular around the area.

Typically available from May through July (winter), the pine nuts, or pinhão, are most often associated with Festa Junina events. This June festival celebrates rural life and is often equated to a hillbilly party. The hillbillies, so-to-speak, are referred to as Caipiras, a term which lends to the name for the popular Brazilian cocktail, caipirinha. Foods such as canjica, peanuts and popcorn are served at these parties as well as pinhão.

In addition, you can also find the nut in the supermarkets during this time of year. If you happen to be on a road trip like we were in late April you will also pass plenty of roadside stands selling cooked pinhão by the bag. The pine nut (still in it’s shell) is prepared most often using a pressure cooker and is seasoned with salt. It is also made into a soup, but I haven’t had the opportunity to try it.

When we were at the Curitiba Zoo last fall we were able to read a translated description of the pine nut including details about its nutritional value – rich in vitamin B, calcium, phosphorus and protein.

The pinhão are quite difficult to get into. Our friends here suggest biting off the end, spitting it out and then pushing the nut out with your fingers. We tried this, but I always ended up having to peel it.

The texture and flavor are like a cross between a nut and firm bean which is enhanced by the added salt. It is a great snack, but given the difficulty of getting one open only a handful tend to be consumed at a sitting.

This has most certainly been one of those local foods we won’t be experiencing anywhere else anytime soon. Even parts of Brazil aren’t fortunate enough to enjoy this winter treat. The pinhão and the Araucaria tree are big foodie benefits of living in Paraná.

Sagu de Vinho #24

August 28, 2009

Most of the Brazilian recipes I Google pop-up on the first search page, but for Sagu I had to do a little more digging. I’m not sure if it has to do with the popularity of this dish, or that maybe it is more regional to the area we are living in. I say this because I happened to mention it to my host during my visit to Minas Gerais and she hadn’t heard of it before.

Sagu is basically tapioca pearls. It is served as a dessert around here and you can often find it among other sweets on per kilo buffets (which are the normal lunch for many Brazilians). Sagu can be made with only juice. However, I prefer the version made with juice and wine.

My husband’s coworkers have joked before that they loved it as kids when their grandmothers made Sagu because it meant they got to have a little wine. Although, considering the cooking process, I doubt there is much alcohol left in the final dish.

Sagu reminds me a lot of a jello salad (without all the artificial ingredients). The pearls become slightly chewy and the cooking process turns the liquid into a thick sweet sauce that has an intense tangy flavor from the concentrated wine. It’s good at room temperature or cold, but after it gets cold the pearls and sauce really solidify so it does become thicker and a bit sticky.

Since having Sagu out at restaurants I wanted to try it myself at home which is why I made it #24 on my 30 Foods List. Like most culturally specific foods there are different recipes for making it. Some cook the sagu in water before adding the wine or juice, others also include cinnamon and clove for flavoring. Me, well, I just followed the recipe on the back of the bag of tapioca pearls.

I think we’ve established that desserts in Brazil are sweet, really sweet. So it’s no surprise that in addition to a liter of juice the recipe calls for 2 cups of sugar! You’ll be happy to know that I left that out. I used ½ juice and ½ table wine, and knowing the juice had some sugar in it to begin with I knew it would be sweet enough for me and it was.

I think you should be able to get your hands on tapioca pearls in the States pretty easily so if you are looking for something a little different for dessert, give Sagu de Vinho a try.

Sagu de Vinho

1 cup tapioca pearls
½ liter grape juice
½ liter red table wine

Add all ingredients into a medium to large soup pot. Cook over low heat until the pearls become transparent and are cooked through, about 30 to 45 minutes.

A note to San Francisco readers and those headed to the Foodbuzz Fest:

I’m headed to the event and will be in the area for an extended period. If you want to meet up at some point to talk food, health and culture let me know!

Pots, Pans and Foodie Souvenirs

August 24, 2009

First let me say I’m sorry about the lack of a Link’s post this past weekend. My travel, an unexpected cold bug and my husband’s return from a business trip to the Dublin area made for less than normal weekend. I haven’t been away from the computer, but I’m starting to feel the pressure of the upcoming Southeast Asia trip so that is taking up much of my time at the moment. Wow, do I have a lot more research to do about what to see and where to eat!

I know lots of you enjoy the links though so no worries, they’ll be back next week.

On to part two of my trip to Belo Horizonte and Ouro Preto.

Aside from seeing beautiful scenery the rest of my travel, regardless of destination, always seems to be focused on food and what I can bring back with me that is food related. My trip to Minas Gerais was no exception, so I was thrilled to be introduced to soap stone cooking pots (Pedra Sabão). These pots are made from soap stone found in the surrounding area – a true work of art.

Where we are living in there isn’t a whole lot of this traditional cookware. We do get bamboo cooking utensils which I love, but pots and pans are more modern. This artisanal cookware was an exciting find, but it took me a long time to decide if I was going to lug back a pot. These suckers are heavy! I just had to take my chances though because I know I will likely not have the chance again.

The pot will turn black after I treat and seal it. Everyone tells me that it will keep hot food hot for about 4 hours and you can even use it with cold salads and it will similarly keep the food cold for an extended period. I’ll be sure to share the first meal I cook in it. I haven’t quite decided what that will be yet.

I only wish I could have brought back more. This pot I found at the central market in Belo Horizonte, but in Ouro Preto they had so many things made out of soap stone – soup bowls, wine holders/chillers, base plates and vases. I did manage to bring back a few carved soap stone boxes for Christmas gifts. Sorry for the spoiler if any of my family is reading!

Now on to the edibles.

Minas has a lot of the same doces (sweets) that we have where we are living, but as I mentioned in my last post most are in a more liquid, scoop-able from. Just about every stall in the central market had a huge case full of sweets like this.

It included doce de leite, cocada, a combination of the two, chocolate doce de leite, guava fruit jam (goiabada) and many candied fruits like mamão and fig. And, oh yes, you get to taste any that you want.

Then there are all kinds of packaged foods you can pick up like this doce de leite wrapped in little corn husks. The actual doce de leite isn’t much to write home about, but the package makes it way too attractive to pass up. Next, I picked up some packaged candy, similar to a fudge that combined a very lightly cooked doce de leite and firm guava fruit jam.

I also brought back a sample bottle of Vale Verde cachaça (a brand made outside the Belo Horizonte) and a sample of the Jabuticaba liqueur so my husband could give it a try.

With all this sweet, something savory had to be included and that something was Canastra cheese. Most of us in the other states of Brazil are familiar with cheese from Minas because it is so well known across the country. I can always find Minas Frescal in the supermarket here which is a fresh, cow’s milk cheese. However, once it is matured Canastra cheese is created and what makes this special is that it is a regional cheese specific to Minas Gerais and the Serra da Canastra. If you want to read a little more you can check out this book excerpt from Brined Cheeses by A.Y. Tamime.

It is a soft, velvety cheese that immediately melts in your mouth. In my opinion it is similar in texture, but slightly firmer than, fresh mozzarella, but with a much sharper flavor. I brought a half wheel back, a little less than a kilo. I seriously can’t stay away from it. I keep trying to make it last, but every time I open the fridge door, there it sits. My favorite way to enjoy it is slightly melted over bread with goiabada.

After all this, you can imagine the luggage was quite heavy. It was a truly amazing food culture experience and I have plenty to remind me of it now that I’m back home.

Fortunately, this weekend the food party didn’t end there. I can’t finish this post without telling you about the goodies my husband brought back from Ireland to share with me. You see, I’ve been to Ireland with him the past two years and this year we decided I would skip out so we could put the funds towards our SE Asia trip. But even that trip and my wonderful trip to Minas Gerais didn’t leave me completely without disappointment that I failed to make it to Europe this year so my husband was there to help.

Guinness chocolate, toffees and fudge were part of the spread along with some Jameson to keep the liquor cabinet full until we depart in a month. He flew KLM so they had these amazing caramel wafers from the Netherlands via duty free. We first had these in either Vienna or Munich and they are amazing. A very thin wafer filed with salty caramel. We have found them at specialty stores every now and then in Lexington, but it has been a while.

Finally he packed back Bulmers!! This is my absolute favorite cider. It can also be found under the name Magners. Carbonated, fruity and crisp it is perfect for summer, but so good that it can’t be passed up even on the coolest or rainiest days while in Ireland. He picked up a couple of the pear flavored to try something different. It was good, but I have to say the original is the best.

So there you have it, foodie finds from around the world! This week I have some recipes lined up and I hope to get back to regular cooking if I can kick this cold to the curb. Thanks for walking back down memory lane with me through my trip recap. I hope you found something you enjoyed among all this great food!

Foods of Minas Gerais

August 20, 2009

Remember when the Internet was an incredibly scary place? When people would warn about being too visible and you felt as though you had to sneak around for fear that it was a world full of only the weird and unstable.

I’m so glad those days are gone! I mean, you still have to be careful, but the world of blogging, travel and food has been a wonderful thing. From the day I started my ex-pat blog, which expanded to this blog, I began meeting people; friendly, real people.

For the last few days I’ve been taking advantage of one of those connections I’ve made. Someone who reads my ex-pat blog invited to me to visit Belo Horizonte and Ouro Preto in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Not only did I get to meet her and her family, I also got to meet another ex-pat family living there.

It was a wonderful trip filled with lots of history, a part of this country that I was sorely lacking. This included a history of both food and some things related to cooking. It was such a great experience to try some new foods, and some of the foods I’m familiar with prepared in a different way.

I thought I’d first share with you some of the best meals I had highlighting those things that are specific to that area of the country. In my next post I’ll expand to some of the food and cooking related goodies I got including those from the central market.

Before my trip everyone kept telling me that Minas food is very different. Looking back, I wouldn’t say it is very different because many of the same ingredients are used here. However, there were some dishes that I was able to taste for the first time, some of which I’ve never seen on the menus in Maringá, or at least I didn’t know them well enough to order them and they aren’t that visible on the tables around us.

While I was in Belo Horizonte we took a trip to Ouro Preto, a city I’ve been interested in since seeing a documentary on it before our move. It is only about 1.5 hours away so a great option for a day trip.

This place holds much of the history of the country and if you travel to Brazil I’d highly recommend making your way there. Yes, I’d even suggest skipping a few days at the beach for it. It was simply amazing with cobblestone streets, village-like architecture, historic museums and churches filled with ornamental gold-leaf. It reminded me a lot of Prague and it is where much of the gold mining was done for that which was then sent to the Portuguese Crown.

While I learned about the history, I’m not the best at creating the written word to capture it for an interesting story. If you want to learn more, head over to the Salty Cod. Mallory recently visited and has an extensive post about the history of the city and some amazing photographs.

It was in Ouro Preto that I got to try food that is specific to Minas Gerais. I was interested to learn from Emily, one of the U.S. ex-pats I visited there, that the food is very similar to that which we find in the southern U.S. It makes sense due to both areas having a strong African influence.

For lunch we went to Chafariz, a somewhat touristy spot which specialized in Minas cuisine. When I use the word touristy I mean that to say that a lot of Brazilian tourists eat there and you can find it mentioned on travel guides like Frommer’s. I don’t mean it to say it has been altered to be appealing to a variety of tastes like many touristy establishments. This is the authentic version for sure.

We started with a small shot of local cachaça that came with the meal. You know I’m not a huge fan of it, but this variety was actually pretty good. It was followed by Caldo Verde a soup found in both Portuguese and Brazilian cuisine. It has a thick broth and is filled with couve (collard greens), potatoes (usually mashed into the broth) and pork or pork sausage. It was also served in soap stone bowls which I will explain more about in my next post.

I have had this soup before and the one we had at Chafariz was one of the best I’ve tried. I have attempted to make it before, but I can’t get it quite right. You can check out this recipe from Pink Bites if you are interested in trying it yourself.

My goal was to try everything new to me, or that was prepared in a way I was unfamiliar with. Well, except for rice and farofa. A Brazilian meal just wouldn’t be complete without those. I did pretty well on the first plate, but I did have to go back for a tiny follow up to get it all in.

The first thing that caught my attention when the cuisine was being explained to me was Frango ao Molho Pardo (chicken in brown sauce which is actually blood sauce). This was very good, kind of like a beef stew with chicken. I have to admit the thought of the blood does bother my mind-to-stomach system after I think about it for a while, but I wanted to try it out and I’m glad I did.

I’d read about Frango com Quiabo (chicken with okra) after we first moved and while I’ve seen okra on some occasions at the market, this dish doesn’t stand out in Maringá. I was looking forward to the opportunity to try it. The way the okra is cooked makes it tender, but allows it to maintain a slightly firm texture without being mushy and the seasonings are outstanding. By far the best way I’ve had okra.

Feijão Tropeiro was a combination of beans, farofa, fried egg, garlic, onion, bacon and sometimes sausage though I’m not sure I got a piece of that in my taste. Each ingredient is cooked separately and then combined so each holds its own shape and texture. No mushy stuff here. I loved this. It was my kind of all-in-one dish. It is often equated to trail food or cowboy food. Just to pass on the history lesson I received the tropeiro was used to take the gold from Ouro Preto into other areas of Minas Gerais and the whole process was executed through the use of donkeys and mules.

The other things on my plate included angu (polenta, more of a cornmeal mush) and couve which was sautéed with garlic. I really like the couve this way because it changes the bitterness compared to the fresh couve often served and gives it a more complex flavor. I’m not a big fan of the polenta because it is cooked in such a way that it is more of a sticky paste. Then I couldn’t pass up the steamed mandioca com alho frito (fried garlic) because I love the flavor of the fried garlic.

My second trip I got very little because I just to try out what I missed the first time. The bean paste is Tutu à Mineira which is similar to refried beans and has been mixed with mandioca flour. It has a sticky, pasty taste similar to the polenta. The interesting green fluff is Mousse de Pepino (cucumber). I’ve never had anything quite like this before. It had that refreshing taste that you’d expect from a cucumber and a slightly grainy texture. It was a unique flavor, but for me, only good in small doses. I rounded out the plate with a slice of cooked banana.

The doces (sweets) in Minas are similar to what we have here, but they are often served in a more liquid, scoop-able from. Therefore, you will find bowls full of doce de leite, cocada (coconut with sweetened condensed milk), candied fruits like the fig I have there (the green stuff) and they also serve the goiaba (guava fruit) in a candied jam form or in a solid form with a gritty texture. This variety is also served with local cheese. Of course, there is little I can fault with the sweets.

The meal was followed up with a cafezinho (strong, dark coffee) and a small taste of local Jabuticaba liqueur.

I don’t think I’ve talked about Jabuticaba before. It is a small, dark purple fruit, a little larger than a concord grape. The outside skin is smooth and shiny, inside is a white, opaque pulp with a fairly large seed. Its textures are very similar to a wine grape, but the flavor is simply sweet. It isn’t distinct to me, just sugary sweet and the liqueur was the same way. We can buy it (and grow it) here, but I don’t even think I’ve taken the chance to get a picture of it. Hopefully the Wikipedia page will help.

Well, it looks like my two-part post will turn into a three-part post. I have another meal to describe in addition to my fun finds at the central market, but I think you’ve likely had your fill for a day. Obviously it was a very food-focused trip! Aren’t they all?!

Culture-filled Friday: Strogonoff de Frango

August 14, 2009

For some reason I feel the need to introduce this recipe with a bit of explanation. Now, if I were one to associate negative terms with food I might call this post “Fattening Friday”. However, I try not to do that because I feel like even high calorie, low produce cultural foods should be savored. So instead I’ll go with “Culture-filled Friday” because if there is one entrée you will find on almost every menu in town it is Strogonoff de Frango (Chicken Stroganoff).

Stroganoff is a dish of Russian origin, but this area of Brazil has embraced it as its own. It is made differently due to the absence of sour cream, and has a topping of batata palhas (match stick potatoes). It can be found in many different forms – over rice, over a baked potato, on a pizza – you name it. I honestly think every restaurant has some version of it on their menu except for the sushi places. Heck, they would probably even make it for you if you made a special request.

While I’m not a huge stroganoff fan, my husband loves it. Here is a picture of his stroganoff potato from a stuffed potato restaurant in the mall. Huge, huh? And they say portion sizes are big in the U.S.

About a year ago I was spending the day with the wife of one of my husband’s coworkers and she made us Strogonoff de Carne for lunch so I was able to witness the process. It is a rather simple dish and hers had wine in the sauce as well as Worcestershire sauce. Most often when my husband orders it he orders the chicken variety so when I wanted to make a meal for him recently, I decided it would be culturally-correct of me to finally give stroganoff a try.

To be honest, the recipe I ended up finding for the chicken variety was tasty and this is coming from someone who isn’t the biggest Brazilian stroganoff fan. Something I think made a huge difference is that I had some spicy brown mustard on hand and I used it instead of yellow. It gave the dish a robust, tangy flavor that really stood out. I’d recommend that substitution. I served ours over potatoes because I had a few that needed to be used up.

So if you are looking for a stick-to-your ribs dish of Russian origin, but Brazilian flare – here you go!

Strogonoff de Frango

From FloridaBrasil.com

3 chicken breasts, sliced or cubed
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
½ cup ketchup
1/3 cup mustard (I used spicy brown)
1 cup jarred mushrooms, sliced
1 cup heavy cream (original recipe calls for crème de leite so if you can get the Nestle table cream often found in Latin food markets, use that)
Match stick potatoes

In a bowl, mix together the raw chicken, garlic and mayo. In a deep skillet or soup pot, melt the butter and add the onions, cook about three minutes. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown and cooked through. Mix in the mushrooms, ketchup and mustard. Stir in the cream and remove the pan from heat. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over white rice or a baked potato and top with the match stick potatoes.

Taking on the 30 Foods List: Single Serve Sweet Rice

July 30, 2009

If you will remember I have this ongoing list of foods I intended to make to celebrate my 30th year, the 30 Foods List. So far I’ve completed about seven, although I haven’t posted about them all, and guess what? Tomorrow is the last day of July! It seems maybe I was a bit ambitious considering that some of the foods I chose may require ingredients that I can’t get here in Brazil. I am still hopeful, but I am giving myself a little leeway and re-setting my goal to make all the foods by the end of 09.

One of the foods on the list is sweet rice, a very popular dessert here in a Brazil and in many other cultures as well. I made canjica a while back, a sweet rice-like dessert made with hominy, but I didn’t think this truly counted. Considering the sweet rice is a bit basic, I decided I need to make it original somehow.

The other day my lunch was screaming for something sweet to seal the deal and I had about a ½ cup of leftover rice in the fridge. I decided to turn that, along with a Palmer mango, into a single serving of sweet rice for dessert.

Really easy, wonderfully tasty and it meets a 30 Food List goal. That’s all the motivation I need so here you go.

Single Serve Sweet Rice with Mango

½ cup cooked long grain rice
2 T sweetened condensed milk
2T coconut milk
3T whole milk
¼ cup chopped mango

In a small sauce pan combine the rice and all three milks. Cook on medium high heat until the mixture becomes bubbly and thick, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the mango and heat through. Enjoy!

Here are a few other things I’ve already made on my 30 Foods List:

Beijinhos (also see the guest post at 5 Star Foodie)
Brigadeiro
Croissants
Irish Fruit Scones

The Coffee Dilemma

July 24, 2009

Tuesday morning started out just like any other day. I went into the kitchen first thing, grabbed a coffee filter, added some of a my favorite Brazilian grounds, poured the water and pushed the red button. The button illuminated so I walked away to straighten up the kitchen then start up the computer.

A few minutes later I thought, “Hmmm, I don’t hear anything. More importantly I don’t smell anything.” I have a very inexpensive model of coffee maker I bought here and usually within seconds of pushing the “on” button the water starts to gurgle and a little steam is emitted from the top.

Still positive I went over and felt the machine. Cold. I checked inside and out for some sign of proper function, and started it again. Nothing. My calm, positive attitude slowly evolved into a bit of frantic thinking, and rattling and shaking the machine ensued.

Alas, the machine won. Less than two years old and it has bit the dust.

What to do, what to do. One option included buying a new maker for my last two months in Brazil. A possibility, but it seemed a bit wasteful. I could try to sell it upon moving or just leave it. The quality of small kitchen appliances here isn’t something you would want to ship home, trust me.

Sadly, investing the money in purchasing coffee every morning isn’t even an option here. There was no to-go coffee within the city until the McDonald’s started serving breakfast and selling it last October. I’ve had it a couple times and it is tasty and inexpensive, but it seriously takes a half hour to get the order here with your only bonus being it comes in a to-go. (That has been quite a big bonus, though, on some occasions.)

Then I started thinking. Well…I do have one more option which would eliminate the need for me to buy a machine or support the golden arches.

Meet my morning coffee maker.

Several months after living here I learned about the so-called “artisanal” way of making coffee. There are several cafes around our city that still make it this way for the public. I enjoy going there and watching the women behind the counter serve it to the men there for a quick cup in the morning while standing. Once my interest was peaked I bought the supplies and made it a few times for myself.

It wasn’t until we met with some new friends in Curitiba, that I learned that this style of making coffee is considered old school and artisanal. Apparently it is a lost art in many larger cities in southern Brazil. For comparison Curitiba is a city of almost 2M and Maringá has about 300K. Not so small in the US, but small by Brazilian standards when you compare it to cities such as Sao Paulo with 18 to 19M the last time I checked.

The process is simple. You toss the coffee, which is ground very finely here, into a pot with water. I use about 2 scoops of coffee for 2 ½ cups of water. You throw in the sugar at this point too. For me, that is a rounded teaspoon. Then you boil. Not a hard long boil, but enough to get it hot and dissolve the sugar and some grounds.

Next comes the filter that looks like a mini-fishnet. Made of cloth, the coffee drains through it like a filter so your grains don’t go to the cup. You pour the coffee through the filter and allow it to drip directly into the cup.

The process isn’t much unlike a mechanical coffee maker except for the fact that the coffee is cooked directly in the water. The water isn’t simply flowing through the coffee and into a pot. Although you do have to be present throughout the whole process.

It is also similar to what we call cowboy coffee or campfire coffee back home. Well, except for the fact that I’m using delicious Brazilian coffee beans. I would imagine it is tastier than most made at campsites. The brewing process results in a much stronger brew. I enjoy it, but I always have it café com leite-style with milk.

The negatives are the clean up. I have to dump out all those grains, scrub the pot, clean the filter contraption well and allow it to dry after I make coffee each morning. I’m starting to get used to it though. I guess in this case I looked at going without the maker as a challenge. Why not enjoy the piece of culture I have for the time being? Even if it does mean an extra 10 minutes of cleanup in the morning.

A Match Made in Heaven – Avocados and Bananas

July 21, 2009

This post dates back to 2009 when we were still living in southern Brazil. It is where I learned about eating avocado as a sweet fruit and not a savory ingredient. I was taught how to combine avocados and bananas to make fruit salads and shakes. It was long before the avocado-in-everything craze hit the U.S.

I think I’ve mentioned before that around here avocados are eaten as a fruit; sweet, not savory like in many other cultures. You won’t find it on sandwiches, in salads or as a salty condiment such as guacamole. Now I still love to enjoy my avocados the old fashioned way, as I refer to it. However, I’ve been really open to the idea of eating them sweet.

At my husband’s office a popular snack is to take fresh avocado slices, sprinkle sugar on them and eat them as I would apple or peach slices. Other Brazilians have told me they cut it open sprinkle sugar on it, drizzle it with lime juice, and eat it with a spoon. I’ve tried it with just the sugar and you know what? It isn’t half bad.

When I posted about this new-to-me food phenomenon on my ex-pat blog I got a lot of responses about avocados and bananas. Soon after that I went to my favorite little vegetarian buffet down the road and one dish on the salad bar was a bowl of cut up avocados and bananas together.

Banana and Avocado Salad at a Vegetarian Lunch Buffet in Maringa-PR, Brazil

Nani, a Brazilian ex-pat living in Arizona, once commented on my blog that her dad was famous for his Vitamina de Banana e Abacate (banana and avocado vitamin). A smoothie of sorts made with avocado, banana, milk and sugar.

As interested as I was in this drink, it took me a long time to get around to trying it. In fact, I bought an avocado at the market last week and until last night it had been staring at me each time I opened the fridge door. Finally, last night after my run I gave it a try.

Oh my! I have no idea why I waited so long!

I have never had anything so creamy, sweet and slightly buttery. Words simply can’t do it justice. It is the ultimate of healthy, filling drinks. If you don’t like avocado, don’t worry. There is something that happens to the flavor once it is mixed with the banana. Honestly, I’m not sure I would identify it as avocado if I didn’t know it was in there. The best part is that it is full of potassium, monounsaturated fat, vitamin E, protein and calcium!

I froze my slices of banana first because I wanted the drink to be really cold and have a little texture. I also did not add any sugar. The banana was sweet enough. Finally, I used skim milk in my version.

Banana Avocado Vitamin | A shake recipe shared with me when we lived in southern Brazil.

Banana and Avocado Vitamin

One ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
1 ripe banana, sliced (frozen if desired)
Milk<

I used an immersion blender and a glass because that is all I have, but a blender would work well too. Blend the avocado and banana well. Slowly add a little milk at a time until you reach your desired consistency. I added about a cup. Pour it in a glass and your ready to enjoy!

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Or you could get involved in some of this Ice Cream Social action being hosted by Tangeled Noodle, Savor the Thyme and Scotty Snacks!

I turned the banana and avocado vitamin into Avocado Banana ice cream for my entry. I don’t have an ice cream maker on hand right now so I made via freezin’ and stirrin’ in my freezer. The fat in the avocado keeps it nice and creamy and a sprinkle of cinnamon on the top adds even more flavor. This might just be the most nutrient-dense ice cream out there!

Finally Feijoada

July 20, 2009

One of the best things about traveling or taking part in an ex-pat experience is that you get to try the real thing when it comes to the foods of the place you are visiting. This can be as close by as Memphis barbecue or as far away as pasta in Italy. While foods are imitated everywhere and a select few are exactly like the real thing, many aren’t.

I have yet to have a German sausage that was anything like those that I’ve had in Germany and Austria. There is nothing to compare to the freshness of a pint of Guinness in Ireland. No jerk chicken tastes quite like that which can you get made the traditional way in Jamaica.

I’ve mentioned before that since being in Brazil everyone always asks about feijoada, the national dish made of black beans and pork and accompanied by rice. I think this dish serves as a great example of one of those foods made elsewhere, but is never quite captured completely. This is mostly because with foods such as this we tend to take out those parts that don’t fit well with our culture.

I’ve been in Brazil two years and until Saturday I had never had feijoada. There are two reasons for this. One is because I really didn’t have any doubts that I would like it; I mean its rice and beans with meat. It really isn’t incredibly different. The second is because this is how a conversation typically goes regarding feijoada with almost every person we’ve discussed it with in Brazil.

Them: “Have you had feijoada?”
Me: “Not yet.”
Them: “Oh you have to try it. It is soooooo good.”
Me: “I’m sure it is. I’m just not too interested in the random pig parts that show up in there.”
Them: “Oh, I wouldn’t have feijoada out. I only eat the feijoada my (grandmother, mother, etc.) makes.”

Basically people tell us to go eat it, but that they wouldn’t. That really didn’t provide much motivation for me. However, my husband did want to try the real thing and I felt compelled to try it since we are living here and I wanted to be able to say that, yes, I had eaten feijoada.

So we headed out Saturday to a local feijoada buffet. The good thing about these buffets is that they separate out all the parts. Each of these crocks is filled with a different version of feijoada with different meats, including one that was simply black beans.

I ate only the variety that had calabresa (a sausage) and a little bit of carne seca (dried meat). However, if one were so inclined you could have pé (pig’s foot), orelha (pig’s ear), or rabo (tail).

The truth is I may be willing to try a bite of these mystery meats, and I did some digging around with the spoon to see what they looked like. However, as I pulled up the spoon to see a big piece of flabby pig ear, I knew I couldn’t do it. A bite is one thing, but having a huge piece of it staring back at me from my plate is something I just can’t stomach.

Below is a picture of my plate with calabresa and my husband’s with calabresa and carne seca. The best part of the meal for me is usually the addition of farofa (that toasted manioc flour) and the vegetable vinaigrette.

This meal is also served with orange slices to “help with digestion”. I’m not sure how technical this recommendation goes beyond that statement. However, I suspect it has something to do with the fact that vitamin C helps the absorption of non-heme iron like that found in dried beans.
I must cover the desserts as well. You know me.

There was a small buffet of cocada (coconut in sweetened condensed milk) and pudim which is a flan. There were some candied fruits such as abobora (pumpkin) which is one of my favorites. It is candied in a ton of sugar along with some spices, namely clove. Finally at the end of the table was a huge bowl of doce de leite.

As we were eating our dessert, a thought occurred to me. Back home we tend to put those decadent things like caramel or doce de leite in the center of the cake or in the frosting all the while wishing we could dig into a big bowl of just that. Well, here they go straight to the punch and do just that! Doce de leite is eaten as a dessert all on its own.

So finally, I’ve had feijoada, and yes, it was good. However, I still feel that there are so many dishes here in Brazil that are better than feijoada. So if you visit, try it, but don’t stop there. Venture out and try Moqueca and Camarão na Moranga (shrimp and cheese baked in a pumpkin), too.