Merry Christmas!!!

I'm not Catholic and don’t celebrate Christmas, but in Brazil there are an estimated 137 million Catholics(which is the highest number of any country in the world), representing 74% of the Brazilian population, so the pressure is big! At this time of the year everybody is happy, shopping and partying, so it’s normal to feel like doing some (or all) of those things! Also the family is getting bigger and some people are marrying outside of the religion, so this year we end up doing a Christmas tree at my cousin’s house and a small dinner at home. But I was working hard, doing parties for other people, and didn’t have much time left to prepare our own meal, so I end up doing a table full of appetizers. We had mostly cold food and drank Champagne; it was very good and appropriate for a very hot night. In the menu were: Big mixed salad greens with balsamic vinaigrette, Paris mushrooms with lemon and fresh herbs vinaigrette, prosciutto with caramelized fresh figs and a dollop of Mascarpone cheese, blinis with smoked salmon, crème fraiche and caviar, bressaola with lemon sauce and arugula, and so on… We had also great cheeses like Brie, Camembert, Cablanca, Fol-Epi and quality breads to eat them with. I know I'm a chef and I'm supposed to cook, but everybody enjoyed it! So if you are having people over for food and don’t have much time to cook try something like that, it works, I recommend it!

Bûche de Noël

Bûche de Noël or Yule log is a traditional French dessert served during the Christmas holidays. One popular story behind the creation of this dessert is that Napoleon I of France issued a proclamation requiring households in Paris to keep their chimneys closed during the winter, based on the notion that cold air caused medical problems. This prevented Parisians from being able to use their fireplaces, and, thus, prevented them from engaging in many of the traditions surrounding and involving the hearth in French Christmas tradition. French bakers, according to the theory, invented this dessert as a symbolic replacement around which the family could gather for story-telling and other holiday merriment.
The traditional bûche is made from a Génoise or other sponge cake, generally baked in a large, shallow pan, filled with chocolate cream, rolled to form a cylinder, and frosted on the outside. As the name indicates, the cake is presented and garnished so as to look like a log ready for the fire. Last Christmas I made this one in the picture and hopefully I’ll have some time to do it again soon. I had a lot of fun doing the cake and the decoration plus it turned out so good and pretty that I promised to do it again every year, only changing the flavors. The one I did was a basic genoise filled and covered with a chocolate ganache. The most common combination is a basic yellow sponge cake, frosted and filled with chocolate buttercream, which is ideal to produce a bark-like texture. Many variations on the traditional recipe exist, possibly including chocolate cakes, chestnut cream or any flavored frostings and fillings. These cakes are often decorated with powdered sugar to resemble snow, tree branches, chocolate leaves, fresh berries, and mushrooms made of meringue, very cute! For a good result the most important thing is to get the genóise right, so here it goes the recipe for a perfect one!

Genóise:
5 large eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup cake flour, sifted
2 tbsp butter

Preheat the oven to 400F, and line a 10x15 inch jelly-roll pan with parchment paper. Fill a medium saucepan one-third full with water and bring to a simmer. Whisk the eggs and sugar by hand in a bowl of an eletric mixer and place the bowl over the pan of simmering water, whisk constantly until mixture is warm. Transfer to the mixer stand and beat at high speed until the mixture doubled in volume, about 8 minutes. Gently fold in the cake flour. Place the melted butter in a large bowl and stir a scoop of the cake batter into the butter until well combined, then gently fold that mixture into the cake batter. Scrape the batter into the pan and bake it for 7 minutes, until the top is light golden brown. Be carefull to not overbake and end up with a dry cake. Place a wire rack over the cake , invert and cool completely. Make the filling you like and scrape it onto the cake, spreading in an even layer. Roll the cake up tightly and decorate it as you wish.

Banana

I love bananas, they are the most practical fruit that exist: they come with packaging! They are native to the tropical region of Southeast Asia, the Malay Archipelago, and Australia. Banana is mentioned in Buddhists texts from 600 B and probably was spread throughout the African continent by the Arabs. Then the Portuguese started cultivating it in Central America and Brazil. Today, bananas are cultivated throughout the Tropics in 130 countries and are the forth food product most produced in the world. Besides the fruit you can also use the banana flowers and leaves. The banana flower (also known as banana blossom or banana heart) is used in Southeast Asian, Bengali and India cuisine, either served raw with dips or cooked in soups and curries. The leaves are large, flexible, and waterproof; they are used in many ways, including as umbrellas and to wrap food for cooking, carrying and packing cooked foods. The banana plant has long been a source of fiber for high quality textiles. In Japan, the cultivation of banana for clothing and household use dates back to at least the 13th century. Banana fiber is also used in the production of banana paper.
Unripe or green bananas are basically just water and amid and are the staple starch of many tropical populations. As they ripe the amid turns into sugar giving them the sweet flavor, making they delicious and highly energetic. Bananas have 75% of water and are a good source of vitamin A, B6 and C, fibers, potassium and tryptophan. When consumed this substance increases the serotonin levels in the body, as a natural Prozac! It has been said that eating 2 bananas a day during 3 days increases serotonin in the blood in 16%! Isn’t it great? Eat bananas and be happy! Hey, now I get what happened to me when I was a kid… My older cousin Muti created a game I loved so much people though it was very funny. The game was simply to search for bananas in a tent in the dark and he called it “banana tent”. After finding them I could eat or use the bananas to prepare some dessert. Now I know if it was “apple tent” the effect would be totally different! But thinking about it I realized that in fact this story shows I was born to be a cook and him a great designer!(check it out: Muti´s website)

Banana Walnut Tart:
12 ounces pate sucree
2 pounds bananas
12 ounces walnut frangipane
4 ounces walnut pieces, chopped

Roll dough into a 14 inch disk and line a 10-inch tart pan. Chill for several hours. Peel and slice the bananas, arrange then in a layer in botton of the tart shell. Spread frangipane evenly to cover the bananas. Strew with walnut pieces. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until set. Cool and serve.

Pastel

Pastel is a typical Brazilian snack, consisting of a crisp, thin dough envelope with assorted fillings and deep-fried. It’s primarily sold on the streets fairs, but also in bars and some restaurants as hors-d’oeuvre. It’s very cheap, flavorful and sometimes so big that can replace a meal. Some examples of fillings are minced meet, onions and olives (pastel de carne), just mozzarella, or the Brazilian soft cheese called Catupiry, also popular is the pizza flavor with cheese, tomatoes and oregano. It’s not so common, but you can find pastel with sweet fillings as well. I read that it came from Portugal and descends from the sweet pastries they do there, that they call pastelaria. But I also read it’s a variation on the Chinese deep-fried spring rolls. Maybe is a combination of both, who knows? The only thing I’m sure is that the Brazilian pastel is unique and delicious! The dough’s secret is the addition of a little Cachaça (Brazilian alcoholic drink) that makes it very crispy. I never tested the recipe with other alcoholic drink but I guess you could replace it with Vodka. It’s very easy to make pastel at home, so here it goes the recipe for the dough and you can put the filling you want:

Pastel dough:
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoon of canola oil
1 tablespoon of Cachaça
1 tablespoon of white vinegar
About ½ cup warm water

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl, add the oil, the Cachaça and vinegar, then the water, little by little until the dough is homogeneous and smooth, but not wet. Work the dough in a floured surface as you do with fresh pasta. Let it rest a couple of hours or until next day. Roll out the dough so it’s a little thinner than a pie crust. Cut in the size and shape desired, usually its round or square. Put the filling in the center, fold and press the dough together so it won’t open, like when you do raviolis. Deep-fry the pastel in very hot oil, serve hot.

Jabuticaba

The jabuticaba (also called Brazilian Grape Tree, Jaboticaba) is a fruit-bearing tree native to the Minas Gerais region near Rio de Janeiro in southern Brazil. The fruit averages size is one inch in diameter but can run from 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches, grape-like in appearance and texture but with a thicker, purplish black skin. The gelatinous whitish pulp contains usually one seed and has a pleasant sweet flavor. The skin is high in tannin and has a slight resinous flavor. Common in Brazilian markets, jabuticabas are largely eaten fresh and are very popular. Fresh fruit may begin to ferment 3 to 4 days after harvest, so they are often used to make delicious jams, strong wines, and liqueurs. It is very healthy, several potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory anti-cancer compounds have been isolated from the fruit and traditionally, an astringent decoction of the sun-dried skins has been used as a treatment for hemoptysis, asthma, diarrhea, and gargled for chronic inflammation of the tonsils. Besides the consumption of the fruits the beautiful tree, with the fruits growing directly on the main trunks and branches of the plant, is very popular, everybody would like to have one in their garden. Some say it brings good luck, but I only know it brings a lot of birds that love the fruit. Maybe it attracted tortoises in the past since the name is derived from the Tupi(Brazilian Indian´s language)word Jabuti (tortoise) + Caba (place), meaning the place where you find tortoises!

Cheese Bread (Pão de Queijo)

There are many variations on the basic recipe of bread, including pizza, focaccia, baguettes, brioche, challah, lavash, biscuits, pretzels, bagels, and others. Here we have the cheese bread, also called cheese bun and cheese puff, which is a small, cheese-flavored roll, that’s one of the most popular snacks in Brazil. There are pao de queijo stores everywhere, you also can find them in bakeries, snack bars, convenience stores, movie theaters, and frozen in supermarkets. They’re very cheesy and I always thought Americans would also love them. Nowadays you can find cheese breads in US at the Brazilian churrascarias (steakhouses), or frozen in some supermarkets, but they’re so easy to make at home that everybody should try! The only ingredient that can be harder to find is the tapioca flour (polvilho azedo in Portuguese). Another good thing about it is that Brazilian cheese bread is naturally wheat-free and gluten-free, making it great for individuals with wheat intolerance or celiac disease! Here’s the recipe:

1/2 kilo de polvilho azedo (tapioca flour)
3 cups of milk
1 cup of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of salt
4 eggs
500g de Parmesan or other hard cheese, grated

Pre-heat the oven at high heat for 15 minutes. In a bowl mix the flour and salt. In a saucepan bring milk and oil to a boil. Pour the milk into the flour, stirring well until you have homogeneous dough. Let the dough cool. Add the eggs and mix the dough with your hands, until it becomes creamy but dry. Add the cheese and mix well. Place a little oil on the hands and round dough into balls. Arrange on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until done, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Bread

Bread is a staple food of many cultures in the world prepared by baking, steaming, or frying dough that consists of flour, water, salt ( in most cases) and usually a leavening agent such as yeast. Bread is one of the oldest prepared foods, dating back to the Neolithic era. The first breads produced were probably cooked versions of a grain-paste, made from ground cereal grains and water. Descendants of these early breads (called flat breads) are still commonly made from various grains worldwide, including the Mexican tortilla, Indian chapatis, rotis and naans, Scottish oatcake, North American johnnycake and Middle Eastern Pita bread. They’re delicious, especially the Indians ones, like naans. And this recipe from The CIA is great!

Naan Bread - Makes 8 flatbreads
14 oz/397 g all-purpose flour
N oz/9 g instant dry yeast
6 fl oz/180 mL water
2 fl oz/60 mL clarified butter, plus more as needed
2 oz/57 g plain yogurt
1 egg
1 oz/28 g sugar
1-1/2 tsp/7.50 g salt
2 tbsp/12 g poppy seeds or black onion seeds

Combine the flour and yeast. Add the water, butter, yogurt, egg, sugar, and salt and mix on low speed for 4 minutes. The dough should be very elastic but still wet. Bulk ferment the dough until nearly doubled, about 1 hour. Fold gently. Divide the dough into 3-oz/85-g pieces. Preshape the dough into rounds. Let the dough rest, covered, until relaxed, 15 to 20 minutes. (Note: Work sequentially, starting with the first piece of dough you divided and rounded.) Gently stretch each piece of dough into a round, 7 in/18 cm in diameter, so that the center is 1/4 in/6 mm thick and there is a border H in/1 cm wide all around. Pull 1 edge out to elongate each round slightly, creating a teardrop shape. Place the breads on parchment-lined sheet pans, brush them with butter, and sprinkle the seeds on top. Bake the naan in a 425°F/218°C deck oven until golden brown and puffed, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on racks. (Recipe from The Culinary Institute of America)

Black pepper

Americans are eating more spices, often in the forms of blends and rubs, than ever before. "We are living in a new golden age of spice," says Michael Krondl, a chef, food writer, teacher and culinary historian. Within the spices, dried ground black pepper is very popular in US and last year americans consumed more than 110 million pounds of it. Black pepper is one of the most common spices in European cuisine and its descendants, and may be found on nearly every dinner table in some parts of the world, alongside table salt.
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The plant is native to South India and is extensively cultivated there and elsewhere in tropical regions. Vietnam has recently become the world's largest producer and exporter of pepper, other major producers include Indonesia, India and Brazil. Black pepper is produced from the still-green unripe berries of the pepper plant. The berries are cooked briefly in hot water, to clean and prepare them for drying. The berries are dried in the sun or by machine for several days, during which the fruit around the seed shrinks and darkens into a thin, wrinkled black layer, the result of a fungal reaction. White pepper consists of the seed only, with the outer fruit removed. Green pepper, is also made from the unripe berries but treated in a manner that retains the green colour. Pink pepper or red pepper consists of ripe red pepper berries preserved in brine and vinegar or they can be dried using the same colour-preserving techniques used to produce green pepper. Pink pepper from Piper nigrum is distinct from the more-common dried "pink peppercorns", which are the fruits of a plant from a different family, the Peruvian pepper tree, and the Brazilian pepper tree.
Too much of it can be irritant of the intestine wall, but some black pepper is good for you! It stimulates the taste buds in such a way that an alert is sent to to the stomach to increase hydrochloric acid secretion, thereby improving digestion. Hydrochloric acid is necessary for the digestion of proteins and other food components in the stomach. When the body's production of hydrochloric acid is insufficient, food may sit in the stomach for an extended period of time, leading to heartburn or indigestion, or it may pass into the intestines, where it can be used as a food source for unfriendly gut bacteria, whose activities produce gas, irritation, and/or diarrhea or constipation. Black pepper also has diaphoretic (promotes sweating), and diuretic (promotes urination) properties and has demonstrated impressive antioxidant and antibacterial effects. Not only does black pepper help you derive the most benefit from your food, the outer layer of the peppercorn stimulates the breakdown of fat cells, keeping you slim while giving you energy to burn.

Shopping

Everybody knows that women adore to shop... no, it’s not only a matter of taste; in fact it is a necessity, something undisputed and I believe even genetic! It’s no different with me, but the good thing is that I fulfill my needs making the gastronomic purchases for my events. Knowing how to buy is very important, and is where the work of a chef starts, since the final result depends on the used ingredients. But much people don’t give to account of the talent and necessary training for accomplishing this task. In the first days of cooking school in NY we were presented all the ingredients, had to observe their characteristics and make a chart. At that time this activity seemed silly, but in fact they made us begin attempting to the details and stimulated our senses; essential starting points for a good purchase.
Many popular rules exist to choose each product. For example, to know if the pineapple is good we must pull out a leaf, if it feels easy it means that the fruit is mature. It functions generically, but not with perfection, because there are some degrees of maturity, the fruit can be almost right or even starting to go bad. Therefore for me there are three pillars to detect the quality of the ingredients in the food world: smell, aspect and consistency. The taste would be important too, but normally we cannot eat stuff before we buy them. To use this rule you cannot be ashamed, you need to observe, smell and to touch everything! Another tip is to buy the products according to the seasons. And it’s good to know that to buy better you have to practice a lot, which is good to exorcise the avid consumer that exists in you!

Turducken

In US you have Thanksgiving Day coming, here in Brazil we are already heading for Christmas, but the concern is the same: what to cook? One thing I know for sure, I have to have turkey on my menu. I’m not a big fan so it’s hard to think about some recipe that excites me. I have to confess I’m out of ideas! That’s why I’ve been discussing the subject with some trustful taste buds’ people. So far nothing interesting… But at least I provided some fun for them when I talked about the Turducken recipe. Which is a de-boned turkey stuffed with a de-boned duck stuffed with a small de-boned chicken. The name is a portmanteau of those ingredients, turkey, duck, and chicken. I don’t know how well that is known in US but here nobody has a clue, they think it’s some joke and laugh about it. I found out about Turducken in Jeffrey Steingarten’s book. Now I researched the Internet to learn more and I found a lot of recipes and pictures! It seems a lot of people are doing it! Now I can prove it exists! I’m also thinking about putting it on my menu and probably I’ll be the first one to do it here!

Canapés

Inventing canapés is one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen. I feel free to attempt new recipes and I also adore working with miniature forms! Usually I serve about 5 kinds of canapés in a party, I choose 3 of them among the ones that already are a success in my repertoire and I create the other 2. That way I’m always presenting new stuff and incorporating the ones people like the most to my menus. In the old times canapés were very boring and people didn’t care much about them, but today chefs need to be creative and show who they are and how they cook from the canapés to the dessert. To be honest I see my small creations more as amuses-bouche than canapés. Amuses-bouche are served in restaurants before the meals for all the customers and are free of charge. The word is French and means: “to amuse the mouth”. The idea is that it should excite the taste buds and enchant the eyes, preparing the dinners for the wonderful meal that will come to follow. The celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, already affirmed that amuse-bouche is the best way of a chef express its big ideas in small bites. But even if you’re not a chef and don’t have so many big ideas you can express yourself and create your amuses-bouche. You can think about the flavors you like, dishes you ate or recipes you saw and adapt, change the form, minimize and voilá!
The one at the photo was created a year ago and since then it has a captive place in my Asian menu. It is made with raw tuna, cut into strips, with Asian sauce made of: sesame oil, soy sauce, ginger, onion, rice vinegar, black pepper, chopped and mixed in a food processor and decorated with chives and sesame seeds.

Brigadeiro

Brigadeiro is a Brazilian chocolate fudge candy shaped like a truffle and named after Brigadeiro Eduardo Gomes. He was an air force brigadier who also ran unsuccessfully for the presidency in 1946 and 1950. It has been said that he was very handsome and single, therefore he conquest a large number of female fans that helped him organizing his promotional parties. One day, for one of the parties, they created a new pastry and named it after him. Besides this cute story, it is believed that the success of the candy was a combination of opportunities: the shortage of traditional imports because of the war and the need to find replacements, the introduction of the chocolate powder by Nestlé in the country, its ease of manufacture and the fact that people already appreciated condensed milk and everything made of it (Nestlé initiated their production in Brazil in 1921 and the condensed milk was the first product they made, it was and still is their biggest seller).

Brigadeiro is a very sweet candy, as others typical pastries from Brazil and that’s the way a lot of people like them. We here have a strong influence from Portugal, which also has a very sweet pastry tradition, heritage from the Arab culture.

Brigadeiro has to be present in every kid’s birthday party all over Brazil, despite their economic class or background. That’s one thing for sure all Brazilians have in common. Because its very easy to do its one of the first things we learn how to cook. It also can be done almost anywhere, even when you’re camping, as I did once.

Nowadays we have fancy gourmet brigadeiros in Brazil, they are made with high quality cocoa and different flavor combinations. They are sold in really cute stores and come in nice packaging. Check out the first gourmet brigadeiro store in Sao Paulo: http://www.mariabrigadeiro.com.br/index.htm

Here's the basic recipe, but you can try mixing different ingredients and create your own gourmet brigadeiro!

Recipe:

1 can of condensed milk

1 tablespoon of butter

3 tablespoons of chocolate powder

Put all the ingredients in a pan over low heat, stirring constantly to obtain a smooth, sticky texture, about 10 minutes. To know if it’s ready you tilt the pan and the mixture has to run from the bottom. There are two ways to serve brigadeiro. The traditional method is to roll the candy into balls which are then covered in chocolate. The second method is to leave the candy slightly more fluid and to eat it with a spoon. Brigadeiro can also be used as a topping or covering for cakes, ice cream and crepes.

Children's Day

I know I had a good childhood. I do not have a very good memory, but I remember many scenes that were related to food and being happy in all of them... I remember when I was a child my greater gastronomic ally was Dagmar, our fat dog. Thanks to her I could reserve place in my stomach for what I really was interested in. She was there when I needed her the most. At lunchtime she got underneath the table to happily receive the extreme overdone beef I was supposed to eat but hated. And at snack time she was beside me ready to get the unfilled cookies after I ate all the delicious fillings! I was a real sweet tooth! In the money aspect I’ve always been a saver, but sometimes I couldn’t resist and took all my coins to have banana split at Posto 6 (a dinner very close to home). My first incursions in the kitchen just happened because of my necessity to eat something sweet and not having anyone to do them for me! First I did a kind of lollypop with burnt sugar, honey and limejuice. Soon I was increasing my repertoire; doing Brigadeiro (a Brazilian candy), cakes and crepes. By the way here’s the crepe recipe, so easy that even a child can make it!

Ingredients for the crepes batter (yields about 8 crepes):
½ cup of milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup of flour
1 pinch of salt
1 tbsp of melted butter, slightly burnt (beurre noisette)

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and salt. Gradually add in the flour, stirring to combine. Add the butter; beat until smooth. Heat a lightly oiled frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the pan, using approximately 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly. Cook the crepe until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side. Serve hot.

I also remember Macdonald's was coming to Brazil and we found it the best thing in the world. We felt it was a restaurant made for us, kids. They had a promotion where you sang their music and won a Big Mac, so all the time there we went singing (like a mantra): Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun. It seemed we suffered brainwashing! But I also had a very sophisticated side and one of the things I liked the most was to be taken to good restaurants with my parents. I was found of Churrascarias with their pinky juice steaks, and the Japanese restaurants with their exotic strong tasting foods. I loved also Italians where I could eat Carpaccio, salad with blue cheese sauce and pizza. The fanciest was a French one where I liked to eat shrimps, but also tasted my first oyster, frog’s leg, caviar and escargots… and loved it all!!! I guess I was born a gourmet!

Childish Palate

We are not born with a formed palate; babies feel different tastes, but not in a developed way, which happens with time. In the first infancy children, in general, prefer the sweet flavors and don’t accept foods that are bitter or sour. This fact has an evolutionary explanation: the preference for the sweet flavor is a reflection of the necessity for more energy that should be supplied with a bigger caloric intake. The natural aversion for sour and bitter flavors is a form of protection against poisonous plants and foods. This is the same explanation for why kids around 2 years old start being very picky and refusing all the new food that is presented to them. This happens accurately in the phase where the children start to walk and become more independent. Probably that was crucial for the preservation of our species and the evolution strengthened this behavior, after all we are omnivorous and we would not go far if the children were left eating everything they saw. Clearly that there are individual differences of palate associates to sensitivity, genetically determined, and also influenced by family and culture. The formation of the palate comes from learning experiences; it is necessary to stimulate children to try new foods and encourage them to appreciate different tastes. The parents must insist when presenting new foods; there are studies showing that it is necessary to offer children a new food about ten times until they become familiarized and start liking it. Even if the parents’ efforts are in vain they should remain calm, there’s still hope because children tend to open their mind to food around 12 years old. From this time on they start trying new things and amplifying their tastes. In this phase, a new nutritional balance is established, having as base a wider and better variety of foods. When this evolution doesn’t happen the adult keeps its infantile palate and keeps just accepting the primary flavors. You must know somebody like that, who only likes to eat sandwiches, French fries, pasta with tomato sauce, pizza and sweets. Those people hardly will have a healthful diet and will be inclined to have illnesses as alimentary disturbs, obesity, diabetes and cardiac problems. Despites the health issues those people wouldn’t be able to have a plentiful, grown up and happy gastronomic life. It’s never too late to change, only more difficult; but anyone can go thru an alimentary re-education so they can just visit their childhood and not be imprisoned in it.

Lentils

Lentils are grown throughout the world and about half the worldwide production of lentils is from India, but Canada is the largest exporter. The plant originated in the middle east and has been part of the human diet since the neolithic, being one of the first crops domesticated. With 26% protein, lentil is the vegetable with the highest level of protein, and because of this it´s a very important part of the diet in many countries, specially South Asia, wich has a large vegetariam population. Lentils also are low in fat, hight in fiber, vitamin B1 and minerals.
A variety of lentils exist with colors that range from yellow to red-orange to green, brown and black. They are sold in many forms, with or without the pods, whole or split. The best, most delicate lentils are the peppery French green lentils or Puy lentils. These choice of lentils were originally grown in the volcanic soils of Puy in France, but now they're also grown in North America and Italy. They're especially good in salads since they remain firm after cooking and have a rich flavor. The most common variety is the milder brown lentils. These are the standard khaki-colored lentils you see on grocery shelves everywhere. They can easily turn mushy if overcooked and if you want them to be firm add oil to the cooking water and cook them just a short while, about 15 minutes.
Indian markets carry a wide variety of split lentils, called dal. Dal is the Indian term for peas, beans, or lentils that have been split and often skinned, but the name is sometimes used for all lentils, peas, or beans, or to cooked dishes made with them. Split lentils don't hold their shape well, so they're often cooked into soups or purées.
Before cooking, always rinse lentils and pick out stones and other debris. Unlike dried beans and peas, there's no need to soak them. Lentils cook more slowly if they're combined with salt or acidic ingredients, so add these last. Bigger or older lentils take longer to cook. Store dried lentils for up to a year in a cool, dry place.

Dhal of pink lentils: 250g of pink lentil, ½ teaspoon of curcuma, 600ml of water, 3 tablespoon extra virgin oil, 1 onion (minced), 1 chili pepper (minced), 180g tomatoes (chopped), 2 garlic cloves (minced), 1 big piece of ginger (minced), 1 teaspoon cumin, 3 cardamom beans, 4 tablespoon of cilantro (minced).

Cook the lentils with the water and curcuma for about 25 minutes, until soft. In the meanwhile, in a medium saucepan heat 2 tablespoons of oil, add the onion and cook until it begins to brown. Add the chili and tomatoes and cook about 10 minutes. In a small frying pan heat 1 tablespoon of oil, add the ginger, garlic, cumin, and cardamom and cook for 2 minutes. Add the spice and the tomato mixtures to the lentils. Season to taste. Arrange in a serving plate and decorate with the cilantro.

Veggie

I am seated in front of the computer trying to get some inspiration so I can write a new post. It’s hard to concentrate. Behind the computer there’s a window and I can see the terrace. It’s a beautiful day and I observe the birds coming and going, drinking and eating what my mom serve them everyday. “This is a bird’s restaurant” I use to say! I see a kind of small and brown dove we have here in Brazil called “Rolinha”… That’s it! My inspiration has arrived! I think of our cat Vladimir, the dove eater. He never was aggressive, nor felt hungry but when he was 15 years old he became a terrace hunter! In the beginning he brought dead whole birds into the house, released them in the center of our living room and waited for us to see it, posing as the king of virility with a triumphant look in his eyes. Later with our astonishment and disapproval, he went on his adventures when nobody was at home, but now he wasn’t just showing off, he started eating the innards and leaving the rest of the birds all over the place. Later, perhaps for perceiving our disgust, he started eating the whole birds leaving behind only some feathers. We didn’t know what to do. Finally the doves perceived the danger, stopped coming and, for our relief, he came back to be "a civilized" cat.
That story got me thinking about vegetarianism. The nature is cruel, us humans even more, but we are also hypocritical and we close the eyes for what we do not want to see. Many people eat one animal but not another. I know a person who does not eat lamb because it’s a cute baby, but has no problem eating veal! Another friend eats fish since she doesn’t see its head... and so on. I admire a vegetarian friend for being such a good and coherent person, even though I cannot think about becoming a vegetarian myself. But at least I have a couple of vegetarian meals a week as a way to do something good for myself and for the planet. When I plan those meals I get inspiration from the Indian cuisine. They have a lot of vegetarian recipes and they know how to use different spice mixes to make everything taste interesting and look great. When I have those meals I end up eating a bigger variety of foods and as result ingesting more vitamins. I also feel lighter, but still with a lot of energy!

Good books about food

The man who ate everything and It Must've Been Something I Ate, by Jeffrey Steingarten, are very well written and really delicious to read! I also loved: Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl.Not so delicious, but still very interesting is: Carême, Cooking for kings, the life of Antonin Carême, the first celebrity chef by Ian Kelly.
Becoming a Chef, by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, I read for school and found it very entertaining and helpful. Kitchen Confidential, by Anthony Bourdain, it's fun, controversial and was so talked about that deserves to be read!
These are the books about food I´ve already read and approved. No, not only approved, but really enjoyed. I know there are so many more to read… If you have a suggestion, please let me know!

Kantuta fair and the Bolivians in Brazil

This Sunday I went to the Bolivian street fair at the Kantuta Square, in the Pari neighborhood in Sao Paulo. I talked to the Bolivians at their stands, asked about their food and learned that it is very rich due to the cold weather and the basic ingredients are chicken and pork, cheese, corn, grains, potatoes and lots of chilies. I bought a lot of interesting ingredients like red skin potatoes, black corn, delicious chilies and grains, and I also ate their their salteñas, loved it and expressed. They’re pleased and asked me to tell my friends and bring them with me the next time. I tried to talk about it with some friends but they didn’t care, they rather talk about the fancy restaurant they went or the trip they did to New York five years ago. I felt sad. They are missing an interesting experience, good food and the opportunity to get to know a little about another country. Besides I know what is to be an immigrant and how important and good it feels when at least we are seen and people are interested in our culture.
There are almost two hundred thousand Bolivians in São Paulo and between 30 and 50 thousand of them are undocumented. This exodus reflects the sad reality of Bolivia, which has one of the worst social indexes in South America. It is because of such a miserable situation that many Bolivians subject themselves to subhuman working conditions in the city of São Paulo. The sector that uses most illegal workers is the sweatshops, controlled by Koreans. The Bolivians work from 6am to 11pm or from 7am to 12am and make between R$200 and R$400 ($70 to $140 US dollars) per month. But they also have to pay for their poor food (usually potato, rice, salad and sausage) and housing (small rooms 2.00m x 1.50m, which house the worker, their family, their sewing machines, and a space to put the clothes they produce). Barred by immigration laws from taking legal jobs, which provide the rights and protections established by the Brazilian constitution and labor laws, undocumented immigrants have no choice but surrender themselves to exploitation, long working hours and vile wages. Fear of deportation keeps them silent.

Hi foddie bloggers!
I´ve just joined the Foodie BlogRoll! I´ve been checking other blogs out and I´m having a lot of fun! It´s nice to be part of a group that enjoys food as much as I do! I hope I have new people visiting my blog... like you? I know a lot of people speak english and my blog is mostly in Portuguese... but I wrote some posts in English in the past (heirloom tomato, madaleines, tea, vindaloo, ketchup, rice cooking and quinoa) and I promise I´ll do it more often in the future! So if you want to read short stories related to food, learn things about ingredients and get some recipes check out my blog sometimes! See you soon!

Ano novo, blog novo! Abaixo estão os posts antigos e daqui pra frente, ou melhor, pra cima estarão os novos. Se você ainda não leu aproveita, tenho certeza que vai gostar! E aguarde os próximos textos que estão saindo quentinhos do forno! Fiz uma resolução de ano novo e prometi cuidar muito bem do meu blog, recheando-o de informações interessante e coisas saborosas para ler e comer! Enjoy!

Madeleines

Madeleines are butter loaded French sponge cakes shaped like small rounded shells, so cute and delicious!
No one really knows the real story about the origins of the madeleine. Jean Avice, a pastry chef who worked for Prince Talleyrand, is said to have invented the Madeleine in the 19th century. Another theory says during the 18th century in the French town of Commercy, in the region of Lorraine, a young servant girl name Madeleine made them for Stanislas Leszczynska, the deposed king of Poland when he was exiled to Lorraine. Then they became popular in Versailles by his daughter Marie, who was married to Louis XV (1710–1774). Maybe the right story was that in the town of Commercy there was a convent dedicated to St. Mary Magdelen. Since the nuns in 18th century France frequently supported themselves and their schools by making and selling a particular sweet, probably when all the convents and monasteries of France were abolished during the French Revolution, they sold their recipe to the bakers… Who knows? But one thing is right; Proust made these sweets famous around the world by talking so good about them.
I have to confess, my story with Proust didn’t start right. When I was a kid I spent the winter vacations in my uncle’s mountain house where he had a collection of Proust’s images hanging on the hallway wall. At night, with just one light bulb on and outside the house the pictures looked really scaring, dark with some points of light, usually at Proust serious, profound eyes. For me, that old dude looked very mean and whenever I needed to pass there I ran down the hallway as fast as I could. That’s over, I’m a big girl now and don’t get scared so easily anymore! I’ve never read his work but I’m curious about it and I relate to him because of the passion for madeleines we have in common!
Now madeleines are fashionable in US, coming along with the coffee culture, and therefore being sold at Starbucks and other coffee shops. University of Illinois Professor Armine Kotin Mortimer says the madeleine resurgence also coincides with a renewed interest in the reading of Proust's great work that began about a decade ago. "Proust has become a phenomenon, and anyone who reads Proust is going to come to the madeleine very early on," she said. Or the opposite, start eating madeleines and end up reading Proust! One way or the other, they are 2 good things to do!
For madeleines recipes, check this website: Food Network

Heirloom tomato

The tomato is native to the Americas, originally cultivated by the Aztecs and Incas and distributed by the Spanish throughout their colonies and also brought to Europe, where it grew easily in the Mediterranean climates.
Nowadays millions of people around the world eat tomatoes, from the raw form in salads to cooked and turned into sauces in their pizzas! It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t like it. And the best new is: tomato is excellent for our health! It has lycopene, an anti oxidant that gives tomatoes their lovely rich red color and helps remove free radicals from the body. If you don’t remember, free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules and have been implicated in cancer and other serious diseases. So go ahead, have some tomatoes and to get a better effect, eat them with some olive oil, which helps the body absorb the lycopene.
The only downside is that sometimes tomatoes doesn’t taste like they’re suppose to, we get frustrated and end up forgetting about them. The lack of taste happens because producers do cross-pollination with plants that have potential for mass production and end up producing hybrids. The results are fruits that look nice, are uniformly sized, have durable skin and rot resistance. But flavor, however, is pretty low on the list of requirements. To worsen the problem many are picked immature to minimize the chance of bruising, then are treated with ethylene gas to accelerate ripening and when that happens the flavors don’t get fully developed.
I was very disappointed with the tomatoes when I met the heirloom! I remember as if it was yesterday… I was doing my externship in an Italian restaurant and I was used to deal with the average fresh fruit or canned type when one day I saw these weird kinds of tomatoes. The chef came to me and said “see these tomatoes? They’re special, very tasty, they call them heirloom…” They tasted so good, that was love on the first bite! But it took me a little research to know what it was about…
First the word heirloom… simple: “a valuable object that has belonged to a family for several generations”. Ok, and I’ve learned that “an heirloom tomato is a plant that's been handed down from one family member to another for several generations. An heirloom is generally a plant that's survived the test of time and produced an abundance of tomatoes with great flavor. A romantic tale says that emigrants to North America could only bring their most precious belongings when leaving their native towns and villages for the voyage ahead. For many the luggage would contain the seeds of their most-favored plants. From these seeds grew the unusual varieties that are today known as heirlooms”. Or the real delicious deal!

Pequenas Porções

Quem gosta mesmo de comer sabe: quanto mais variedade melhor. Nós gourmets não nos alimentamos, experimentamos. Se eu pudesse não faria refeições e passaria o dia experimentando diferentes alimentos. Tá aí a resposta para as pessoas que me perguntam como trabalho com comida e sou magra; gosto de comer bem, não muito.
As pequenas porções vêem bem a calhar nos dias de hoje; com elas as pessoas que apreciam a gastronomia estão descobrindo o prazer de relaxar à mesa e compartilhar pratos, tornando as refeições menos formais e mais flexíveis quanto ao preço, tempo e quantidade de comida.
Muitas culturas têm a tradição de servir pequenas porções. Da Itália quem não conhece os deliciosos antipasti? No México existem os antojitos, ou pequenos lanches, que as pessoas comem nas ruas e mercados durante todo o dia. Entre eles encontramos, por exemplo, os tacos, tamales e pequenas tostadas. Em alguns países do Mediterrâneo como Grécia, Turquia, Síria, Líbano e Israel, encontramos as mezes, que são uma coleção de pequenos pratos, muito variados e coloridos. Dentre eles, estão as azeitonas, queijo feta, saladas com iogurte, assim como o quibe e a sambusak, parecidas com as indianas samosas e claro, os espetinhos chamados kebabs. No Brasil, não é de hoje que freqüentamos bares e nos deliciamos com comidinhas como pastéis, bolinho de bacalhau, mandioca frita e tantas outras.
Mas o boom das pequenas porções se deve as famosas tapas espanholas, que entraram na moda junto com a alta gastronomia do país. As tapas vieram da região da Andaluzia. Dizem que para impedir que moscas caíssem no vinho o barman colocava um pequeno prato com comida em cima das taças. Assim, da palavra tapar surgiram as tapas!
Hoje vários restaurantes nos EUA e Europa servem tudo o que você possa imaginar em pequenas porções, como num menu degustação. E eu estou contando os dias para essa moda chegar por aqui. Enquanto isso, relembro uma das melhores refeições que fiz na vida, composta por pequenas porções, claro. Foi há quase 2 anos no restaurante L’Atelier do maior chef do mundo, Joel Robuchon, em Paris. Lembro em detalhes de tudo que comi... Lagostins delicados e suculentos envoltos em folhas de manjericão e cobertos com uma massa fininha e crocante, coxinhas de rã levemente empanadas, tão macias que pareciam derreter na boca, com purê de alho e coulis de salsinha, bouillon de azedinha com cubinhos de foie gras caramelizado e pontas de aspargos ao dente e ainda um ravioli de massa levíssima, recheado com lagostim acompanhado de um molho a base de trufas. A sobremesa, simples e deliciosa, era uma taça com creme pâtisserie e fraises de bois (aqueles moranguinhos selvagens). Inesquecível!

Café Carioca

Estive um pouco ausente, fazendo curso de café, trabalhando como barista no interior de Minas e passeando pelo Rio de Janeiro porque ninguém é de ferro! Foi um contraste radical, de repente eu estava na cidade maravilhosa, mas sem a possibilidade de tomar um café maravilhoso como os que andei tomando até então.
Realmente, a única coisa que depõe contra o Rio é o seu café. Não concordo que faltam programas culturais ou bons restaurantes como alguns falam. Até a noite dá pro gasto para quem passou dos trinta, já que SP também não tem tantas opções para nossa faixa etária! Mas o café... Procurei por toda a parte, cafeterias, docerias, bons restaurantes e nada! O café espresso encontrado no Rio ( e ainda em vários lugares aqui em SP, verdade seja dita) tem tudo o que um bom café não pode ter: é longo demais e aguado, meio sem gosto e ao mesmo tempo amargo como a morte. Não tem o creme na superfície ou quando tem ele é esbranquiçado, ralo e logo se desfaz. Um terror!!! Questão de gosto? Não, existe ciência por trás de um bom espresso.
Pra começar a palavra espresso, que vem do italiano, não se refere a rapidez, mas ao fato da bebida ser preparada no momento da solicitação, o que seria equivalente ao “to order” em inglês. Existem alguns parâmetros que devem ser obedecidos para que se produza um espresso de boa qualidade. Primeiro é preciso usar a quantidade correta de café moído que varia de 7,5 a 8 gramas e a água usada deve ser filtrada. A máquina deve ter pressão e temperatura adequadas (9bar e 88 a 92ºC) e o tempo de extração deve ser de aproximadamente 25 segundos. O café moído deve ser compactado com bastante força dentro do porta filtro para apresentar resistência suficiente à água, que só assim pode extrair os óleos essenciais que dão sabor ao café. Claro que o grão usado deve ser de boa qualidade e torrado de forma adequada. Tudo isso para que o espresso seja extraído corretamente e produza um café de sabor agradável, com amargor apenas inicial, acidez equilibrada, corpo e doçura acentuada. Que tenha um sabor residual ou “after taste” bom, persistente e que não deixe a boca seca após seu consumo. Além disso, um bom espresso deve ter um creme espesso, cor de caramelo, uniforme, sem manchas claras demais ou escuras demais, com algumas estrias um pouco mais fortes, lembrando um tigre. E pra quem gosta de espresso com espuminha de leite, ou macchiato, saiba que a correta vaporização do leite deve produzir uma espuma sem bolhas, com textura e aparência de um verdadeiro creme e não de detergente!
Será que alguém ainda vai conseguir ensinar o carioca a tomar e fazer café? Espero que sim, porque o Rio merece bons cafés para acompanhar a paisagem espetacular, as simpáticas livrarias, o vai e vem de pessoas felizes e pouco estressadas! Ai, que saudades do Rio... Agora que já me locupletei de cafés paulistas!!!

História do Café

A planta de café é originária da Etiópia, no centro da África, onde ainda hoje faz parte da vegetação natural. Não existem provas concretas sobre a descoberta do café e sim lendas sobre sua origem. A que eu mais gosto conta que o café foi descoberto por um pastor chamado Kaldi que viveu na Abissínia, hoje Etiópia. O pastor percebeu que suas cabras ficavam mais alegres e cheias de energia sempre que mastigavam certos frutos amarelos avermelhados e comentou o fato com um monge, que decidiu experimentá-los. O monge então percebeu que o consumo de tal alimento o ajudava a resistir ao sono. A descoberta logo se espalhou entre os monastérios, criando demanda pelo café.
O café pode ter sido descoberto na África, mas o hábito de tomar café foi definitivamente desenvolvido na cultura árabe. No início, o café era conhecido apenas por suas propriedades estimulantes e a fruta era consumida fresca, sendo utilizada para alimentar e estimular os rebanhos durante viagens. Em 1000 d.C., os árabes começaram a preparar uma infusão com as cerejas, fervendo-as em água.
O café tornou-se de grande importância para os Árabes, que tinham completo controle sobre o cultivo e preparação da bebida e os guardavam a sete chaves. A difusão da bebida no mundo árabe foi bastante rápida e o café passou a fazer parte do dia-a-dia dos árabes. Em 1475 foi promulgada uma lei que permitia à mulher pedir o divórcio se o marido não fosse capaz de lhe prover uma quantidade diária da bebida. Muito justo!
A partir de 1615 o café começou a ser consumido na Europa, trazido por viajantes. Até o século XVII, somente os árabes produziam café e os alemães, franceses e italianos procuravam desesperadamente uma maneira de desenvolver o plantio em suas colônias. Mas os holandeses foram os que conseguiram as primeiras mudas e as cultivaram nas estufas do jardim botânico de Amsterdã. Assim a bebida passou a ser uma das mais consumidas no velho continente.
A partir destas plantas, os holandeses iniciaram em 1699, plantios experimentais em Java, depois em Sumatra. Com o sucesso dessas experiências o cultivo de café foi levado para outras colônias européias. O crescente mercado consumidor europeu propiciou a expansão do plantio de café em países africanos e a sua chegada ao Novo Mundo.

The Process of Manufacturing Chocolate

I’ve learned that converting cacao seeds into chocolate is a complex and time-consuming process. To begin, chocolate manufacturers keep careful track of each cacao shipment they receive. They sort the seeds according to type and country of origin. Next, the seeds pass through a cleaning machine and are weighed so they can be blended according to special formulas created by each manufacturer. Some candy bars contain up to 12 different types of seeds! Then, large, rotating ovens roast the seeds at temperatures of 250°F or more to release the rich aromas and delicious taste. As the seeds toss about in the oven, they lose much of their moisture, turning into a deep brown color, similar to coffee beans. Once the seeds have cooled, a machine crack opens the thin shells to get at the seeds and giant fans blow away these empty husks.
Next, the broken seed bits, called nibs, pass through a series of sieves, which strain and sort the nibs according to size. The nibs themselves are made up of 53% cocoa butter and 47% pure cocoa solids. To separate these two substances the nibs are milled and liquefied into a thick paste, called chocolate liquor, then some of the chocolate liquor is placed in a huge hydraulic press that squeezes out the cocoa butter. This fatty, yellow substance can be added to dark or milk chocolates, used as the basis for white chocolate, or in cosmetics and medicine. Once cocoa butter is extracted, the remaining solid cocoa is pulverized into cocoa powder—the product used in beverages, cooking, and baking. Manufacturers blend unpressed liquor with condensed milk, sugar, and extra cocoa butter to form chocolate. The extra cocoa butter keeps the chocolate solid at room temperature. The raw mixture of milk, liquor, sugar, and cocoa butter is churned until it becomes a coarse, brown powder called “crumb.” The chocolate crumb mixture goes through a series of steel rollers breaking down the tiny particles of milk, cocoa, and sugar within the crumb. In general, Swiss and German chocolates are refined for a longer period, making them smoother and finer than American or English candy. The refined chocolate paste is poured into a vat in which a large heavy roller kneads, blends, and grinds the mixture. Agitating this paste smoothes out the sugar grains to give the chocolate a silky texture. Aerating the paste allows acids and moisture to evaporate, which creates a mellower, more well-rounded flavor. This process can take up to six days to complete! Finally, the refined chocolate is cooled and warmed repeatedly in a process called “tempering” that gives chocolate its glossy sheen, and ensures that it will melt properly.

Manteiga

Numa discussão sobre qual seria a melhor culinária do mundo, muitas pessoas concluíam que deveria ser a francesa, mas nem todos... “Não concordo, os franceses trapaceiam, colocam quantidades absurdas de manteiga em tudo e assim fica fácil!”. “Mas a manteiga está aí há muito tempo (existem registros que datam de 1750 A.C.) e não tem quem a use melhor do que os comedores de rãs!” “Além disso, eles ainda dão aula de como não engordar para os americanos!”. Realmente, são demais esses franceses!
Sabemos que comidas gordurosas agradam o nosso paladar porque somos geneticamente programados para buscarmos comidas altamente energéticas. Também gostamos das gorduras porque elas têm a capacidade de se impregnar dos sabores de outros ingredientes e torná-los mais perceptíveis as nossas papilas gustativas. Enquanto os americanos se entopem com outros tipos de gordura e gastam milhões em alimentos light, tornando-se cada vez mais diabéticos e obesos, os franceses riem a toa com sua maravilhosa dieta! Sem falar nas 35 horas de trabalho por semana, claro! Um dos livros mais vendidos nos EUA se chama “ Por que as mulheres francesas não engordam?”, que fala simplesmente sobre o bom senso de comer um pouco de tudo o que se gosta, tomar vinho e não se estressar! Além do sabor e da textura vou te explicar porque você deve fazer como os franceses e comer manteiga sem culpa. Ela não é mais calórica que as outras gorduras, é totalmente natural e ainda possui proteínas, cálcio, fósforo e vitaminas A, D e E. A manteiga é digerida com grande facilidade, o tempo de permanência no estômago é o menor entre todas as gorduras. Também é a gordura com a maior velocidade de absorção, tem uma ação suave sobre as vias biliares e é diretamente metabolizada pelo fígado. Mais: Um consumo equilibrado de manteiga não interfere nos níveis de colesterol. Para os que reclamam de intolerância a lactose, boas notícias: Manteiga, queijo e iogurte têm baixo teor dessa substância, porque as bactérias usadas na fermentação utilizam a lactose como combustível. E nem pense em substituí-la por margarina! Aliás, evite alimentos que possuam ácidos graxos tipo trans, como a margarina, pois eles aumentam os riscos de câncer e de doenças coronarianas aumentando o LDL (mau colesterol) e reduzindo o bom HDL, deprimem a resposta imunológica e a reação insulínica. O natural é sempre melhor, como diz essa citação: "As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists." Joan Gussow.
Então viva o bom pão com manteiga! O croissant e as brioches! As crepes, as quiches e tortas! O toque final nos molhos e risotos! A tarte tatin! E claro, o purê de batatas do grande mestre Joel Robuchon!!!

Purê de batatas do Robuchon:
1Kg de batatas com casca
250g de manteiga sem sal, bem gelada, cortada em cubos
200ml de leite integral
Sal marinho a gosto

Lave as batata, coloque-as numa panela com água suficiente para cobri-las, com sal na proporção de 10g por litro. Cozinhe por mais ou menos 30 minutos. Esquente o leite até quase ferver. Descasque e depois esprema as batatas. Coloque no fogo baixo, mexendo bem por cerca de 5 minutos e comece a incorporar os cubos de manteiga, pouco a pouco, mexendo sempre, deixe ¼ da manteiga para o final. Acrescente ¾ do leite quente. Passe tudo numa peneira para outra panela, mexendo energicamente incorpore o resto da manteiga e do leite de uma vez. Prove e salgue a gosto.

Sal

No começo do curso de gastronomia os professores enfatizavam a importância de acrescentarmos a quantidade certa de sal nos pratos. Não é complicado, afinal o sal realça e define os sabores dos alimentos, que sem ele ficam todos muito parecidos e quase sempre com um sabor um pouco adocicado. Comentei que no Brasil damos bastante importância ao sal, tanto é que quando uma pessoa é sem graça dizemos que é sem sal. Todos acharam muito apropriado, mas alguns sentiam muita dificuldade e nem conseguiam entender o conceito de graça. Bom, aí realmente fica difícil! Também os americanos têm medo de usar e ingerir sal, pois são bombardeados pela mídia que insiste em dizer que ele faz mal a saúde, apesar de já existirem pesquisas mostrando que apenas uma pequena parcela da população é sensível ao sal. Tá bom, muito sal retem água, incha e dá celulite, mas é só não exagerar e tomar bastante líquido. O fato é que não podemos viver sem ele, seja por prazer, seja por necessidade. Nosso corpo possuí cerca de 250 gramas de sal, que é essencial para todo o tipo de vida animal, pois regula a troca de água entre as células e seu meio externo, ajudando-as a absorver os nutrientes e eliminar os detritos para a corrente sangüínea. Além disso, o sódio é necessário para a contração muscular, incluindo as batidas do coração, e para a transmissão dos impulsos nervosos.
O sal foi o primeiro tempero da civilização. Os homens primitivos conseguiam o suprimento diário de cloreto de sódio a partir da carne crua dos animais que comiam. As coisas mudaram quando o fogo foi descoberto e os alimentos passaram a ser cozidos, perdendo o sal contido neles, que agora precisava ser buscado em outro lugar. O homem começava aí sua grande corrida pelo sal. No início o sal era extraído das minas a céu aberto e as primeiras minas descobertas fizeram a riqueza de muitos povos antigos. O sal, onde faltava, era comercializado literalmente a peso de ouro. Sua importância era tanta que a principal via de transporte da Roma antiga chamava-se Via Salaria (Estrada do Sal), por onde os soldados transportavam os carregamentos dos cristais preciosos para a cidade e como pagamento recebiam o salarium, que significava "dinheiro para comprar sal".
Hoje em dia, como o sal normal ficou baratinho, arrumamos um jeito de elitizar o básico sal de todo dia e assim surgiu a moda dos caríssimos sais especiais. Porém, parece que depois de alguns testes concluíram que o nosso paladar não consegue distinguir diferentes tipos de sal. Mas será que percebemos os alimentos de formas diferentes dependendo do sal que acrescentamos a eles? Ciência a parte, eu me empolguei na Bretanha e também comprei meu potinho de Fleur de Sel de Guerande, que uso em ocasiões especiais, em doses homeopáticas, acho uma delícia e recomendo!

A ditadura e a culinária

Numa certa época a minha escola procurou incentivar o interesse de seus alunos pela leitura de jornais. Então aos 8 ou 9 anos de idade (isso em 1982, 1983) começamos a vasculhar os periódicos para acharmos notícias interessantes que deveríamos apresentar para a classe caso nosso nome fosse sorteado. Hoje a idéia até parece boa, mas na época o resultado foi meio estranho. O problema é que não conseguíamos entender muita coisa do que estava escrito, talvez pela pouca idade ou por não ter o hábito de discutir o cotidiano. Eu raramente conseguia encontrar alguma coisa que me interessasse e me lembro bem da angústia que sentia ao me deparar com textos incompreensíveis. Por isso às vezes me socorria nas únicas tábuas de salvação que flutuavam no mar de palavras sem sentido: as receitas. Várias crianças faziam isso. A gente se reunia antes da aula e perguntava “o que você trouxe hoje?” “hoje, uma receita de brigadeiro e você?”“ ah, eu achei uma de cocada.” Como se encontrar receitas em jornais fosse a coisa mais normal do mundo! Os professores não falavam nada. Em casa nossos pais também não abriam o bico. Até tínhamos uma certa vergonha de apresentar receitas de bolo como notícia perante à classe toda, mas diante da dificuldade optávamos pelo comodismo de apenas seguir a única regra do jogo: se estava no jornal era notícia, portanto poderia ser usada.

Eu nunca mais pensei sobre isso e tinha esquecido essa história, até quando, já grande, li que na época da ditadura os jornais publicavam receitas no lugar de matérias que tinham sido censuradas. Só então entendi porque existiam tantas receitas espalhadas nos jornais! Me senti tão boba, ingênua, enganada, alienada!

Hoje até brinco que de repente meu amor pela culinária começou alí, mas na verdade sinto tristeza ao lembrar de fatos como esse. Por isso faço votos para que os brasileiros valorizem a liberdade de expressão e queiram que as receitas façam parte apenas dos cadernos de gastronomia dos nossos jornais!

Churrasco

O churrasco é o método de cocção mais antigo que existe. Fácil de imaginar, logo que se descobriu o fogo se fez churrasco! Churrasco para nós, “Braai” na África e “barbecue” tanto no inglês quanto no francês . Enfim ele está em toda parte. Parece que a palavra “barbecue” vem do haitiano “barbacoa”, que quer dizer grelha. Outros dizem que vem do francês “de la barbe a la queue” (da barba ao rabo)! Referente ao método de colocar o animal inteiro no espeto. Ou talvez tenha alguma conexão com a palavra francesa “barbaque”, que vem do Romano “berbec”, que quer dizer carneiro assado.
Fazer churrasco é um evento em algumas partes do mundo. Mas nada como no Brasil, onde o churrasco começa no almoço e avança noite adentro. Fazemos churrasco para nos conhecermos melhor, nos despedirmos ou para nos revermos, enfim, qualquer coisa pode ser um bom motivo para fazer churrasco. Mas muita gente acha complicado e apenas assa espetinhos, o que até quebra o galho, mas não é a mesma coisa. A maravilha do churrasco é que ele produz uma carne saborosa e suculenta. Isso porque ao fazer churrasco assamos a carne expondo-a rápida e diretamente a uma fonte de calor o que faz com que a proteína da carne coagule formando uma camada impermeável que bloqueia a saída dos seus sucos. Alguns pontos importantes para um bom churrasco são: Escolher uma carne de qualidade, carvão de qualidade, ter uma boa churrasqueira, salgar a carne com sal grosso e prestar atenção para não deixar a carne passar do ponto. Para acompanhar, sugiro esta receita do indispensável molho vinagrete:

Molho vinagrete
11/2 de xícara (chá) de azeite de oliva, 1/2 de xícara (chá) de vinagre branco, 1 ramo grande de folhas de salsinha picadas, 1 ramo de coentro picado,1 cebola picada, 2 tomate sem sementes picado em cubinhos, 1 colher (café) de sal, 1 pitada de pimenta-do-reino moída na hora. Misture todos os ingredientes numa tigela e reserve até o momento de servir.

Alho

Acredita-se que o local de origem do alho tenha sido o continente asiático e que ele já era usado como alimento desde o período neolítico. Estudos indicam que a planta surgiu no deserto da Sibéria e teria sido levada por tribos nômades para o Egito, onde há relatos de seu uso por volta de 3000 BC. Considerado um alimento e também uma planta medicinal, o alho se espalhou pela região do mediterrâneo, depois foi para a China e através dos espanhóis, portugueses e franceses conquistou o resto do mundo.
Para diversas culturas o alho era quase tão importante quanto o sal. No antigo Egito, por exemplo, 7kg do alimento eram suficientes para comprar um escravo e, até meados do século XVIII, os siberianos pagavam os seus impostos em alho.
O alho, apesar de ser muito apreciado como alimento e medicamento pelas massas, sofria rejeição por parte das classes mais altas por causa de seu forte odor, tanto que o escritor francês Raspail o apelidou de cânfora dos pobres!
Durante a construção da pirâmide de Queóps os escravos eram alimentados com alho. Acreditava-se que com isso o rendimento físico era sensivelmente aumentado e que assim também era possível conseguir uma boa imunidade contra as epidemias típicas da época. Arqueólogos encontraram nas pirâmides algumas inscrições que, ao que tudo indica, se referem aos poderes do alho. Os babilônios empregavam o alho na alimentação, no tratamento de doenças respiratórias e problemas de pele.
Na Roma e Grécia antigas era aclamado como remédio para tratar mordidas, infecções, curar lepra e asma.
Acreditava-se também que o alho poderia combater o mal e trazer boa sorte. No túmulo de Tutankamon foram encontrados seis dentes de alho e em cemitérios pré-históricos descobriram-se bulbos de alhos moldados em argila, que lá foram colocados para afastar os espíritos malignos.
A partir do século XIX pesquisas científicas começaram a demonstrar os benefícios que o alho traz à nossa saúde, confirmando o que nossos ancestrais acreditavam e praticavam. Porém as propriedades responsáveis pelos efeitos medicinais do alho ainda não são totalmente entendidas. Pesquisadores identificaram centenas de compostos no alho que, surpreendentemente, mudam suas qualidades curativas de acordo com a forma como o alho é preparado.
Quando o alho é cortado ou amassado uma enzima da planta é combinada com um aminoácido, criando um composto chamado alicina, que tem a capacidade de matar 23 tipos de bactérias incluindo a salmonela e os estafilococos. Quando aquecido, surge outro composto capaz de prevenir o entupimento de artérias, reduzir a pressão sanguínea, o nível de colesterol, prevenir ataques cardíacos e derrames.
O alho também pode matar 60 tipos de fungos. E ainda prevenir várias doenças, inclusive o câncer, pois contém vitaminas A, B e C que estimulam o sistema imunológico e altos teores dos elementos zinco e selênio, ambos metais antioxidantes.
Resumindo, o consumo regular de 8 gramas de alho por dia aumenta a longevidade, reduz o risco de infarto, favorece o bom funcionamento do sistema imunológico, reduz a glicose e o colesterol ruim, aumenta o colesterol bom, combate bactérias e vírus, previne a aterosclerose e melhora a qualidade de vida!
Algumas pessoas, porém, podem ser alérgicas ao alho e se consumido em excesso ele pode irritar o sistema digestivo. Mas o maior problema mesmo é o bafo! Parece que mastigar salsinha ou semente de erva doce resolve o problema. Não custa experimentar!
Eu que adoro alho, mas sem exagero, fiquei encantada com uma planta que descobri na Suíça chamada “ail des ours”, ou alho dos ursos, que é um parente europeu selvagem do alho que conhecemos. As pessoas usam sua folhas, que tem sabor de alho bem mais suave e refinado, com uma nota levemente doce e agradavelmente picante. Elas podem ser comidas nas saladas, sanduíches, omeletes ou picadas e usadas como tempero para o que se desejar. E ainda, as lindas flores brancas em forma de estrela podem ser usadas para aromatizar um bom azeite.

Tea

The story of tea began in ancient China over 5,000 years ago. According to legend, emperor Shen Nung required to boil all drinking water as a hygienic precaution. One summer day while visiting a distant region of his realm, he and the court stopped to rest. So the servants began to boil water for the court to drink when dried leaves from the nearby bush fell into the boiling water, and a brown liquid was infused into the water. As a creative scientist, the Emperor was interested in the new liquid, drank some, and found it very refreshing. And so, tea was created.
Today it is known tea is good for our health, and the best is the green tea. There are powerful antioxidants in green tea that have been shown in recent studies to boosts the immune system, fight viruses, slow aging, and have a beneficial effect on health. Clinical tests have shown they destroy free radicals, which are highly reactive molecules that can damage the body at the cellular level leaving the body susceptible to cancer, heart disease, and many other degenerative diseases. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an antioxidant found in green tea, is at least 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times more effective than vitamin E at protecting cells and DNA from damage. This antioxidant also has twice the benefits of resveratrol, found in red wine. Citizens of Uji and Shizuoka, where most green tea in Japan is harvested have among the lowest rates of cancer in the world. They drink more high quality green tea, per capita, than residents of any other region. Green tea also lowers blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol.

Canela

A canela é uma especiaria interessante que possui muitos fãs, apesar de não ser uma unanimidade mundial como a baunilha. Seu nome científico, "cinnamomum", vem da palavra Indonésia "kayu manis", que significa "madeira doce". A canela vem do tronco da árvore de canela, que depois de seco se enrola dando origem ao que conhecemos como canela em pau, que pode então ser moído e transformado em pó. Estamos falando de uma das especiarias mais antigas, originária do Ceilão, da Birmânia e da Índia. A canela foi mencionada na Bíblia e usada no Egito antigo como aromatizante de bebidas e na medicina. Também foi usada pelos gregos, romanos e hebreus para aromatizar o vinho. Costume que herdamos e colocamos em prática quando preparamos a sangria espanhola e o quentão das festas juninas! A canela já foi a especiaria mais procurada na Europa, considerada mais preciosa que ouro e seu comércio muito lucrativo. Hoje, com preço bem razoável, a canela está sendo valorizada pelo que representa para a nossa saúde, como mostram diversas pesquisas realizadas. Para começar, a canela possui substâncias capazes de controlar o açúcar no nosso sangue. Testes feitos nos EUA mostram que a canela tem um componente que estimula os receptores de insulina aumentando significantemente a habilidade das células de usar a glicose. Pessoas com diabetes 2 que consumiram ½ colher de chá de canela tiveram uma redução de 20% do açúcar no sangue. E mais, seus níveis de colesterol e triglicérides também caíram. Se você ainda não esta convencido sobre o benéfico da ingestão de canela, tenho mais algumas coisinhas na manga. A canela também é anticoagulante, antiinflamatória e ainda capaz de melhorar nossas funções cerebrais! Pode ser usada em pratos salgados, doces, com frutas e ainda em bebidas, como o cappuccino. Saúde!

Ketchup

Like in the US and other countries, in Brazil ketchup is also one of the most popular condiments. I find it truly delicious with French fries (even though in France they prefer it with mayonnaise), burgers and to be used to make sauces or salsas. But, lets face it, some people really overuse this thick red sauce and throw it on everything they eat, making all food taste the same. And that’s not very gourmet to say the least! In Sao Paulo we make fun of the cariocas (people from Rio de Janeiro) because they eat their not so good pizza with ketchup. Here I’m sharing some information about this condiment and a great recipe for a salsa made with it to upgrade your burger! Attention: Not your pizza!!! Please!
The source of the word ketchup may be the Malay word kechap, possibly taken into Malay from the Cantonese dialect of Chinese. But kechap was referred to a kind of sauce that contained fish brine, herbs, and spices. The sauce seems to have emigrated from China to Europe where it was made with locally available ingredients such as the juice of mushrooms or walnuts. The first ketchup recipe was printed in 1727 in Elizabeth Smith's The Complete Housewife, and called for anchovies, shallots, vinegar, white wine, cloves, ginger, mace, nutmeg, pepper, and lemon peel. Eighty-five years later American James Mease published the first tomato ketchup recipe. He attempted to give it more cachet by stating that French cooking influenced the variation, although there is no proof of it.
Ketchup was sold nationwide in the US by 1837 thanks to Jonas Yerkes, who sold the product in quart and pint bottles. He used the refuse of tomato canning-skins, cores, green tomatoes, and lots of sugar and vinegar. Other small companies followed him and by 1900 there were 100 manufacturers of ketchup. The big success came in 1872 when HJ Heinz added ketchup to his line of pickled products and introduced it at the Philadelphia fair.

Ketchup Salsa:
3/4 cup ketchup
1 tbsp chilli sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red onion, minced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup horseradish
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce to taste
Method: Mix all ingredients and keep chilled until needed.

Rice cooking

When I first said to one of my best friends that I was changing careers, from marketing to culinary arts, she asked me "but can you cook rice? " and made me describe all the process. The fact is I only cooked white rice as we do in Brazil a couple of times since I went to cooking school in NY. No one seems to care much about the classic white rice except Brazilian’s housewives! If you too love this cereal but would like to be more inventive, or if you just can’t cook it and are afraid to try, don’t worry! There are so many kinds of rice and methods of preparing it, why stick to one? Open your mind to the culinary arts of the world! And I’m not talking only risotto… Did you know that in Korea and parts of Japan, the rice that sticks to the bottom is celebrated? And throughout the region that includes Iran, Iraq, Turkey and their neighbors, stuck-pot rice is encouraged? Yes, the rice is made to brown on the bottom on purpose. To do so, you first cook the rice in an abundance of boiling water, until it is nearly done. Then discard the excess of water and combine the rice in a pot with spices, lentils (whatever you want) so the rice will finish cooking in the absence of much additional moisture, allowing it to brown, making flavors more complex and textures more varied. Easy and delicious!

Quinoa- English

Quinoa, the grain of the Incas, has been cultivated in the Andean highlands of South America for over 7000 years, yet it is a relative newcomer on the international market. Quinoa comes from the Quechua language spoken by the Incas and many indigenous in South America. With the European conquest of the indigenous, the cultivation of quinoa was suppressed possibly because it had a religious significance for the Incas. It was called golden seed and considered sacred. When Nasa introduced quinoa in the astronauts diet the world rediscovered it. Today we know it has a high nutritional value, with all the essential amino acids we need, plus minerals and vitamins. Quinoa is a seed grain known for its delicate nutty flavor and crunchy texture. Quick cooking, it holds well, and blends nicely with a wide variety of ingredients.
I made it for New Year’s dinner with shrimp and it was wonderful! I just cooked the quinoa (1 cup) with the shrimp broth (2 and 1/2 cups), then added some herbs (cilantro and shives) and served with sautéed shrimps, covered with a lemongrass and coconut sauce!