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!