makanandcomida

Last weekend a colleague took us to the Tijuca National Park for a wonderful day in the lush Atlantic rain forest that once covered the whole area Rio is stretching today. The park has several waterfalls, caves, bicycle and hiking trails as well as beautiful picnic areas and two restaurants.

It is home to numerous birds and animals such as monkeys, snakes, iguanas and this quati we came across belonging to the raccoon family:

After a nice walk in the forest we had lunch at Os Equilos restaurant, a hidden gem in the middle of the park, in service since 1945 and with an old colonial charm transporting you back into former times. Food was good but not to rave about, but the beautiful setting made up for it. Definitely a place to come back to as well in winter with the large fireplace calling for a lazy sunday lunch with fondue in front of a crackling fire.

On our way back to Rio we stopped at the famous Vista Chinesa, offering breathtaking views over the Lagoa and Rio:

Friday night we went to a birthday party for two of my husbands colleagues. There I tried this delicious

Avocado pesto recipe from Lukas

• bunch of basil leaves
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 2tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 2tbs roasted pine kernels
• 2tbs grated parmesan
• 1 chili optional
• 1 ripe avocado
• juice of one lime

Mix all ingredients except the avocado in food processor until smooth. Add avocado just before serving and mix. Season with salt, pepper and lime juice. Great as a dip for vegetable sticks, meatballs or as a pasta sauce.

As blue skies changed for some overcast and rains we went down history lane visiting the Museu de República in the Catete Palace located in the palace gardens. The palace was build between 1858 and 1866 and functioned as residence to 18 former presidents of Brazil between 1896 until 1954.

The museum exhibits relicts of every period of brazilian history from the proclamation of the republic in 1889 until the end of military dictatorship in 1985.

In 1954 the president Getulio Vargas committed suicide in his bedroom on the third floor  and the room is preserved they way it was that day with a copy of his suicide note and the blood stained pajama. Vargas had made enemies in the armed forces and political right wing and the press attacked him as a communist for his vision to raise  the minimum wage and increase taxes for the wealthier. When the armed forces demanded his resignation Vargas committed suicide.

When the capital moved to Brasilia the Palace was turned into a museum still showing all its glamour and wonderfully over the top interiors.

Recipe for squid with chorizo and white beans for 2 as a main course or 4 as a starter

• 700g of squid cleaned and cut into rounds
• 100g of chorizo finely diced
• 400g of canned white beans drained
• 1 large white onion finely diced
• 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 1 red chili finely diced
• juice of two limes or lemons
• olive oil, salt and pepper
• coriander for garnish

Marinate the squid in the lime juice, garlic and chili. Heat olive oil and fry the chorizo together with the onion until brown, add the squid with the juices and fry for about 4 minutes. Add the beans and allow to simmer for a couple of minutes. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with fresh coriander. Serve with crusty bread to scoop up the juices.

Yesterday we had a lovely morning at the beach in Barra – 18 kilometers of white sand and the wild and cold Atlantic. My son took a surfing lesson that started at eight in morning, meaning we all had to get up really early to hit the beach on time. But what a reward:

And while Philip was trying to catch the waves, I had a great time over coffee at the beach with a newly met Dutch women – definitely worth repeating.

At night we went out to one of my favorite spots in Rio

Bar Astor at the beachfront in Ipanema. As Rio momentarily is in absolute high season and flooded with tourists from every corner of the world, the place was crowded and we needed to wait a while to get a place. As the place has the best Maracuja caipirinhas in town (my opinion) as well as the best chopp  – draft beer (in my husbands opinion) no problem waiting at the bar:

Afterwards we had delicious oysters, carpaccio and moules and frittes. As always we said we should do this kind of weekday nights out much more often! I could not agree more!

Recipe for cold cucumber soup for 4 – a great summer lunch or starter for a heavy main course

• 1 large or 2-3 smaller cucumbers sliced
• 1 large onion chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic chopped
• 3-4 spring onions chopped
• 200ml of vegetable stock
• buch of dill
• 500ml of yogurt – preferably greek yogurt as thicker
• juice of 1 lemon or 1-2 limes
• salt and pepper

We all bought bicycles over the weekend and are now exploring Rio by bike:

What a great way and I’m positively impressed about the number of bike paths Rio has once you start looking into it. Our first trip took us to Aterro do Flamengo – a large park stretching from our neighborhood to the center of Rio all along the coastline.

Here I came across this outdoor gym, very much looking like made for the Flintstones with weights from concrete buckets or bricks. But what a stunning view:

Tightrope walking seems to be another favorite diversion – not sure I could do that

Sunday lunch we indulged in some Chinese food in memory of our time in Malaysia and to celebrate the Chinese New Year starting the year of the dragon.

Recipe for Chinese green beans with minced meat for 4 as starter

• 300g of minced beef or pork
• 600g of green beans cut into 3cm pieces
• 3cm piece of ginger finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
• 1 red chili finely chopped
• 3tbs of light soy sauce
• 1tbs sesame seed oil
• fish sauce (optional)
• salt and pepper
• 3tbs of dark soy sauce

Marinate the minced meat in the soy sauces. Boil the beans for about 5-10minutes until done. In a pan heat the sesame seed oil and fry the ginger, garlic and chili. Add the marinated minced meat including the soy sauces and fry until the mince is done and browned. Season the mince with salt and pepper. Add the drained beans and stir well. Season again and add more soy sauce if needed and a splash of fish sauce if preferred. Serve as starter or part of chinese buffet.

After our first saturday market experience in Laranjeiras just before x-mas was a rather wet one due to heavy rains from the outside and a number of beers and caipis from the inside to stand the meteorological conditions we gave it another try today. Approaching the market square we could already hear the samba sounds and see the people dancing on the streets – it was warming up session for the local band Bloco Gigantes da Lira.

The warming up means the band plays their song at the fair to instruct and warm up the listeners so that they are prepared once the street carnival tours begin. This specific Bloco was for children with lots of little once dressed up in all sorts of costumes and already the 2 year olds moving beautifully to the ritmo of samba.

And even dogs and owners went in costumes – be it of their favorite football club!

As temperatures are reaching upper 30C levels we needed to cool down with coconut water and the markets famous caipirinhas

Recipe for Aji de Galinha for 6-8

• 1kg of chicken breast
• 2l of chicken stock
• 2 slices of toast bread
• 200ml of milk
• 2 white onions finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic pressed
• 2-3 yellow aji peppers – you can find jarred aji amarillo paste, which works well too. If you can’t find aji amarillo peppers, then substitute with 2-3 other hot chiles and add curcuma for the bright yellow color
• 200g of grated parmesan
• handful black olives
• handful of walnuts or almonds
• 3-4 eggs hardboiled
• olive oil, salt and pepper

Boil the chicken breasts in chicken stock. Remove the chicken, allow to cool and shred the chicken finely. Retain chicken stock. Soak the bread in the milk. In a pan heat oil and fry the onion, garlic and chiles. Add soaked bread with the milk and allow the liquid to evaporate. Add slowly around 400ml of chicken stock and stir until reaching a creamy consistency. Season with salt and pepper and add curcuma for color. Add the shredded chicken and the grated cheese. Place mixture in an ovenproof dish and bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the oven. Garnish with egg quarters, olives and nuts. Serve with rice.

Yesterday I came across this wonderful street cart, moving through the streets of Copacabana, selling wonderfully ripe pink guavas – what a sight and smell! Wheelbarrow use the carioca way.

As today is a holiday in Rio, we started into the long weekend with a blues and booze night at Lapa Café in Lapa. And booze it was – not only some delicious caipirinhas but as well the one and only beer brewed in Lapa – the Cerveja da Lapa:

The pilsener beer is brewed following the german tradition of purity that beer should only contain four natural ingredients: water, hops, malt and yeast the owner explained to us. Music by Brazilian blues band Blues Etílicos was great so definitely a place to go back to.

Asparagus frittata for 4

• 300g of fresh green asparagus cut in half
• 1 leek sliced
• 1 large onion finely sliced
• 10 eggs
• 50ml of milk
• 100g of grated parmesan
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

In a pan, heat some olive oil and fry the onions and leeks for some minutes. Add the asparagus and fry for 5minutes. Mix the eggs with the milk and half of the parmesan, season with salt and pepper and pour into the pan. Allow to set for some 4-5minutes until firm in the bottom but still slightly liquid on the top. Top with the remaining parmesan and pop under the grill for another 4-5minutes until set and golden brown on top. Serve with salad as a light lunch.

Today we went visiting Parque Lage, a beautiful little park next to the Botanical Gardens on the foot of Corcovado mountain, with little lakes and a pretty mansion build by the former brazilian owner as a sign of  his love to an italian opera singer. It was finished in 1922 and today houses the The National Institute of Fine Arts, hosting art exhibitions, performances as well as offering art classes for anybody from beginners to pros.

Unfortunately Christo remained in the clouds today:

Taking in the scenery and stunning setting of the parque and mansion we had built up some hunger and took a break at the little delightful Cafe du Lage, enjoying fresh pasta and sandwiches. I have heard that the Cafe is extremely popular on weekends as they serve a delicious brunch and one feels as if miles away from the huzzle and buzzle of the city.

View from our table to the patio of the mansion:

The back of Parque Lage is as well the starting point for hiking up to Corcovado which is around a two hour hike through the rain forest – no we did not do that today – 35C definitely is much to hot. This one remains on the list for cooler seasons!

Recipe for oven roasted veggies with halloumi skewers for 4

• 200-300 g of any of the following veggies diced into 2x2cm chunks in any combination you prefer or available: beetroots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin or butternut, zucchinis, eggplants, peppers, leeks, carrots, parsnips or others, about 2kg in total
• 5-6 cloves of garlic in slices
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1-2 red chillies optional
• 3tbs olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 2tbs balsamic vinegar.
• 400-600g of halloumi cheese

Preheat the oven to 200g and place the vegetables on an roasting tray. Mix the olive oil with garlic, rosemary, chillies, salt and pepper, pour over vegetables and mix it together with your hands so that all vegetable chunks are covered with some of the oil. Roast for about 40min or until tender but not too soft. Cut the hallouni cheese into 2cm thick  slices and place them on skewers. Either grill or fry in a hot pan until golden.

Once removed from the oven drizzle the vegetables with balsamic vinegar and serve topped with the halloumi skewers. Healthy and delicious.

Any veggie leftovers can be mixed either with couscous or boiled pasta as a light lunch salad the next day.

As much as I did like to have long breaks as a school and university student – yes I still do remember these days – it feels difficult for my nearly teenage kids to fill their 8 weeks of summer vacation. So it is up to me to organize, propose and encourage anything that doesn”t have to do with a monitor, screen or display! Luckily they both love grocery shopping, cooking and eating out which they definitely have inherited from me. So off we went but not before going for the much needed hair cut with the great side effect of a hair and nail do for myself:

As brazilians are extremely beauty conscious, indulging into everything from slimming to waxing packages, Botox to beauty operations and anything in between you could imagine, hair saloons offer the instant wash, cut, Mani and Pedi at the same time. Definitely something to copy for hard working, time  constraint working mums back in Europe.

After the saloon we opted for some Texmex food in the Cobal of Botafogo – great value for money and serving the kids favorite tacos, nachos, tortillas and most importantly well made guacamole:

As the avocados here in Brazil are nearly as large as Melons back in Europe and extremely cheap in comparison to Malaysia, guacamole is a frequent stable at home as well. Here my

Recipe for Guacamole

• 1 large or 2 small ripe avocados
• 1 large tomato finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic finely chopped
• 2 shallots finely diced
• 1 red chili finely diced
• juice of 2 limes
• 1tbs sour cream
• bunch of fresh coriander
• salt and pepper

You can blend all the ingredients in a food processor but you will get an even better result pounding them together in a mortar and pestle which I also use for serving. Enjoy with raw vegetable sticks for the healthy version or with tortilla crisps for indulgence. Great as well as part of a starter set with Ceviche (see blog from november 21st) and/or octopus salad (from november 26th).

Back to routine – monday is as you know market day in our neighborhood and this time my son came along to taste and try some of the more unusual fruits found in Brazil:

The fruit of the cashew tree also called the cashew nut apple with the cashew nut attached. Here the use he fruit  to make a nutty flavored fresh juice.

These are Jabuticabas, also called brazilian grape. Due to their very short shelf-life they are not exported from Brazil which is a shame as they are extremely yummy.

Rose apples a familiar sight from South East Asia with a delicate flavor and smell of roses.

and one of my favorites – apart from figs – the pink guava, a fruit largely found in Africa as well:

Recipe for beetroot tart with blue cheese yogurt for 4:

• 1 sheet of shortcrust or puff pastry enough to roll out on an oven tray
• 2-3 large beetroots (you can use the precooked peeled once or you wrap the fresh once in foil and roast them in 200C oven for about 40min until soft and then peel them)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 100g of walnuts
• 1 red chilly optional diced
• 300g fresh yogurt, preferably greek yogurt due to its richness
• 100g of strong blue cheese (roquefort, gorgonzola or stilton)
• 1-2 tbs capers
• olive oil, salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 200C. Slice the beetroots into thin slices. Roll out the pastry on an greased tray, layer the beetroot slices and fill the gaps with walnuts, garlic slices and chili. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper and drizzle some olive oil on top. Bake in oven for about 15-20min until dough is ready.

Crumble the blue cheese and mix with the yogurt. Season with salt and pepper and add the capers. Serve on top of the tart.

Yes I did miss writing this blog, but in the last four weeks in Germany and Switzerland internet connectivity was rather weak or non existent and I had to do loads of eating and drinking with friends and family!

Back in Rio since yesterday I do enjoy the hot weather, the beach, outdoor eating and fresh fruits.

But the trip to Germany and Switzerland was full of culinary and other delights which I want to share with you:

Deer medallions with bacon wrapped beans and fresh Spätzle. Thanks Sassi as well for the Spätzle maker!

Brezels everywhere!

A typical portuguese meal of fish and sea food Cataplana at Lisboa Bar in Munich

Raclette, Stroganoff and Rösti with Dorothea and Wolfgang in snowy Switzerland – thanks a million for the great new years eve party!

Cheese fondue with our friends Hajo and Katja at Nola’s am Weinberg a great swiss restaurant in Berlin.

A night of japanese food and my first encounter with poker with our friends Bea, Martin, Uli and Bettina in Berlin – to be repeated and won next time

Grünkohl (green cabbage) and Pinkel (a typical german sausage) a very typical northern german dish at our friends Carolin and Rainer in Leipzig.

and and and all the other excellent meals we shared with family and friends. Thanks again!