makanandcomida

I’m far from being a vegetarian or god help a vegan, as I do love my meats, fish and seafood too much, but asian food especially indian cooking always amazes me with the variety of tastes and textures of preparing vegetables. So far I had never set a foot into a vegan restaurant but must say my experience today has changed my view. It is very nice to find a vegetarian/vegan restaurant here in meat heavy Rio, serving a vast and delicious variety of vegetable dishes from all around the world.

Refeitorio Organico is located in Rua Dezenove de Fevereiro 120 in Botafogo, only open for lunch, serving a great buffet meal with changing dishes every day for only 20 Reais.

The place is peaceful with an asian touch and decor and a nice time out from the huzzle and buzzle around in the streets of Botafogo. The crowd is an international mixture coming from all over Rio to sample the dishes.

On our last trip out of town I came across these red banana plant – too beautiful not to share:

Recipe for pumpkin-carrot soup with an asian twist for 4

• 700g pumpkin peeled and diced
• 300g carrots peeled and diced
• 1 onion diced
• 5cm piece of ginger peeled and diced
• 1 clove of garlic diced
• 2 red chilies chopped
• 1,5 litres vegetable stock
• 300ml coconut milk
• salt and pepper
• lime juice
• fresh coriander

Fry the onion, garlic, ginger and chili in some oil. Add the stock and bring to the boil, adding the pumpkin and carrots. Simmer for about 20 minutes until soft. Blend, add the coconut milk and season with lime juice, salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh coriander for serving.

For a non-vegetarian version add boiled prawns.

Last night we finally made it to THE nightlife institution of Rio – Rio Scenarium in Lapa – a bar cum antiques and junk shop in a gorgeous  old shop house spreading over three floors with a capacity of hosting about 3000 nightowls in search of life samba and other dancing music:

The whole place is decorated with antiques and nicknacks. that can be purchased during the day and serve as abundant decoration at night. There seems to be an endless stock to replenish the decorations bought.

We arrived early which allowed us to take in all the details and wonderfully kitschy decorations and secured our party a table. A couple of hours into the evening the band started playing samba and the place was packed with such a diverse crowd of people from anywhere and everywhere and in all ages, sizes and shapes:

We had a great night with friends – definitely a place to come back to!

Today’s Sunday lunch turned out to be a relaxed all afternoon spreading affair spent with friends over a salad, steaks and a cold chardonnay – one of my favorite ways to end the weekend – here comes the recipe for

Pasta salad going green for 6 as part of a lunch to serve with grilled beef or fish

• 500g of short shaped pasta boiled and drained
• bunch of spring onions finely chopped
• 2 cucumbers finely chopped
• 300g of frozen peas defrosted
• 300g of broad beans
• bunch of green asparagus blanched and sliced
• fresh herbs such as parsley, dill, basil, coriander
• olive oil
• lime juice
• slat and pepper

Mix all the ingredients together and dress with the lime juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm or cold as part of a lunch meal or buffet. Easy to prepare ahead and you might want to replace any veggie you do not fancy with any other green one you do!

Yesterday friends took us to discover an area of Rio that we so far had not yet been to – Rua Pacheco Leão in Jardim Botanico. A street facing the botanical gardens lined with old colonial double story houses slowly being transformed into galleries, restaurants and bars.

A landmark is the Par Paxeco, a wonderful open air bar with views over Corcovado – what a place for nightcap.

For dinner we went to Jojö  a tiny place serving fusion fare at about 10 tables on the sidewalk:

but the best is that each Thursday they serve fresh succulent oysters with a free glass of bubbly for the ladies as it was women’s day – what a treat:

Recipe for tuna steaks with tomato salsa for 2:

• 2 fresh thick tuna steaks about 250g each
• 2 spring onions
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 tomatoes
• fresh coriander
• 1 red chili deseeded
• olive oil
• lime juice
• salt and pepper
• green beans and boiled potatoes for serving

Blizz the spring onions, garlic, chili and coriander in a food processor. Add the tomatoes and just blizz for a couple of seconds not to cut them to finely. Season with salt, pepper a dash of olive oil and lime juice.

In a hot pan fry the tuna steaks in olive oil until nicely browned on both sides but still slightly red in the middle. Serve with boiled potatoes, green beans and topped with the tomato salsa.

On Sunday we went for a day trip to Petropolis, an hour and a half away from Rio in the mountains. The city was developed as a summer mountain retreat for Emperor Dom Pedro II and his family in the mid of the 19th century to allow for the stay in the cooler and mosquito-less climate. The old part of the city features the palace, noble houses and a small cathedral.

A great way to explore the cobblestoned old city centre is by horse-drawn carriages.

The one hour round trip takes you to see the cathedral, the summer palace, the crystal palace, build for Princes Isabel in France and brought to Brazil in 1884

and the House of Santos Dumont, the brazilian writer, inventor, architect and aviation pioneer.

A tour around the Imperial Museum hosted inside the summer palace rounded up the cultural part of the visit. The museum exhibits royal furniture, part of the crown jewels, old horse-drawn carriages and this wonderfully over the top golden crib for the royal heir:

Back in Rio and after a stroll at Ipanema beach with a friend we tried out a new mexican restaurant/bar Azteka on Rua Visconde de Pirajá 156. It serves burritos and tacos filled with a wide variety of ingredients. Food was very good as well as the very friendly service. A good spot for a lunch or take away to the beach.

Recipe for Cesar Salad for 2 as side dish for a steak or grilled fish

• 1 Roma lettuce, washed and cut
• 50g of parmesan cheese grated
• 3 anchovy fillets finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic pressed
• 1 egg boiled for 3 minutes, using only the egg yolk
• 3tbs olive oil
• juice of two limes or 1 lemon

First Saturday of the month and finally we made it to the antique market in Lapa – a rediscovered old neighborhood in central Rio that is changing rapidly with a great number of old abandoned houses being bought up and turned into restaurants, shops or lofts. It is good to see this area coming back into life and old building such as these saved:

The market is a great place to browse for nicknack, clothes and antiques ranging from over the top big mansion century old furniture to sleek danish designs from the last decades.

I call myself now the proud owner of this wonderfully kitschy Rio altar made out of a recycled can – i love it!

Recipe for Peruvian conchitas a la parmesana (parmesan baked scallops) for 2 as a starter 

• 10 scallops in half shell (or more as this is heavenly delicious)
• 100g of grated parmesan
• 20g of butter
• fresh pepper
• limes or lemons

Preheat oven to 200C. Place the scallops on a baking tray and season with ground pepper. Sprinkle the grated parmesan over the top and add a small sliver of butter to each scallop. Bake or grill for 5 to 8 minutes at a high temperature until the cheese melts and turns golden.

Serve with a wedge of lemon or lime and some fresh crusty bread to scoop up the juices. Goes well with a Pisco Sour (see recipe on 2nd dec) or a nice cold glass of chardonnay. One of my all time favorite starters.

This Thursday, 1st of March Rio is turning 447 years of age but still a beauty – happy birthday!

I visited Sao Paulo for a couple of days for the first time in 20 years and am very impressed by the sheer size and economic development the economic capital of Brazil has had. But the shining skyline of skyscrapers in all styles as well as the ever growing number of large high-end shopping malls makes Sao Paulo look very similar to any large metropolis in Asia – modern cities today have so little what tells them apart and once you are in one of the office towers, shopping malls or hotel chains it is absolutely interchangeable.

But one thing clearly sets Sao Paulo apart – the culinary, the gastro scene – it is so much more international and sophisticated than in Rio de Janeiro, with trendy restaurants serving all kinds of fare from any corner in the world dotting the streets – oh I wish to have more time to try lots of them out.

We went to a lovely portuguese restaurant for a light lunch – Espirito Santo, meaning Holy Spirit in the neighborhood of Itaim Bibi.

We had delicious pasteis de bacalhau – stockfish cakes and a fresh and succulent seafood salad.

Nothing better than finishing this light lunch with a Bica (portuguese word for an expresso and a pastel de Belem or de Nata (a portuguese delicacy pudin egg tart served warm sprinkled with cinnamon). It originates from Lisbon and the best once are found in the Pastelaria do Belem in Belem in Lisbon – thus the name. a must go if in Lisbon!

Carnival came to an end yesterday with the last 37! parades playing and dancing in the streets of Rio. Altogether Rio had 425 street blocos – single band parades performing in the different neighborhoods in the last 4 weeks. It was great fun but exhausting and it seems everybody is needing a 11-month rest to start all over again afresh. A couple of people mentioned that the year only is starting today, Monday after the last parades.

The winner of the overall Sambadromo where the 13 best samba schools in Rio presented their people, costumes and carnivals fleets last weekend over two nights, was announced last week and is Unidos da Tijuca the third oldest Rio samba school established in 1931. It is the school which traditionally pays most homage to Brazil’s background as a Portuguese colony and has been extremely strong in recent years and viewed as one of the most creative and daring schools.

This year’s runners-up were Salgueiro in second place, Vila Isabel in third, Beija-Flor, last year’s winner in fourth, Grande Rio in fifth and Portela on sixth place. The top six schools performed again at the Sambódromo last Saturday at the Parade of Champions.

Recipe for monkfish on warm white bean salad for two

• 500g of canned, drained white beans
• 2 tomatoes, skin removed and deseeded cut into fine cubes
• 1 onion diced
• 2 cloves of garlic pressed
• 1 red chili finely diced
• 100g of bacon in cubes or diced chorizo
• fresh thyme and parsley
• dash of balsamic vinegar
• 400 g of monkfish fillets or other firm white fish
• 100ml of white wine
• butter
• olive oil

Yes we do miss asian food and the amount and frequency of beans and rice one can take is limited. So I took the kids for another try of a chinese restaurant in Copacabana that got recommended to us as being truly chinese – Chon Kou at Avenida Atlantica 3880. The location is great as you can overlook Copacabana beach while you feast:

I think we were about the only long-noses between all chinese customers in the whole restaurant which we took as a good sign for the quality of real chinese food. We started with fried won-tons and pickled cucumbers which were both delicious, followed by fried rice, mixed noodles and chicken with mushrooms and bamboo.

Even though we missed our all-time favorite steamed dim sums we had a great lunch – definitely a place to go back to.

Recipe for beetroot chorizo pasta for 2

• 200g of pasta
• 1 large or 2 smaller beetroots, skinned and diced into small cubes
• 100g of chorizo, preferably spicy
• 1 red chili finely diced
• 1 onion diced
• 2 cloves of garlic pressed
• 100g of rocket leaves
• white wine
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• balsamic vinegar
• grated parmesan

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions, chili, garlic for a couple of minutes. Add the chorizo and beetroot and fry on low heat for about 10-15 minutes until beetroot slightly soft. Add the rocket and a dash of white wine. When the rocket is wilted season with balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. Add the boiled and drained pasta and divide on 2 plates. Drizzle with olive oil and top with grated parmesan. Easy weekday pasta!

Just got back from my first live attendance at the absolutely breathtaking carnival parade at the Sambadromo, where the 13 best samba schools in Rio present their people, costums and carnivals fleets under a motto. Even though the mottos are known in advance, the set up of the wagons and the costumes are a well kept secret just being revealed once the show starts.

I’m sure you all have seen transmissions of the samba parade in TV and at least I assumed that the vast majority of the people taking part in the show would look like this drop dead gorgeous looking women:

but no there are loads of men, mostly half naked as well:

as well as anybody it seems between the age of 6 and 99 that manages the length of the Sambadromo, is willing and able to pay for one of the 100s of different costumes and has the patience to wait until it is his or her turn which can last up to 9 hours.

The fleet decorations were absolutely amazing too and so full of detail and phantasy:

And for the clean up session between the different school even the garbage workers were doing the Samba!

I left after my favorite for this years competition and last year winner Beija-Flor finished performing at 6 am. There was still one more school to come but the fireworks started to welcome sunrise – truly a night to remember!

At a Thursday night reception I came across this fabulous caipirinha menu

combining mango, ginger, lemon grass, sugar and cachaca for a spicy version as well as strawberry, passionfruit and rose pepper for a pinkish one. Definitely both worth trying and I will try repeating them on a next occasion. The way the caipirinha bar was mounted as well was stunning:

On our first cooking get together yesterday we cooked up a storm of traditional english pub fare:

as well as learning Lynda’s as she calls it get out of jail chocolate dessert.

Recipe for Lynda’s chocolate dessert for 4-6

• 250-300ml of cream
• 4-6 cinnamon sticks
• 200g of dark chocolate (around 80%)

Heat the cream with the cinnamon sticks to low simmer, remove from heat and allow to stand for about 1 hour for cinnamon aroma to infuse the cream. Strain to remove sticks and bring back to heat. Add the chocolate pieces to the cream and allow to fully melt and combine. Pour the mixture into small serving bowls or glasses and cool in fridge for at least 2 hours. Serve garnished with a cinnamon stick or some orange peel.