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By Ernest Barteldes

Anyone who knows me is aware that I hear music all the time, and that happens even when I am not actually listening to anything – music naturally plays in my head during the entire day. I am often reminded of a song when I’m teaching English – and sometimes belt out part of a lyric connected to whatever I’m teaching at the time, and music is also part of my lessons.
The other day, I was walking to the Staten Island Ferry and had a song in my head. I was completely distracted while humming the melody of Caetano Veloso’s “Sampa,” a song he wrote in the late 70s in honor of the city of Sao Paulo (it has since become a standard, and it is among the tunes we play in my Brazilian band).

I was completely distracted and didn’t notice a metallic sign right in front of me and hit my forehead hard on one of its corners. I didn’t even notice that I had a cut and kept walking until a girl at the Subway restaurant inside the terminal pointed out that I’d been bleeding. She gracefully offered me a few napkins and then I walked into the ferry’s bathroom to wash the wound and stanch the bleeding.

With so much music in my life, it is little wonder that I always have music blasting when I am cooking dinner or other meals. If you ask me what kind of songs I hear, I should say it varies a lot on the mood of the day. I went through a phase of listening to international broadcast stations via the Tune In Radio app, a very interesting application for phone and tablet that reaches radio stations all over the world – I have various stations in France, Poland, Brazil and other countries, and am often checking out what they are playing there.

I did listen to Pandora for a while, but I got tired of their limited selection of songs per genre. Also, I like the element of surprise that comes when you listen to a completely unfamiliar tune. Lately, however, I have just docked my iPhone to my system letting the songs play on shuffle – which is to me one of the best ways to experience the music I have in my pocket.
I am always updating the content on my phone, so I never have the same songs there – but there are the favorites that are always playing – for instance, I have a large selection of Brazilian songs, going from old Joao Gilberto recordings, Marisa Monte, Maria Rita, Veloso, Chico Buarque and others. Also always there are Queen, The Beatles (also lots of their solo stuff) and jazz artists like Dave Brubeck, Donald Harrison, Stan Getz, Eliane Elias and Miles Davis.

I have my favorite Sinatra albums (the ones he did with Jobim), soul and world music from Iran, Africa and South America.
The music rarely had any relation with what I’m cooking. For instance, the other day I was making enchiladas but the music was Miles Davis’s A Kind of Blue and some Italian folk music. Renata sometimes asks me to switch an album she’s getting tired of hearing – the other day I had Sgt, Pepper’s on and she asked me to play something else – she is not exactly a Beatle fan.

Chickpea & Okra Stir-Fry

Source: Linda McCartney -On Tour

(serves 4)

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion chopped finely
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1 green chili pepper, seeded and chopped finely
1/2 inch fresh ginger grated
1 lb. okra
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro
1 16 oz canned chickpeas
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
In large frying pan heat oil with the butter. Sauté the onion and garlic 4-5 minutes until the onion has softened. Add the tomatoes, chili pepper, and ginger and stir well, then add the okra, cumin, and cilantro. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, and then stir in the chickpeas and s/p to taste. Cook gently for a few minutes longer heat through. Serve with rice

(Note: for those who don’t like Okra substitute with diced zucchini – it works the same.)

 

by Ernest Barteldes

 

From an early age, I have always had a thing from street food. I recall being on vacation at my grandparents’ home in Fortaleza, Brazil and hearing an elderly man screaming “Quebra queixo” – a chewy sweet made with shredded coconut, lime and brown sugar that you have to work hard to eat – almost to the point of breaking your jaw. My cousins and I were crazy about the stuff, and whenever my aunt Isolda caught us buying  it – or anything from street vendors –  she would run out of the house screaming. As a nurse and the daughter of a medical doctor, she was (too intensely, if you ask me)  worried about the hygienic conditions in which the treat was made in.

 

Of course as a kid  I could not care less about her opinion, and I kept on buying that and other street foods.  Of course, it wasn’t always perfect – the beef kebobs sold at bus stations were nothing but well-seasoned fatty cuts ( jokingly nicknamed “filet meow” due to the suspicion that stray cat meat might be  used to make them), but fresh cheese roasted on hot coals and fried fish on a stick (piaba) are two things I cannot live without when I visit my second hometown. With apologies to Aunt Isolda, I have never gotten sick from eating that stuff

 

Here in New York, street food for a long time meant hot dogs carts, pretzels or Halal gyros, but in recent years there has been a revolution in the genre. Food trucks have taken over the streets, and today you can find everything from Asian food to waffles, gourmet hot dogs, lobster rolls and even very specific ethnic food. Just a few weeks ago Renata and I enjoyed delicious grilled kielbasa with mashed potatoes and pickled cucumbers from the Polish Food Truck (http://polishtrucknyc.com) during an early spring street fair on Staten Island, and whenever I am around Greenwich Village on Saturday afternoon I make sure to look for a taco truck that usually stops around W4th Street on weekends.

 

Yolanda in Harlem

Among my favorite street food is tamales – steamed corn bread filled with chicken, cheese  or whatever you like to put in them (in Brazil they are known as “pamonhas”). I often get them from a Mexican lady that sells them off a shopping cart outside the uptown 1 train stop at 137^th Street and Broadway (Tamales Yolanda, 347-499-3757). I also buy them from Frutas Y Abarrotes Mexico (54 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island), a store not far from my apartment. Both make great tamales – but I still kick myself for not having gotten them in Mexico during our recent  visit to Cancun.

Another favorite that became a breakfast staple at our home are Santa Fe breakfast burritos, which are made with potato, eggs, chorizo, cheese and salsa wrapped into a tortilla – it’s a great option for Sunday,  since it is so rich that you can actually skip lunch – and we almost always do. However, I have never bought them outside- I make them myself as I prepare to go to church.

Santa Fe Breakfast Burritos

(Serves 4) – Source: Epicurious.com

 

• 1 large boiling potato (8 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/3-inch dice
• 4 (9-to 11-inch) flour tortillas
• 7 to 8 ounces Mexican chorizo (see cooks’ note, below), casings removed
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup coarsely grated Monterey Jack (about 4 ounces)
• 1 avocado, sliced
• About 1/4 cup fresh or bottled salsa

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Cut 4 (12-by 8-inch) sheets of foil.

Cook potato in a small pot of salted boiling water until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.

Wrap tortillas tightly in a large sheet of foil and warm in oven until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook chorizo in an 8-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring and breaking it up, until just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Add potato and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until tender and lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

Whisk together eggs, water, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Heat oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add egg mixture and cook, stirring to scramble, until just cooked through. Remove from heat.

Put a tortilla on 1 sheet of foil. Spoon one fourth of chorizo mixture, one fourth of eggs, one fourth of cheese, one fourth of avocado, and then salsa to taste in vertical rows across center, leaving room to fold over bottom and sides. Fold bottom of tortilla over most of filling, then fold over sides, overlapping them. If desired, fold top down (otherwise, filling can be left exposed). Wrap foil around burrito, leaving top exposed. Make 3 more burritos in same manner and serve hot.

By Ernest Barteldes

Spring and summer are really enjoyable here in New York City thanks to the countless outdoor events, going from inexpensive (or free) concerts, dancing, movie screenings, street fairs and other options that often take place at the same time. It is a welcome change from the frigid weeks when everything happens indoors.

Sure, those who enjoy winter activities like skiing or ice skating or simply admiring the snow that falls over the city parks while enjoying a cup of mulled wine certainly have a ball, but those of us who are not stretching at a tropical beach due to unavoidable circumstances (jobs, for instance) welcome the chance to have some fun under the hot sun.

Among the many events that Renata and I look forward during the year is the International Food Festival on 9^th Avenue, which usually takes place on the third weekend of May. During two full days, local restaurants join the usual street fair exhibitors (fake designer clothes, costume jewelry, Italian sausages, etc) and showcase all kinds of food, going from Asian to Cajun and everything in between.

The fair begins on 42^nd Street and extends all the way to 60^th Street, and those with an appetite and curiosity for something different are definitely in for a treat without spending too much, since the restaurants create special menus with food that goes as low as $ 1 , such as Indian samosas or Thai satay chicken.  

Some neighborhood restaurants serve alcohol in enclosed areas (it’s been illegal to serve alcohol in street events in New York since 2001 in response to several incidents that had taken place in earlier years) along with the select fare, and there is also live music ranging from rock cover bands to instrumental jazz.

When we go to the fair, I always make a point of stopping at Delta Grill on 50^th street, where I order their iconic alligator sausage served with spicy mustard. During the year, they serve it inside as an appetizer, but it’s just way more fun to have the spicy concoction outside with a bottle of Abita beer (which is brewed in Louisiana).

 

Recipe: Vegetarian Jambalaya

Linda McCartney from Linda McCartney On Tour

Ingredients
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion — chopped
1 clove garlic — chopped (1 to 2)
3/4 pound vegetarian burger — crumbled
2 vegetarian sausages — defrosted and
sliced into rounds
1 medium leek — sliced thinly
1/2 red bell pepper — seeded and sliced
1 stalk celery — sliced
1/4 pound okra — trimmed, or
zucchini, diced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon freshly chopped basil
2 teaspoons Cajun Spice Mix
3/4 cup long-grain rice
1 can chopped tomatoes — (14 ounce)
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock or water
3 cups small brown mushrooms — halved
sea salt and black pepper to taste
Tabasco to taste
chopped scallions to garnish

Preparation

In a large saucepan, heat the oil and soften the onion and garlic over medium
heat for 5 minutes. Add the burger and sausages, and fry until browned. Then add
the leek, red pepper, celery, and okra or zucchini, and stir until the
vegetables have softened slightly. Add the herbs and Cajun spice mix and stir
well. Then stir in the rice until it is thoroughly incorporated.

Add the tomatoes and half of the stock or water, and cook over low heat,
covered, for 10-15 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and remaining stock, and cook
for a further 5-10 minutes until the rice is tender.

Season to taste with salt, pepper, and Tabasco. Serve sprinkled with chopped
scallions.

I have written a lot about traditional Brazilian dishes like moqueca, feijoada or churrasco (Brazilian barbecue), but the fact is that people there don’t really eat these dishes on a daily basis. Feijoada  and churrasco are party food made for a large number of people who get together for a day’s worth of eating and drinking (often to excess), while moqueca is mostly served on special occasions – though in Bahia it is reportedly consumed on a daily basis.

Everyday Brazilian food is basically food that will give you energy to go through the day, and it is usually comprised of rice, beans, vegetables (usually a lettuce and tomato salad) and some kind of roast meat. In some parts, spaghetti sautéed in garlic and cilantro or an egg is included – and in the northeast, farofa is a must.

The last time we traveled to Brazil (back in 2011), we traveled a lot around the countryside of the state of Ceara and often bought our meals at “PF” places – mostly homes where people cook simple dishes and sell them to travelers or to people working in the area. “PF” stands for “made plate,” but they usually serve you in separate bowls. Such places offer little comfort except for a Formica table and plastic chairs, but the food is often great and the price is right – and there was always a serving of farofa on the side.

I remember my maternal grandfather saying that a meal would never be complete without the sacred combination of yucca flour and cooking juices that accompanies pretty much any dish (save maybe for pastas) in the northeast. But farofa is really a northeastern Brazilian thing – go anywhere south of Minas Gerais and it is not such a big deal to have that at the table. Sure, it is likely to be present during a barbecue or something like that, but it is definitely not an everyday staple in the southernmost states of Brazil.

I love having farofa when I cook roasted or fried dishes at home, but sadly I never really get to make it because Renata was never too fond of it – she tried it a couple of times but just found it too dry, even though I tried to get her to eat ‘moister’ versions. Since I don’t like to make any dish ‘for one,’ my yucca flour often lies forgotten in my kitchen shelf.

I often make those more rustic foods as a packed lunch – they are easy to prepare (there is also the convenience of having canned beans here – thanks Goya), and with time Renata has gotten used to them. I try to vary how I prepare them so it’s not repetitive – lately I have been cooking the rice and beans together and using them as a side for a main course – chicken, turkey sausages or fish.

Baiao de dois

Ceara Rice and Beans (Baião de Dois)

(Serves 2)

One cup uncooked rice

One 14 oz. can black-eyed peas, drained

2 cups vegetable broth or water

½ tablespoon olive oil

½ cup fresh cheese, cubed (queso fresco, found in the Latin section in supermarkets)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

2 garlic cloves, chopped

Salt and black pepper to taste

 

Heat the olive oil and add the garlic, sauté until fragrant. Add the beans and stir-fry for about a minute and add the vegetable broth or water and add the salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and cook until rice is tender, stirring occasionally as not to allow the rice to burn in the bottom of the pot. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese and cilantro. Serve immediately.

(*) I have often added 1/3 cup of coconut milk to the cooked rice and beans, and let the mixture absorb it. It really complements the flavors.

Basic farofa

1 cup yucca flour

Leftover juices from cooking meats or one tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

Chopped cilantro, salt and black pepper to taste

Heat the juices or olive oil and add the onion, stirring until soft. Remove from heat and slowly stir in the yucca flour, cilantro, and salt and pepper until blended. Serve on the side, using it to dab the juices of meats or sauces.

(**) if you can’t find yucca flour,  wheat farina yields similar results

By Ernest Barteldes

One thing that most people love about salads is their simplicity: get two or three vegetable, chop them up, add some kind of dressing and viola: you have a light meal or a perfect side that pairs with pretty much everything from a grilled cheese sandwich, chicken soup or even a more sumptuous meal. In some cultures, salads are even part of a hearty breakfast.

I don’t usually make them during weekdays because our meals are always prepared a day early and placed in containers for next day’s lunch, and by the time I get home from work it’s just too late to be chopping and dicing. However, on weekends I do like to prepare salads that go from simple three-ingredient mixes to more elaborate concoctions that take more than just choosing a dressing to with it.

Among my favorite “easy” salads are the ones I prepare for picnics during the summer – like potato, onion and celery salad seasoned with salt, pepper, rosemary, lime juice and hot pepper sauce, and simple cold noodle salad with mixed vegetables and store-bought Thousand Island dressing that takes but two minutes to prepare and pretty much go with everything.

Another option for picnics is a Cajun rice salad made with cooked rice (duh), chopped celery, red onions, red and green peppers and a vinaigrette made with Creole spice mix, vinegar, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.  Those not big with spicy food can omit the last ingredient – it’s a bold dish that almost stands alone as a meal on its own.

But what I really like are salads that take some extra effort – you know, really getting the ingredients right and waiting some time to allow the flavors to blend. Sure, they might be pretty labor-intensive, but since I only make more elaborate dishes once a week, why not go all the way and have some fun with it?

Here is an example that is not too much work: an Oriental-flavored  tuna and pea salad that has become a staple of sorts at our household because it’s one of Renata’s absolute favorites and also because I can serve it as a main course during, say, a Saturday lunch when we are not too busy with too many activities.

Oriental tuna salad

Source: Grandma’s Kitchen

Ingredients:

• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, thawed
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon each soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon each curry powder and garlic powder
• 1 cup sliced celery
• 1 (6-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• 2 (6-ounce) cans water-packed tuna, drained
• 2 ounces slivered almonds
• 1 (5-ounce) can chow mein noodles

 

Place peas in enough boiling water to cover in a large heatproof bowl. Let stand for 1 minute; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain well. Set peas aside. Mix mayonnaise, lemon juice, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, curry powder and garlic powder in a large bowl. Following that, flake the tuna and add the peas, celery, water chestnuts and green onions to the mayonnaise mixture and mix well. Fold in the tuna. Chill salad, tightly covered, for 5 hours. Sauté the almonds in a small skillet over medium-high heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chow mein noodles to the salad and mix gently. Line a salad bowl with lettuce, if desired. Spoon salad into the salad bowl. Sprinkle with almonds. Serve immediately

 

Of all the ethnic food from Latin America that I have experienced, I must say that Mexican cuisine is the one that mostly intrigues me for various reasons: one of them would be that they are one of the few cultures in the Americas – as far as I know – that not only adapted the dishes from their Spanish colonists but who were also able to preserve a lot of the culinary traits of the original communities that lived in the country before the conquistadores took over.

Mexican food shares many common traits with the rest of Latin America – for instance, you always get rice and beans on the side of pretty much every dish you order, but they are distinguished by the use of hot peppers like poblano, jalapeno, Serrano and Habanero, the latter of which is one of the hottest in the world. Another trait is the commonly used tortilla, which is a flatbread made with either corn or flour that is also omnipresent at Mexican tables.

When Renata and I visited Cancun in 2012, we had a great firsthand experience with the food of that country both in the restaurants that we visited and at the All-Inclusive resort we stayed in during the second half of our trip. However, we were no novices to their culinary as our Staten Island neighborhood is rich with Mexican-owned tiendas where they make tamales (steamed corn cakes filled with pork or chicken), tortas (basically very large sandwiches on hero-like bread),  real tacos made with soft tortilla and other delicacies. Also, New York is home to many restaurants that serve Mexican fare, including Staten Island’s own Maizal, a more upscale eatery not far from where we live.

Mexican food is rich to the palate and also challenging at times – where else can you have chocolate sauce served over your meat dish?  This unique combination, which is called mole, is surprising to the mouth because it subtly mixes the sweet tones of chocolate with peanuts, hot peppers, garlic and onions.  We cannot get enough of it, and we often find ourselves guiltlessly betraying our Brazilian and Polish roots by preparing some of those delicious dishes at home.

Easy Chicken Mole Recipe (Mole de Pollo Facilito)

Source: Univision Delicioso (translated from Spanish)

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1 aji chipotle (chipotle peppers in sauce, found in the Latin section
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 oz. dark unsweetened chocolate
• 6-8 pieces roast chicken (I roasted in the oven with just salt and pepper)
• ½ cup peanuts
• Peel from one orange

 

In a medium saucepan, sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add, stirring constantly, the tomatoes, the chipotle in sauce, and the raisins until heated through. Let cool slightly and transfer the mixture into a blender, and add the peanut butter, the chicken broth, the chili powder and blend until pureed. Return to saucepan and cook, covered, for about 15 minutes. Add the chocolate and stir until melted. Add the chicken until heated through. Serve garnished with peanuts and orange peel with a side of rice, guacamole and beans.

Some friends of mine like to mock me for my vegetarian tendencies whenever I bring up a meat-free recipe.  For a reason or another, they seem to figure that not serving animal protein with your meal will bring some kind of mental or physical weakness and that you will not be able to carry on your day if you do it for too long.

I do not claim to be a vegetarian, though – any reader who has seen enough of my posts will see that I have included many recipes with chicken and seafood. But I do enjoy going meat-free every now and then, simply because there are so many great recipes out there that don’t even need to be adapted, including pastas (matricciana, pesto sauce being two examples that come to mind), sandwiches, appetizers, salads and main courses that would probably keep you from ‘missing’ that ‘hole’ in your plate that is usually associated with abstaining from meat.

I do try to go meat-free at least once a week – not necessarily on Monday (like the Paul McCartney-led campaign advocates), but pretty frequently on Saturdays or holidays, when I prepare lighter meals when Renata and I don’t feel like a ‘full meal.’  For instance, last Friday (March 29^th) we were both off from work because it was Good Friday, a date in which Catholics – practicing or not – traditionally abstain from meat.  I had planned to make dinner for us and a couple of friends who were visiting , and decided to look for something that I could prepare for lunch that  day.

I had some pita bread in the refrigerator, and remembered a recipe I’d seen on Higher Taste, one of the first cookbooks I have ever bought.  For those who don’t remember it, the book was published in the mid-70s by the Hare Krishna movement, and is still available in stores and also through those chanters you hear in the street all the time. My own copy (in Portuguese) must be at least 20 years old, and it has the stains to prove it – but it is still a reliable source of cooking ideas.

The recipe in question were small individually-sized pizzas made with pita bread and topped with mozzarella cheese, zucchini, tomato sauce (I used organic marinara from a jar), parmesan and black olives – the result was very good, and according to Renata, it will be on our weekend ‘rotation.’

Pizza Pita (Serves 4)

Source: Higher Taste

http://harekrishna.com/col/books/VEG/ht/

4 7-inch whole wheat pita breads

4 7-inch whole wheat pita breads

1 cup sliced black olives

1 cup chopped green peppers

1 ½ cups grated mozzarella cheese

1 ½ cups grated Monterey jack cheese

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Dried oregano to taste

Organic vegetarian tomato Sauce

Preheat oven to 500°.  Place 2 pita breads on baking sheet. Spread each with ¼ of tomato sauce. Top with vegetables and cheese. Sprinkle with oregano. Bake 15 minutes or until the cheese begins to bubble and brown. Repeat with remaining pita breads

Being both countries of immigrants,  The United States and Brazil have various Easter traditions that were blended together by the different nations that built the country over the years – for instance, Brazilians usually have codfish on Good Friday because Catholic tradition mandates that followers abstain from meats that bleed on that day.

Here in America, for example, many celebrate Easter Sunday by serving ham or roast lamb – the latter having come directly from the Jews’ Passover meal (lamb with bitter herbs and unleavened bread) that somehow crossed over and adapted to Christian tables.  Brazilians absorbed many Western European customs that came with the immigrants – from Italy they got the “Colomba Pascal,” a pigeon-shaped citrus fruit cake that is enjoyed around the country (but mostly in Sao Paulo) and stewed lamb, which symbolizes the slaughter of the sacrificial lamb.

In the northeastern city of Fortaleza there is the tradition of the coconut bread, which is only sold during Easter weekend and that is given to friends and family alongside wine and chocolate on Easter Sunday. I am not sure where this came from, but is a unique characteristic of the state of Ceara, where my Brazilian family originates from.

Whichever traditions my two countries might have, I can surely say that nothing compares to the great effort put in by Polish people – something I have been able to experience firsthand since I met Renata. Both there and in the immigrant communities here in the U.S., Poles prepare a large breakfast that consist of  boiled eggs, sweet bread (babka),  smoked sausages (kielbasa), vegetables and a variety of other dishes.

Most important is the preparation of the Swieconka, or “Easter Basket,” which is taken to Church on Saturday for a special blessing. There is a Polish church in our neighborhood on Staten Island, so I help Renata to prepare the basket and take it for the ritual blessing. There I have seen displays of the most varied kind, and in some baskets I have even spotted small bottles of wine and vodka. After all, this is a time for celebration.

Brazilian-Style Good Friday codfish

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Salted codfish
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1  green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• Sliced tomatoes and galic to taste
• 100g chopped green olives
• 1 cup olive oil
• ½ lb.  Cooked potatoes (boiled until al dente), sliced

Preparation

1. Remove the salt from the codfish by soaking it in fresh water at least 24 hours before preparation. Change the water frequently.
2. Boil the codfish  for 30 minutes. Drain and make sure there are no bones.
3. In a large baking dish, layer the tomato slices and top with cooked codfish
4. Top with chopped garlic, half the olives and the potato slices
5. Add the onion and pepper slices  and the remaining olives.
6. Top it all with the olive oil, cover with aluminum foil and bake for about 30 minutes at 300 F. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes and serve with a side of green salad.

By Ernest Barteldes

 

(this previously appeared in New City Chicago’s  Summer 2012 issue)

 

Having lived most of my life in Brazil, I have come to really cherish the few warm months of late spring and summer, when I (sort of) relive those tropical days by lazing away on the beach, attending outdoor concerts, having picnics in the park and, of course, grilling—anyone who has been in Texas de Brazil or Fogo de Chão understands the deep relationship people there have with the grill.

 

I am not, however, your average griller, since I do not go to the nearest market for hot dogs or hamburger patties. For starters, I “retired” from red meat years ago (though I do eat poultry and fish), so when we barbecue I often bring stuff that leaves my meat-loving friends scratching their heads—that is, until they taste the final result.

 

I often throw sliced vegetables like zucchini, eggplant and beefsteak tomatoes on the grill, which all pair well with a nice vinaigrette dressing or chimichurri, the garlic-rich sauce Argentineans put on various dishes. I also like to prepare veggie burgers of various varieties—my personal favorite being black bean burgers that I learned from a magazine I can no longer remember years ago. They are easy to prepare and store until the charcoals are right.

 

Another recent discovery I found in Paul McCartney’s recently published “Meatless Mondays” cookbook: tofu kabobs, which are marinated in a citrus sauce for hours and then put on skewers with onions and tomatoes. This recipe was created by Pamela Anderson, of all people, but they are indeed delicious and also very nutritious.

Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients:
1 16 oz. can cooked black beans, drained
½ cup Italian-style bread crumbs
2 tbsp. sour cream
½ tsp. ground cumin
Salt and black pepper to taste.
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Preparation:
Mash half the black beans. Mix in remaining beans, sour cream and remaining spices and refrigerate for about an hour.  If mix is not firm enough to make patties, add some more bread crumbs. Form patties about an inch thick with your hands. Grill until cooked through and serve (if using indoor griddle, cook at 350 degrees). Use some cooking spray before grilling.

Chimichurri

Source: Recetas de Argentina (translated from Spanish)

1 bunch parsley, well chopped
8-10 chopped garlic cloves
1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp. chopped red pepper (not spicy)
½ cup olive oil
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
salt and black pepper to taste

In an empty glass jar (do not use plastic) put all the dry ingredients. Add the olive oil, vinegars and lime juice until the ingredients are well covered. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and cover jar in refrigerator for at least twenty-four hours before using. For a bigger kick, also add a well-chopped jalapeno pepper to the mix during preparation. Serve on grilled foods.

Orange marinated tofu skewers
From “Meat Free Mondays” (recipe by Pamela Anderson)

For the skewers
24 oz. firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 large onions cut into 1-inch pieces
1 green pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 yellow pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 lb. whole cherry tomatoes
Orange pieces for garnish

For the marinade
1 cup orange juice
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1 ½ tsp. whole black peppercorns
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Zest of 1 orange
1½ cups olive oil
10 bamboo skewers

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade, except the oil, in a food processor and blend for fifteen seconds. While the machine is running, slowly add the oil until well blended.

Thread the tofu, onions, peppers and tomatoes onto the skewers. Place in a shallow dish and pour the marinade onto the tofu and vegetables. Leave to marinate for four hours. Remove the skewers from the marinade and either grill over a medium flame for about five minutes on each side or place under broiler until the veggies are lightly cooked and have grill marks. Serve with orange pieces.

by Ernest Barteldes

Last week I wrote a post about English-language songs that talk about food, and after I finished writing I started thinking about the many Brazilian songs that have the same subject matter.  I compiled a small list based on my own collection and songs I have known for a number of years (I wouldn’t know top 40 hits that made the charts after  I relocated to the US in 2000) that reveal not only the country’s celebratory nature but also some culinary preferences.

Portuguese composers have also included food in their songs as well, especially in the more apolitical fados written during the repressive Salazar regime, which used the genre as a national postcard of sorts. Unfortunately, they also suppressed more politically charged lyrics, which led fado into decline until its resurgence in recent years.

Chico Buarque de Hollanda has written many confrontational songs during his long career. However, being a ‘carioca’ that he is, he certainly knows a thing or two about having a good time. An example of that is “Feijoada Completa,” a tune in which the narrator tells his wife to get things ready for a big celebration with friends, including the signature dish, “stupidly cold” beer and appetizers. He also reminds her to ‘add water to the beans’ as they cook.

Luiz Gonzaga (whose centenary was recently celebrated in Brazil) was dubbed the ‘king of baião,’ a syncopated beat from northeastern Brazil. The songs’ words are filled with double entendre and words that don’t say exactly what they’re supposed to mean. An example of this is “Eu Quero Ovo de Codorna,” whose lyrics talk of a man who ‘is not that young anymore.’ He consults a doctor, and he prescribes him quail eggs – a known aphrodisiac – which ‘made the wife happy’ since his ‘problem’ was now solved.

Farofa is a side dish mainly made with leftover cooking grease and manioc flour; there are many variations that include dried beef, vegetables and even eggs, and it is a staple in pretty much every northeastern home (I love it and often make it even if Renata will not as much as touch it). The dish was the topic of “Farofa-Fa,” written and recorded by Mauro Celso in the mid-70s. The lyrics simply give the recipe for preparing the dish – it was a smash hit in the country thanks to its great hook (Faro-fa-fa) and simplicity.  Sadly, Celso would only have one more hit and then disappear into obscurity until his tragic death in a car accident in 1989.

Dorival Caymmi loved his native Bahia, and he celebrated it in song countless times. One cannot think of Bahia without being reminded of its rich Afro-Inspired culinary, and Caymmi knew that –  among many songs, I recall  “Vatapá,”” Os Quindins de Yaya” and  “No Tabuleiro da Baiana,” – the former actually teaches the listener how to prepare the dish!

There are many other Brazilian songs that celebrate its food,  but I will leave you with “Eu To Voltando,” a hit for Sergio Mendes that talks about a person who has been away  (probably from the country) for a very long time and announces his return – “prepare those black beans and chill the beer,” the words go… It’s clearly time to celebrate

 

Recipe: Vatapá

(from What’s For Eats International)

Ingredients

• Onion, chopped — 2
• Dried shrimp (see notes) — 1/2 cup
• Garlic, chopped — 2 to 3 cloves
• Malagueta or jalapeño chili peppers, chopped — 1-4
• Oil — 3 tablespoons
• Stock or water — 1 1/2 cups
• Natural peanut or cashew butter — 1/2 cup
• Breadcrumbs — 1 cup
• Salt and pepper — to taste
• Shrimp, peeled and deveined — 1 pound
• Coconut milk — 2 cups
• Dendê oil (optional) — 1/4 cup

Method

1. Place the onion, dried shrimp, garlic and chilies in a food processor or blender and puree well. Add a little water if necessary.
2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion-shrimp mixture and sauté until cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Stir in the stock or water and whisk in the peanut or cashew butter until smooth. Then stir in the breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5-8 minutes to meld the flavors.
4. Stir in the shrimp and coconut milk and simmer another 5-6 minutes, or until shrimp is almost cooked through.
5. Remove from heat, stir in the dendê oil and serve.