Roger's View of the World, Love and Seafood Gumbo!
Seize the Day! Put no trust in the morrow! — Horace
Normally, I like to make recipes using the most authentic ingredients available. Sometimes, a ‘better ingredient’ is available just around the corner. I found a great Mascarpone made by a Wisconsin cheese company proud of their Italian roots… “Bel Gioioso.”
The real trick is in folding in a real meringue with your cheese and yolk mixture, adding grated white chocolate over each layer and soaking your lady fingers soaked in a nice blend of liquors.
Roger
Personally, I can’t think of anything nicer than a corned beef pie on Saint Paddy’s Day! And thanks to Karla we have a wonderful picture to celebrate what we think is a real culinary golden pot at the end of the rainbow!
A few ‘facts on Saint Patrick you might not have known:
1) He was born in Roman Britain in the fifth century, at the age of sixteen, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and taken captive to Ireland as a slave
2) Originally, the color associated with Saint Patrick was blue
3) New York’s first Saint Patrick’s Day Parade was held on 17 March 1762 by Irish soldiers in the British Army.The first celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day in New York City was held at the Crown and Thistle Tavern in 1766
4) Seattle and other cities paint the traffic stripe of their parade routes green. Wikipedia says Chicago dyes its river green and has done so since 1962 when sewer workers used green dye to check for sewer discharges and had the idea to turn the river green for Saint Patrick’s Day
As the folks at Guinness say,”everyone is GREEN on Saint Patrick’s Day!”
Enjoy the Day!
Roger Freberg
Brazil is a culinary wonder with a wide variety food offerings depending on where you are visiting. The world of Brazilian foods is divided into four distinct styles: from the North, North-East, South-East and the South.
In the South-East, Rio de Janeiro is known for their seafood. Also well known is ‘feijão com arroz’ or rice and beans. In São Paulo, the large Italian heritage expresses itself in pasta and pizza, while sushi is making a presents even in non-Japanese restaurants.
Below São Paulo, it the region referred to as South, churrasco (a Brazilian barbecue) is probably one of the best known Brazilian meals outside of Brazil.
In the North, Maniçoba is a distinctive dish served. It takes at least a week to make. One author describes it as such:
“…as the leaf of maniva (of the cassava plant), after ground, should be boiled for at least four days with the intent to remove the hydrocyanic acid that contains. After that is added charqui, fat, tripe, calf’s foot jelly, ear, foot and salted pork ribs, sausages, sausages and bunkers, basically the same ingredients of a feijoada completa. It is served with white rice, flour water and hot peppers to taste.”
In the North-East, the abundance of large cattle ranches and availability of fruit — mango, papaya, guava, orange, passion fruit, pineapple, and sweetsop – adds to the culinary uniqueness of the region. Vatapá (vat-a-pah) is a meal made from bread, shrimp, coconut milk, peanuts and palm oil all ground and mixed together (check out picture above).
Here’s an interesting recipe for Vatapa Soup on the net.
Brazil is a county of many choices, sounds and flavors and all to be savoured! Here is a link to more fun Brazilian Recipes!
Roger
Nothing like having a hot and creamy cup of coffee and dipping a homemade biscotti in it! I have tried and experimented with lots of variations, but I like my original Macademia nut recipe best. I’ve tweaked the recipe here and there and often add a few extra things from time to time… like a little potato flour… but it is all good.
This week Laura and I took a little time to enjoy Los Angeles at ‘El Cholo’s’ and also managed to help our daughters with a few of their travel plans. We were able to run their visa paperwork for them. This year they will be going to the Reputation Institute’s Convention in Rio de Janeiro. The folks at the Brazilian Consulate were very efficient and the women working there were – let’s just say– attractive. I asked my daughters to bring me a t-shirt! 😉 With so many people ‘hunkering down’ in this tough economy, it is refreshing to see young people trying to make more of their life and build for their future. This is a lesson we all can learn.
Someone asked what I was doing lately… having a little fun on life’s journey. I hope you do too.
Roger Freberg
Sardines don’t always make it to the top of the culinary list for many people, which I really find amazing. Frankly, they are enormously satisfying as they come in the single serving case! I think it was the ancient Greek traveler and historian Herodotus who observed that people are shaped by the land where they live . So, although we may move and transport ourselves hither and yon, there is something innate — especially of our food — that clearly speaks of home. As strange as this sounds, there is something in the preparation and enjoyment of sardines that speaks to my history.
The King Oscar site is truly a marvel in the consumer products world. I have visited many sites and this is quite complete and entertaining. They include videos of the history, the products and teach even the proper technique for opening a can of sardines. BTW, Laura has already warned me that when we visit Norway and Scandinavia, it will not be a vacation filled with sardine fishing boats and canneries. Oh, I guess we can fit a few other things in. 😉 The picture above is a few frames from a couple of movies on the site , the two pictures on the left show the ‘double layer’ of sardines being processed and the second are pictures from the recipe section of a Lefsa wrap. ( Lefsa is a wonderful soft and tender Norwegian flat bread made with flour and potatoes, eggs, butter and sometimes a little cream.
I have yet to intrigue my daughters with the joy of sardines in olive oil. Allow me to share one attempt. When my eldest was serving in the invasion of Iraq, I thought this might be the best time to get her hooked and I sent her cases! She didn’t eat any, but she did make good use of them! I heard that these ‘gifts’ became ‘the coin of the realm’ to getting things done as there were a lot of men, mostly from Samoa, who also felt this dish ‘spoke to them’ of home as well.
So, what foods call to you?
Roger Freberg
PS. I buy my ‘double layer’ of ‘2 layer’ sardines (the BEST!) via Amazon.com
0r try this direct link to King Oscar Sardines at Amazon.com