Independence Day Brazil

It was a national holiday in Brazil yesterday, September 7 as the nation celebrated its 189th  Independence day from Portuguese colonization. Aside from restaurants, everything was closed including the gyms. Off we went to Fratello, an italian resto (I would say the best in Pinhal) with our new neighbor to celebrate the night.

 my backdrop is the old Centro of  Espirito Santo Do Pinhal. Today, it´s the street where I usually go shopping. donned a very simple outfit for the night. first ensemble with the white v-neck shirt (posted here) paired with a dark tailored pants, red flats, red nails, brown belt and maxi necklace.

new drink discovery - chopp (draft beer) mixed with sweet red wine. drinking beer doesn´t have to be bitter.

fratello´s famous pizza. 4-flavored pizza of your choice. this italian resto is a place to bring your guests. surely you wouldn´t get frustrated. 5 stars i would rate them. 

tallarin ao pesto. a pasta you can pair your pizza with. fratello has a variety of pasta in their menu. one of my favorite pasta that reminds of my cousin Shaiyne and our date nights in UP Kiss Cafe in the Philippines.

Sunday Dessert - Passion Fruit Mousse

 Unlike Philippines, passion fruit (maracujá in portuguese) in Brazil is as common as banana. Meaning it is available the whole year round.  Musse de Maracujá is a usual Brazilian dessert and preparation is very easy . This is another brazilian cuisine that I would love to make for my family and friends in the Philippines. Here is the recipe,  originally in portuguese, thanks to my hubby for helping me translate it in english.

Ingredients

1 (12g) envelope colorless and flavorless gelatine

1 can condensed milk

1 can nestle cream

1 box passion fruit flavored gelatine

120ml concentrated passion fruit juice

Topping

1 medium-sized passion fruit

4 tablespoon sugar

Procedure

1. Pour nestle cream, condensed milk and passion fruit juice in a blender. Set aside.

2. Dissolve flavorless gelatine in conformity of to its cooking instruction written on the package. ( Mine was to dissolve the gelatine in a 250ml boiling water). Set aside until it gets warm.

3. Dissolve the passion fruit gelatine separately in a 250ml water (neither cold nor hot).

4. Mix them altogether in the blender on a medium speed until all the ingredients are well  mixed.

5. Put in the fridge for at least half an hour to get the mousse consistency.

Topping

1. In a sauce pan, mix passion fruit pulp and sugar until thickened.

 passion fruit based on my experience can be stored for a week without spoiling.

the recipe can be substituted with other fruits but i would recommend philippine mango. the taste of the the passion fruit mousse is somehow like our mango in the philippines. baguio strawberries can be a great option too.

 shallow champagne glasses where the mousse will be set

  the blended ingredients before placing them inside the fridge

sunday dessert - delightful passion fruit mousse - the consistency is almost like an ice cream. the recipe turned out smoothly sweet.  that level of sweetness that will make crave for more. perfect recipe.

it´s fathers´day in Brazil - 2nd sunday of August..apparently, they don´t celebrate it on 2nd sunday of june

 today´s main dish i´ve served my hubby and mom-inlaw. baked pork ribs and luguine in red and white sauce (molho rosé)  that were complemented by the passion fruit mousse

Pickling Chili Peppers

I grew up in a family where almost all recipe are cooked with chili and where to every food that is served, a vinegar dip is a must. Ironically I have not learned pickling chilis in the Philippines. It was only recently (here in Brazil) I have discovered pickled chilis. Now we can have this spicy condiment anytime enhancing the flavor of any meat/fish recipe.

fresh south american aji peppers

a nice clear jar

pickled chili peppers 

Easiest to prepare with vinegar, garlic and salt as complementary ingredients. Arrange the peppers vertically inside the jar with garlic at the bottom. Sprinkle with salt and pour vinegar until the jar is almost full. Pronto! Olive oil can be added for a hotter pickle. Thanks to Thaty´s family for introducing me this recipe. Blends perfectly with feijoda.



pickled peppers also serves as a kitchen decor

Canjica

If Philippines has "binatog" or " ginataang mais", Brazil has canjica. I have this love affair with whatever "ginataan" recipe which my mom cooks best, either salty or sweet. She just makes the best ginataan. Thus, the experiment in the brazilian kitchen two days ago. I cooked this canjica (recipe here) , a recipe for winter season as it is best eaten hot. This brazilian version of ginataang mais is made special by the added flavor of cinnamon bark, peanut and cloves. You might want to try this recipe the next time you do ginataang mais.

French Bread Leftover

Who doesn´t hate stale bread? Especially french bread that stays less crisp the way it´s supposed to be. In my effort to combat bed weather (10 degrees) and laziness today, I stayed in the kitchen the whole afternoon and one of the recipes I did is this pizza bread from weekend leftover.

 french bread cut into halves

 spread tomato sauce on top

 mozzarella, "frios" (cold cuts), oregano and olive oil as complementary ingredients

 bake in a pre-heated oven for 15 minutes

 ready to serve pizza..rich in flavor and calories

my inspiration..yellow roses at the dining table..collected this from the chapel last Thursday after Corpus Christi Celebration...(well, they were just to threw them..so I brought them home)..silly kid!

Sweet Treat

Sweet treat from Sweet Cafe in Pinhal. Petit Gateau. A french sponge chocolate cake served hot with ice cream and icing. In other restos they call it lava cake. Got fixated with gateau since the time I discovered Sweet Cafe offers it. Like everytime I go to Pinhal I would drag my husband to the cafe so I´d get to be reunited with petit gateau. I just love the contrast of bitter and sweet taste of it. Eaten with ice cream and icing make it glorious. A scoop of ice cream, a petit cake, a drop of icing..hmmmm..I´m wondering how many calories it contains. Good luck to additional calories I need to burn.

 with a blink of an eye..i can finish it...lol!

also a must-try in Sweet Cafe..cheese bread with cheddar filling

Sweet Cafe is located in downtown, Espirito Sto. Do Pinhal Sao Paulo. A cozy and clean place, fast service, fair price, fresh bread, Verdict?..Best café in town.