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| Parque Ibirapuera |
Of course our first cyber "stop" is going to be in Brazil, being as I was born there! The city in which we will embark this journey on is called Sao Paulo. With a population of 20 million people, it is the third largest city in the world. Sao Paulo, although a great city with amazing cites and attractions is very high in crime. Without knowing you're way around or having a tour guide, you're trip could be a great disaster. Today I will be your tour guide - our first stop is Parque do Ibirapuera (Ibirapuera Park).
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| Kaa Restaurant |
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| Municipal Theater |
This gigantic park is home to thousands of tourists and local citizens every day. It hosts free open air concerts, has an auditorium, a planetarium, several museums, as well as many other activities. The most famous attraction of this park is the Sao Paulo Art Biennial. Founded in 1951 it is one of the oldest art biennials in the world, second only to the Venice Biennial (founded in 1895). After spending a few hours walking around and enjoying some great conversation with local Brazilians I'm sure you are famished! As we make our way further into the city to find a restaurant, we pass many beautiful foundations of the city such as: The Cathedral, the Municipal Market and Liberty Neighborhood. We now have arrived at the beautiful and sophisticated Kaa restaurant. Yes, a very expensive choice but after reading several reviews and asking many family members i can safely say it's worth every dime. After lunch we take a taxi to the Teatro Municipal (Municipal Theater). One of the most beautiful buildings in Sao Paulo, this theater is a cite worth seeing during the day as much as at night. We will end the journey at any local restaurant on a Saturday night, enjoying a few beers and the country's main dish Feijoada. This splendid and savory dish includes white rice, beans, pork meat, collard greens and a local ingredient called farofa. Often times this plate is served with fresh chopped oranges. If you are interested in attempting a famous Brazilian dish here is what you should do:
Ingredients:
1 lb. black beans
1 lb. smoked ham hocks
1 of each: pork foot, ear, tail, tongue
(optional)
1 lb. Mexican "chorizo," "pepperoni" or
Brazilian "linguica"
1/2 lb. Chunk of lean Canadian bacon or
Brazilian "carne seca"
1/2 lb. Smoked pork or beef ribs
3-4 strips of smoked bacon
1/2 lb. lean pork
1/2 lb. lean beef
1 large onion
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons of olive or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
salt to taste
black pepper
hot sauce (optional)
How to prepare feijoada:
Soak beans overnight in large container. Next morning, cook beans for 4-5 hours at low heat. Place ham hocks, chorizo, ribs and Canadian bacon in deep pan with plenty of water and bring to a boil. Change water and bring to a new boil, repeating the procedure at least three times to tenderize cured meats and remove excess fat.
In a large frying pan saut‚ onion and garlic using either vegetable or olive oil (smoked bacon strips optional) for two or three minutes. Toss in cubed pork and beef. Saut‚ an additional two-three minutes.
Mash 5-l0 tablespoons of beans and add to large pot. The resulting paste will thicken sauce. Add two tablespoons of olive oil, three garlic cloves all chopped-up or mashed, along with a tablespoon of white vinegar and a teaspoon of red-hot pepper. Stir, heat over medium fire for two-three minutes, then transfer to contents of frying pan. (You may use two frying pans, if necessary)
Let simmer for l0-l5 minutes. Add contents of frying pan(s) to the beans and let boil at medium heat for 1-2 hours.
Serve over rice, with additional red-hot sauce, if desired.
This has concluded our cyber trip to Sao Paulo, Brazil. Stay tuned for next week's choice of travel in It's Not Airplane Food.
