Yes, you heard me right, it is freaking cold in Rhode Island today, we have been hit with ridiculous amounts of snow and ICE on top of it which makes a romantic snow day a memory of the past...December to be more specific.
You might drive 40 minutes to buy your loved one some traditional American Peanut Butter...
I drove 40 minutes ( each way ) to go get Gil some Farofa! Yes, authentic Brazilian farofa, our favorite brand, which I can only find at the Brazilian stores in the East Providence area.
Our large grocery stores, Stop & Shop and Shaw's also carry farofa, but not our favorite brand, you know, if you like Jif, you like Jif or Skippy and you just won't be happy with "Amendocrem".
Gil and I like Farofa Yoki, so the nasty "Minas" brand sold at our local Stop & Shop just won't do.
Off to East Providence where I also bought some "Erva Doce" Tea, Requeijao, Frozen Pao de Queijo, Linguica, and of course FAROFA YOKI!
I know, you go for one thing and buy U$40,00 worth of goodies.
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| FAROFA YOKI bought at East Providence's Brazilian Store, PONTO 1 |
Most people eat it with Churrasco, the typical Brazilian barbecue, we eat it with everything...Gil likes it with almost every meal. I only like it with some meats and beans.
While I drove to East Providence to get our so loved favorite FAROFA brand, Gil started on a delicious FEIJOADA, which we make from canned beans, Hey! I have confessed time and time again how Americanized beyond repair we have become after living here for so many years. 13 years to be exact.
Brazilians would be really disgusted if they found out we are making FEIJOADA with canned beans, garlic powder and onion powder.
Sorry, we have given up on that battle a long time ago, most dry beans we buy here are really hard, probably because they don't sell as much, they get old sitting at the store shelves for so long.
So when in Rome, do as the Romans...while in America go with CANNED BEANS and DRIED SEASONING.
No Pressure cooker going for hours around here. Open the freaking can, season the beans with Garlic Powder and Onion Powder and call it a day!
I love AMERICAN LIVING :)
Sorry, I am practical, no crying over cutting onions and dealing with hands smelling like Garlic for days...well, not often anyway...just when we are inspired.
Ok, we have fresh Collard Greens, that stuff in the CANS just makes me gag with the thought of it, we have bought a CAN of Collard Greens but were never brave enough to open it, some day, maybe, we need to get Americanized to a more ridiculous level to be able to bare the thought of even opening a CAN of Collard Greens. Sorry!
Collard Greens is a very PORTUGUESE thing by the way. I don't know why or how it got connect to African Americans in the South of the US. I will probably try to find out how that happened.
Portuguese people grow Collard Greens in the gardens and eat it very often.
Brazilians love it with Feijoada and if you are an Expat living in Brazil, you have seen it many times.
We remembered to buy oranges which we will have it sliced and serve next to our mean FEIJOADA.
Ok. so I am mouth watering right now, our FEIJOADA is ready and I will help Gil with setting up our dinning room for the Brazilian Feast of the night :)
Just for the record, I can't stand FEET, EARS, TAIL or any other kind of disgusting PORK meat SOME BRAZILIANS like to pup in their FEIJOADA.
Our FEIJOADA is made with BABY BACK PORK RIBS, BRAZILIAN LINGUICA, PORK CHOPS, PORK LOIN and that is it, we mix a little bit of kidney beans with the Black Beans which makes for a richer stew.
What better dish for our brutally cold winter in Rhode Island?
Pancakes with warmed up real Maple Syrup! Ok, that is our Sunday morning breakfast ;)
Here is a picture of our FEIJOADA:
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| I know it looks UGLY, but it is so DELICIOUS it's not even funny! :) |
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| An Awesome Brazilian Meal in the Coldest Winter we ever faced in Rhode Island! |
Ray
8 comments:
Yes, you got it, our grandchildren will know how romantic we are, always were...in the good old days!!
It will be like my grandma telling us about when she used to have to walk 10 miles in the cold when it used to snow in Sao Paulo in the
30's just to get to school...lol...
Feijoada just makes so much sense in cold weather :)
Chic feijoada, no mystery meats.
I've always been one to eat anything in the name of cross-cultural adventures. My MIL had to explain that I was not supposed to actually eat the pig ears, they were used to flavor the dish and were best fished rather than consumed.
Who knew?
Stay warm!
"fished out"
I bet Feijoada tastes SOOOOOO good in the cold!
I hear you about the peanut butter, only we don't have both skippy and Jif, so we just have to settle. We could pick Peter Pan but that's just wrong ;)
Enjoy your winter! Thank goodness you have great company and even better food
Love it!! I agree, feijoada in the cold would be wonderful! and I would definitely use canned beans if I could : )
Will try that yoki farafo; my youngest son loves "sand" as he calls it. He'll be thrilled to eat some at home! Thanks for the tip!
Keep warm!
Jim,
As a kid growing up in Brazil if my brother, my sisters or I even saw a pigs feet or a hairy ear...we would not eat the feijoada, I would gag just with the thought of it...
The slaves had no options, the Portuguese gave them the unwanted pig meats and they made the best they could with it...we don't have to endure the same hardships 200 years later.
Unwanted pig parts are unwanted pig parts. I will do without the wiskers thank you very much :(
Good restaurants in Brazil are now cooking the beans with good pork meats only and some are serving the beans and the meats separate so you can choose what meats you want in your feijoada.
The feijoada is as tasty in my opinion, Baby Back Ribs, Pork Chops, Pork Loins, they all give your beans the same rich flavors.
We didn't have "Carne Seca" which is dried beef so we used regular "beef cuts for stew", it worked wonders.
Another thing we did that is unaceptable to most Brazilians, we have dicthed "White Rice" many years ago. We only do Brown Rice, yes, I can say, when you go Brown you will never go back ;)
Ray
Rachel,
Yes, I never undestood Feijoada in the 40 degrees heat of the summer in Brazil.
My parents will usually only cook feijoada during the winter in Sao Paulo, which is a far cry from a typical Rhode Island winter but it's better than your 40 degrees of a Brazilian January.
About good company I can tell you one thing, THANK THE SWEET BABY JESUS FOR BEANO, or we would have to be in different houses after eating that feijoada ;)
Ray
The Reader,
Yes, Yoki farofa is awesome, and you can find it in Houston too. I know there are a couple Brazilian stores in the Houston area.
The last time I visited Houston we found one near the Galeria Mall, it was a restaurant and Brazilian food stores.
Yoki brand has a very well organized distribution network in the US and they sell Pao De Queijo Mix, Farofa and other products that you will be able to find mostly anywhere in the US when you guys move back.
I wonder if Brazil will ever pick up on the habit of "Canned Beans", we will have a hard time without them :(
Ray
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