Here in the United States, we’re accustomed to the typical cuisines like Italian, Mexican, Chinese, and of course … American. There are times when I wonder what else is out there on this green earth. Every time I meet people of a different nationality, I like to inquire about their cuisine. “What is the food like in [fill in the blank]?” or “What do you normally eat at home?” Sometimes, I they tell me a tragic response like ramen noodles. Other times, I learn a treasure that I can add to my cooking repertoire.
One such instance was when I met a Brazilian ESL student in high school. This “chica,” named Rochelle, always liked to talk about her life in Brazil. I asked her about the cooking and I learned that apparently their food is very simple. It is simple to make and it tastes simple … without a rush of spices and flavors common to many worldwide dishes. At the time, my favorite food was Mexican, a very rich-tasting cuisine. To me, simple sounded more like boring and bland. How could I like Brazilian food?
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It’s another cold day here in San Antonio. I’ve been waiting for another cold front like this for weeks! I look up the weather each week to check what food would be compatible with the temperature and it said this week would be cold. Even the weatherman said it would snow … but I never believe him when he says that! 🙂
Again, since the temperature is 40 F degrees chilly, I decided to make another soup, minestrone. I’ve been craving this soup for a long time. This soup is of an Italian tomato and olive oil base. Its a nice and hearty “comfort soup.” I got the recipe from TechSoup and (as usual) added my special touch to it.
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Since fall-type weather comes a bit later here in Texas, I have been craving soup for a very long time. I made a pact with myself that on the first cold day (when I have to wear a long sleeve) I am definitely making soup … any soup! I don’t like to make soup the weather is hot because it just doesn’t seem right. And I don’t want to make cold soup because that just sounds weird. I might as well be eating unheated Ramen or Campbell’s.
I decided to make Menudo. I chose this stew because the broth is chili based and chili promotes immunity (which I am lacking as I sniffle and write this article). Menudo is a Mexican soup primarily made of chilies, animal spare parts (like the stomach and intestinal lining, and hominy (a puffy type of corn). I’ve once heard that Menudo is good for curing hangovers. This would have been a perfect dish for drunk Bree.
The thought of using animal spare parts (think ears and noses) make me want to gag. And that’s not very Bree-like is it? So, as usual, I am using vegetarian proteins in place of these “spare parts.”
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