New York Monday #86: Brazil Day 2007

September 3, 2007 | Filed Under New York Monday, Festivals | 14 Comments 

New York Monday #39: Brazil Day 2006

September 4, 2006 | Filed Under New York Monday, Festivals | Leave a Comment 

Brazil Day 2006 - New York City

In what has now become a yearly tradition, my friends and I get together to attend the Brazil Day festival held in the Little Brazil section of New York City (Read about last year’s fun here.). Thousands of people attend, making it the largest Brazilian-themed festival held outside of Brazil. Brazilian celebrities show up, popular Brazilian musicians perform, and related paraphernalia are sold.

Up until the day of the festival, we weren’t sure if we’d go because it had rained for the past couple of days, including the day before the festival (See the Mackerel Sky, which means rain in two days. Interestingly enough, it did rain two days later! Then, it rained some more, the effects of Hurricane Ernesto.). However, the morning of Brazil Day, the rain stopped and the sun miraculously came out. So we met at our special meeting spot, right on the corner of Little Brazil – 46th Street and 6th Avenue.

At 11 in the morning, crowds already filled the streets. Vendors had already set up their wares – foods, books, CDs, jewelry and other things of interest to a street fair attendee. Brazilian music competed with Peruvian music on the other side of the street.

Excitement filled the air as proud Brazilians roamed the streets wearing their country flag colors – yellow and green. Many wore shirts; others wore scarves, and hats, while others draped the flag on their backs. Every year, I always say I’ll wear something green and yellow but I don’t have those colored clothing in my closet. I wore pink and white! To my chagrin, I stood out like a sore thumb. Uggh! I’m going to start looking now for something more appropriate to wear for next year’s Brazil Day.

We joined the crowds and walked down the very packed street. In particular, we looked for Brazilian foods we’d tasted the previous year. Last year, we had a wide variety of Brazilian foods, from which to choose. This year, not so. Despite it being Brazil Day, we saw more foods from other countries (i.e., Colombia, Thailand, Mexico, Greece) than from Brazil. It was kind of strange and disappointing. After all, for Brazil Day, we expected Brazil food.

My friend, A, wanted Pão de queixo, a cheese roll/bread that we tried the year before and enjoyed. We searched up and down the crowded streets but didn’t find it. It seems that nobody sold it this year. ;-(

I did see Pastels (deep-fried pastries) and Brigadeiro (Chocolate fudge sweet), but I did not see Churrasco (Brazilian BBQ), foods we tasted last year.

Another thing we looked forward to having and did find was Caipirinha, a traditional Brazilian drink, made from sugar, lime, and Cachaça, a Brazilian rum (See the recipe here.). This year the alcohol in the drink was very strong but it sure tasted good. A and I shared the drink. A very interesting note is that the description of the drink posted for everyone to see was very misleading. The sign read, “soda and water!” Yeah, right! Obviously, the cops monitoring the crowds knew nothing about Caipirinha because vendors are not allowed to sell alcohol at a festival. They should have had a clue when they saw such a long line to buy the so called “soda and water.”

My friend Kathleen and I bought a churro recheado com doce de leite, a pastry filled with sweetened milk (condensed milk). I have to say it was pretty expensive, unlike last year, as was the chicken empada (not to be confused with empanada, which is what I’d done) that I’d bought. I’d never had the chicken empada before and I expected a food of reasonable size. Instead, for my two bucks, I was handed a small finger-like food, the size of a quarter that disappeared in my mouth in one pop. It should have cost a dollar, if not 50 cents. Ya live and ya learn.

Kathleen bought a shish kebab from the Greek food stand, which she said tasted excellent. It looked good. Later we bought a beef empanada and I bought a roasted plantain from the Mexican food stand. So much for eating only Brazilian foods.

Despite the slight disappointment with the choice of foods offered this year at the festival, I still had a fun time. With gorgeous weather, a festive crowd, and the good company of my friends, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. All in all, I had a fun time. Who knows what next year will bring.

Paz

Brazil shirts
Wearing the Brazil flag

Some advertisements

Lining up for food served by women from Bahia (wearing white)
Photo by Kathleen R.

A beautiful woman in white from Bahia
Photo by Kathleen R.

A celebratory band
Photo by Kathleen R.

Band continues to celebrate
Photo by Kathleen R.

Misleading ad for Caipirinha. It is NOT soda and water!
Photo by Kathleen R.

Cups in which to serve Caipirinha

Making Caipirinha. Main ingredients include lime and sugar

The end product: A nice up of Caipirinha to enjoy

You can see more photos below (Part II). Check them out!

New York Monday #39: Brazil Day 2006 Part 2

September 4, 2006 | Filed Under New York Monday, Festivals | Leave a Comment 

More pics from Brazil Day 2006. You can find Part I here.

A sign advertising the sale of Pastel and Coxinha (Brazilian food)
Pastels — Here, you have a choice of chicken and beef

Green and Yellow Hatter selling CDs

A display of Brazilian CDs for sale

Jorge Aragão CD — my favorite Brazilian musician

More of the crowd

Shopping

Little girl

Passing by a restaurant

Practicing the martial arts/dance — I don’t remember the name

Ad for sweets

Delicious churrasco with rice and vinagrette

To see photos from last year 2005, go here.Paz

Brazilian Day Festival 2005

September 12, 2005 | Filed Under New York Monday, Festivals | 1 Comment 

 

Pão de queixo (cheese roll)

 

Instead of my cooking adventures, I’d like to write about my eating adventures that took place last Sunday, September 4.

Every year, during the first week of September in New York City, a Brazilian Day Festival is held to celebrate Brazil’s independence.

A few of my friends and I have started what has become an annual tradition, where we get together and attend the festival. Each year, we have more and more fun. It is said to be the biggest Brazilian celebration outside of Brazil. All kinds of people attend the festival – young, old, babies, Brazilians, and non Brazilians (although I believe that everyone becomes Brazilian for the day). It’s a true multicultural event.

The air is charged with excitement, perfumed with the cooking street foods, and filled with the voices of the celebrants. Everywhere I look, I see a sea of yellow and green – the Brazilian colors.

 

 

 

This year, by the time I arrived at the meeting place to join my friends, it was very crowded. As we walked down the street to look at the displays of food, music, books, jewelry and other items, at times, we could barely walk down the street in some spots.

We bought Brazilian-related mementos and tasted some of the different Brazilian food.

First we passed by a stand that sold the traditional Brazilian dish, feijodao. The closest translation for this Portuguese word is “a mixture of beans.” This is a black bean and pork stew. I’m interested in learning how to prepare it someday. At the moment, the recipe is intimidating-looking for me to make. Prominently displayed, a large sign advertised the food and let the public know the feijodao ingredients – pork, jerk beef, smoked chorizo, and black beans – and the foods served with it – rice, farofa (a seasoned manioc flour, which is used as a condiment), hot sauce, kale, and an orange slice.

 

Complete Feijoada list with all the trimmings

 

Serving feijoada, the traditional Brazilian dish

 

We tried some churro recheado com doce de leite, which tastes like a long donut topped with milk caramel.

 

Churro recheado com doce de leite

 

 

We also nibbled on pão de queixo, a cheese roll/bread (see the top photo). Both were very good.

 

Some of us had a grilled shrimp served on a stick.

 

Camarão (shrimp)

 

 

 

One food stand sold pastels – deep-fried pastries – with different fillings, like beef, shrimp, bananas, Hearts of Palm, and cheese. I’d also like to learn how to make this. When I got to the stand there was only one left and that was soon sold to a customer luckier than me (the person in front of me). I could have waited for the vendor to pull more out and heat them, but I changed my mind and moved along. There were more things to see and eat down the street.

 

Pastels (deep-fried pastries)

 

 

 

We tasted some brigadeiro, which means Brigadier in English and is named after Eduardo Gomes, a dark-haired, blue-eyed, handsome Brazilian Air Force commander and politician. The brigadeiro is a chocolate fudge-type candy, topped with chocolate sprinkles.

 

Brigadeiro (Chocolate fudge sweet)

 

 

As we continued to walk, we passed different stands preparing churrasco, the traditional Brazilian barbeque. The difference between American barbeque and Brazilian barbeque is that Americans grill the meat with sauce, while Brazilians grill with salt and water (and sometimes with garlic and lime.). Churrasco is normally served with white rice, Brazilian salsa vinaigrette, and the condiment farofa.

Preparing Churrasco (Brazilian BBQ)

More Churrasco preparation

 

We passed other food vendors preparing Brazilian style kabobs on a grill. We didn’t stop to buy any of the meat dishes, but they looked impressive as the men turned them over on the fire and the smoke billowed out on us. We were sure by the time we got home, we’d smell like meat and smoke. I did for sure. My dogs will verify this as they sniffed me properly.

 

Brazilian-style kabobs

 

 

 

We ended our food tasting by sipping Caipirinha, a traditional Brazilian drink that tastes cool, sweet, and tart at the same time. Translated into English to mean “little country girl,” the main ingredients include sugar, lime and cachaça (a Brazilian sugarcane liquor) served over ice. After walking in the sun, among an intense crowd, it was most refreshing.

 

Caipirinha (the traditional Brazilian drink)

 

 

 

I returned home exhausted with sore feet, but happy and satiated. Despite the heavy crowd in attendance, it was a good and fun, lively, musical and food-filled day.

Here are two recipes. One for Caipirinha from the Food Network channel and the second for Brigadeiros, from Cook Brazil. They’re both good for any kind of occasions and worth tasting at least once.

CAIPIRINHA

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar 1 lime, cut into wedges Ice cubes 2 shots Cachaça or white rum Club soda

Crush sugar and lime wedges in bottom of glass. Add ice cubes then top off with cachaça and a dash of club soda.

 

 

BRIGADEIRO

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

1 tablespoon margarine

3 tablespoon cocoa powder

 

COOK:

Over medium-low heat, stir vigorously the sweetened condensed milk, margarine and cocoa powder.

Cook the mixture until it thickens enough to show the pan bottom during stirring.

Pour the mixture in a greased dish and let it cool to room temperature. Take small amounts of the mixture with a teaspoon and make 1 ½ inch balls.

Roll the balls over chocolate jimmies [chocolate sprinkles] to decorate.

Hint: Grease your hands with margarine to make the balls easily. If the balls don’t hold the shape and flat down like coins, it means that you did not cook enough. Cook additional five minutes, take a small sample and dip it in a glass with cold water. If you cooked enough, this sample should hold the shape after cooling down in the water.

SERVE:

Place the balls in candy cups to serve.

They are great for birthday parties.

SERVING SIZE: 40 candies.