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| The Olympic Flame with the Kinetic Sculpture by Anthony Howe |
I eagerly woke up at 2 a.m., Eastern European time, on the 6th August 2016, to watch the flamboyant Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games that took place at the Marakana Stadium in
The masterminds behind the opening ceremony had concluded to put on a simple show, due to the extremely severe economic situation that country is in, and who with limited funds would try to present the best possible performance using themes from Brazilian culture and creativity.
The famous choreographer Deborah Calker created a wonderful performance, with the help of 6000 volunteers, who with special light effects and colourful costumes, danced, sang and drummed through various periods of Brazilian history to the sound of the samba, bosa-nova and funk.
The show started with the beginning of life, during which time the forest dwellers built their first huts and ocas.
Then, the Portuguese arrived with their caravels and brought slaves from Africa to help them out with the plantations. Later other Europeans, Arabs and Japanese arrived and, over the centuries, they all together built their new homeland, the modern state of Brazil . The ancestors of all these ethnic groups took part in this intelligent and vibrating performance.
Later, the show focused on the urgent need of promoting PEACE ON EARTH, and the necessity of environmental protection in a country struggling against the destruction of the Amazon rain forest. A video showed how climate change endangered flooding, and how many of the large cities of the world would be submerged, including Rio . The messages of the Opening Ceremony were: "THE WORLD DEMANDS PEACE" and that: “IT WAS NOT ENOUGH TO STOP HARMING THE PLANET, IT WAS TIME TO BEGIN HEALING IT”.
Kenyan athlete and twice Olympic Champion, Kipchoge Keino, was presented with the first Olympic Laurel Award accompanied by children flying 200 white kites, shaped like doves, the doves of peace. The Olympic Oath was recited by a Brazilian sailor, Robert Scheidt.
It was then time for the Athletes’ Parade, with representatives from 207 countries, each planting a seed that would later be used to create a forest in Rio . Each flag bearer was accompanied by a child bearing a plant.
The loudest cheers at the Maracana Stadium were for the Refugee Team that would be competing for the first time at the Rio Olympics.
Finally, Vanderlei Cordeiro de Lima, the Brazilian marathon runner lit the Olympic Cauldron. The Olympic flame is enclosed in a dazzling kinetic sculpture, depicting the sun, by Anthony Howe.
It was certainly one of the most brilliant Summer Olympic Opening Ceremonies that I have ever witnessed.
It was certainly one of the most brilliant Summer Olympic Opening Ceremonies that I have ever witnessed.
To honour the hosts of the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, here are three typically Brazilian recipes, which I hope you will prepare and enjoy.
VATAPA
This is a delicious Brazilian seafood dish with fish and prawns in a ginger-flavoured nut sauce.
2 tbsp olive oil
1½ kg (3 lb) sea-bass fillets or any other firm white fish
1 kg (2 lb) prawns, shelled and deveined
Very little salt and freshly ground pepper
45 g (1½ oz) onion, very finely chopped
2 large tomatoes, skinned seeded and coarsely chopped
1 bottle tobasco peppers, drained, seeded and finely chopped or
2 red Florina peppers sliced, seeded and sprinkled with a pinch of Cayenne
1 freshly grated coconut* please see recipe below
500 ml (2 cups) or more water or milk
3-4 tbsp toasted cashew nuts, finely ground
3 tbsp dried shrimp, ground in a blender
2½ tbsp chopped fresh coriander
2½ tbsp grated fresh ginger root
Salt and freshly grated black pepper
2½ tsp rice flour diluted in
5 tsp cold water
5 tsp dendé oil (I use a sprinkling of extra virgin olive oil)
Sauté the fish in batches, sprinkle with very little salt and transfer to a dish with a slotted spoon. Then sauté the prawns just until they change colour. Sprinkle with very little salt and transfer with a slotted spoon to the dish next to the fish.
In the same frying pan saute the chopped onions, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and transparent. Add the tomatoes, tobasco or Florina peppers, cover the frying pan and simmer for 10-12 minutes.
Stir in the grated coconut, add the water or milk, the ground cashew nuts, blended dried shrimp, fresh coriander, grated fresh ginger and taste and season accordingly with a salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer, covered for 15 minutes.
Pour in the diluted rice flour stirring constantly until the sauce thickens slightly. Then blend the sauce with a hand blender and strain it, pressing with the back of a spoon, into a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and cook until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Add the fish, prawns and the dendé oil or any other vegetable oil you might be using, bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes, until the seafood is heated through. Serve in a deep heated dish with steamed rice.
*Freshly Grated Coconut
When buying a fresh coconut shake it to ascertain that it is full of milk.
One 1¼ kg (2½ lb) fresh coconut
Puncture 2 to 3 eyes on the coconut shell with a screwdriver and drain out the milk and set aside. It should be about 6 tbsp of liquid.
Bake the coconut for 15 minutes in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) and transfer it to a chopping surface and while still hot, split it with a hammer. The shell should fall away from the meat. Trim off any bits of shell from the meat, cut it into 2½ (1 inch) pieces and blend in a food processor with the 6 tbsp coconut milk until finely ground.
This cocktail is made with Brazilian Rum and lemon juice.
VATAPA
This is a delicious Brazilian seafood dish with fish and prawns in a ginger-flavoured nut sauce.
2 tbsp olive oil
1½ kg (3 lb) sea-bass fillets or any other firm white fish
1 kg (2 lb) prawns, shelled and deveined
Very little salt and freshly ground pepper
45 g (1½ oz) onion, very finely chopped
2 large tomatoes, skinned seeded and coarsely chopped
1 bottle tobasco peppers, drained, seeded and finely chopped or
2 red Florina peppers sliced, seeded and sprinkled with a pinch of Cayenne
1 freshly grated coconut* please see recipe below
500 ml (2 cups) or more water or milk
3-4 tbsp toasted cashew nuts, finely ground
3 tbsp dried shrimp, ground in a blender
2½ tbsp chopped fresh coriander
2½ tbsp grated fresh ginger root
Salt and freshly grated black pepper
2½ tsp rice flour diluted in
5 tsp cold water
5 tsp dendé oil (I use a sprinkling of extra virgin olive oil)
Sauté the fish in batches, sprinkle with very little salt and transfer to a dish with a slotted spoon. Then sauté the prawns just until they change colour. Sprinkle with very little salt and transfer with a slotted spoon to the dish next to the fish.
In the same frying pan saute the chopped onions, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and transparent. Add the tomatoes, tobasco or Florina peppers, cover the frying pan and simmer for 10-12 minutes.
Stir in the grated coconut, add the water or milk, the ground cashew nuts, blended dried shrimp, fresh coriander, grated fresh ginger and taste and season accordingly with a salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer, covered for 15 minutes.
Pour in the diluted rice flour stirring constantly until the sauce thickens slightly. Then blend the sauce with a hand blender and strain it, pressing with the back of a spoon, into a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and cook until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Add the fish, prawns and the dendé oil or any other vegetable oil you might be using, bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes, until the seafood is heated through. Serve in a deep heated dish with steamed rice.
*Freshly Grated Coconut
When buying a fresh coconut shake it to ascertain that it is full of milk.
One 1¼ kg (2½ lb) fresh coconut
Puncture 2 to 3 eyes on the coconut shell with a screwdriver and drain out the milk and set aside. It should be about 6 tbsp of liquid.
Bake the coconut for 15 minutes in an oven preheated to 180 C (350 F) and transfer it to a chopping surface and while still hot, split it with a hammer. The shell should fall away from the meat. Trim off any bits of shell from the meat, cut it into 2½ (1 inch) pieces and blend in a food processor with the 6 tbsp coconut milk until finely ground.
BRASILEIRAS
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| Brasileiras |
Do prepare these Brazilian coconut biscuits, they will be very popular with your family and friends.
280 g (7 oz) sugar
6 tbsp water
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
30 g (1 oz) plain flour
195 g (6½ oz) desiccated coconut
Vanilla
Place sugar and water in a saucepan over low heat, stirring until the sugar melts. Then cook undisturbed until the syrup reaches the hard thread stage when a small amount is dropped into iced water or 110 C (230 F) on a sugar thermometer.
Mix the egg yolks with the flour together, until they are well blended. Then add 5 tbsp of hot syrup, stirring vigorously. Slowly pour the mixture into the saucepan with the remaining syrup, stirring constantly. Add the coconut and barely simmer, stirring until the mixture becomes very thick. Do not allow the mixture to come to the boil at any point.
Remove the saucepan from the fire and stir in the vanilla, and cool the mixture to room temperature. Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F).
Shape the dough into walnut-sized balls and place them on a baking sheet, lined with baking parchment, 2½ cm (1 inch) apart. Press each ball gently with a fork, and bake for 15 minutes until the biscuits are a delicate golden brown. Cool and serve.
BATIDA PAULISTA
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For each cocktail:
5 tsp caster sugar
60 ml (2 fl oz) cachaca (Brazilian rum) or any other light rum
30 ml (1 fl oz) lemon juice
3-4 ice cubes
A thin lemon slice
A chilled glass
Place sugar, rum and lemon juice in a shaker and stir until the sugar melts. Add the ice cubes, close the shaker and shake vigorously for 10-12 times. Pour the Batida Paulista into a chilled glass, garnish with the lemon slice, and Saude!! Viva!!
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