A special weekend

Travel and work keep me away from this blog from time to time. Sometimes, however, it does just the opposite. So, last time I had the chance to visit the kitchen when this chat happens. On the picture, the couple responsible for everything. Food is divine, but even for a fork addict like me, company surpass the meal by far.

'Loose' rice and first class carreteiro

My mother always made a killing carreteiro. Carreteiro's rice, or just carreteiro, is an appreciated dish in Rio Grande do Sul, where I live. While in the italian risotto we try to let the rice release starch in order to end up with a cream, in the carreteiro the idea is to get a loose rice. That is the way I like it, and that is the way I learned it from my mother.

The original carreteiro is peasant food. Made of rice and salted meat, it was easy to prepare in a era without refrigeration. By the way, carreteiro means carriage's driver, someone that wanders on horse power with very few resources. Today we call carreteiro rice with all kinds of meat cuts and even with leftovers of a good churrasco, or barbecue. My favorite.

I start with chopped onions on hot olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then comes the meat, the rice and enough water. Sometimes, tomatoes or even (what a heresy!) catchup. Sorry for that, Clarissa! Next comes the secret: after the rice, after have added the water, leave it alone! Don't touch anything. Get everyone out of the kitchen, do not speak loud! The rice should cook on low heat with the pan semi-closed. You should watch it carefully, adding water when necessary, but never, never, stirs.

Well, then came a wife and a doughter that like their rice glued like a puree. The technique, passed from one generation to the next, is lost. A tradition is dead.

Risotto on stand by

I became a big fan of risotto after learning how to
make it with italian rice. I learned the recipe from
José Hugo Celidônio's book, Histórias e Receitas
(Stories and Recipes). Clarissa has already
written about the risotto's technique, so I am not
repeating it here. What I want to mention
is the tip he gives on how to stop the cooking,
just before the rice is ready.

When the rice is almost cooked, you add one more
cup of chicken broth and turn off the heat. You
may ask "How do I know when the rice is almost done?".
Well, you have to learn it by yourself, doing one
after another (I always taste it). The rice will
cook a bit more and absorb the liquid while it
seats waiting for your next move.

You should try shrimps! One pound of scrimps,
a hot pan with a little bit of olive oil, salt,
pepper... After frying the shrimps, lightly,
throw it into the rice under low heat.

Mussels and squid are great too. I have just
tried smoked salmon and it was delicious.
Don't forget to add one more spoon of butter
with the salmon.

Fettucini with smoked salmon

One of these days, running through the supermarket, late,
having to fix dinner for the girls, I decided that my best
option would be a quick pasta. The idea was to prepare
fettucini with cream cheese and mushrooms. For a change,
and to avoid hearing that "again!" from my daughter, I
also bought 100 g of smoked salmon. Well, it did not
taste that bad...

Here we go:

100 g of smoked salmon, sliced
fresh mushrooms (+/- 500 g)
a cup of cream cheese
a handful of green onions
1/4 glass of a good white wine
olive oil
black pepper
a pinch of salt
Barilla's fettucini

Slice the onion and throw it into a hot pan with olive oil.
Immediately, add the mushrooms cut in thin slices. Steer a little,
add the wine, the salt, the pepper, ant let it cook for a while.
The mushrooms loose water quickly and reduce to half their size
in a few minutes. When the mixture had lost half of its water,
turn down the heat and add the cheese. Turn off the heat and
add the salmon.

The pasta should be ready, of course, cooked in salt water
and drained. Al dente.
Just pour the sauce over the pasta. I had it with a delicious
chadornnay.