Cooking class 1/30

Oi Pessoal!

So yesterday as the cultural component we had a cooking class! In addition to making the typical dishes such as feijoada, carne moída com batatas and arroz com cachaça (pictures below) we learned how to make Caipirinhas! Yes we got to make Brazilian cocktails at 12:00 in the afternoon while at school what of it? I am in the Souther Hemisphere remember, where things are just a bit more relaxed. Especially when your professors are two caipirinhas in! Anyways below is a link to the video of me making my first ever caipirinha. Key work: making. To say the least, I have had others made for me. Necessary ingredients:

• Half a Brazilian lemon (you might be able to find them in the specialty produce section back there in the US) 
• 1 shot of Cachaça (Brazilian alcohol that is the main ingredient in the caipirinha. You can also substitute in vodka but then you are getting away from the traditional beverage) 
• 3-4 small spoonfuls of sugar
• Ice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RNlLthosdQ&feature=youtu.be

Yes I know the hair net is very flattering, it was required.

Here are some other pictures of the things we cooked along with the people that helped!

 Carne moída com batatas. Lots of garlic, onions, tomato sauce, meat, potatoes, salt. All stable ingrediens in Brazilian cuisine. Delicious.

 Feijoada. Probably the most famous Brazilian dish. Main ingredients: Beans (Feijão), garlic, onion, salt, beef, lingüiça, bacon, pork... yeah being a vegitarian is just not really an option. Feijoada takes a long time to make because you have to first soak the beans overnight and then cook the dish for about three hours the next day.  Also, after you eat it, all you want to do is go to bed because it is very heavy. Therefore, typically Brazilians eat it for lunch on Saturdays since they don't have to work afterwards. After indulging in this delicacy at 3 in the afternoon lets just say I could not eat anything for the rest of the day. That being said, it was VERY yummy.

 Salad! I was impressed this was included on the menu because like Argentines, Brazilians don't think about vegetables much. Meat, potatoes and rice are what make up a balanced diet here. Needless to say, we made a delectable salad with fresh lettuce, arugula, chives, tomatoes and mango.

 This was my first plate. I went back to seconds, obviously. And then thirds, naturally.

 Here is the gorgeous kitchen we got to cook in that looks out over São Paulo.

 View from kitchen.

 Us exchange students in our cooking atire! From left to right Rodolfo from Mexico, Me, Lily and Steve from France.

 Ingredients.

 Bag of meat. Think of filling up an entire shopping bag. That was about the size.

 Our caipirinha professor!

 The finished product

 The pretty table with the boys cooking in the background.

 Brazilian lemons used in the caipirinhas.

 Rice made with Cachaça!

 Steve helping our professor make the Feijoada.

Saúde!