Oi Brasil!

Passport & Plate - Self Made Seitan

ilka — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 00:16:46 GMT

Ingredients
Wheat Gluten
1 kg wheat flour
0,5 L water

Broth:
2 L water
2 cups soy sauce
2 tablespoons miso paste
1 big onion
1 parsley root
2 big carrots
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup tomato puree
handful of shiitake mushrooms
spices: bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, oregano, cloves, coriander, peppercorns, 1 teaspoon vinegar, a pinch of sugar

How to prepare this recipe
Preparation Theory Wheat Gluten: (You will understand why this is a 'theory' when reading my story behind the recipe)
Knead a dough from flour and water (the flour and water should to be in a 2:1 ratio). Now, wash your dough. Stick it in a large bowl of warm/hot water and let it sit there for 20 minutes. Squish the gooey dough around in your hands underwater. This should be done in the sink. You will start to see the water turning white. Once the water has turned pretty much opaque, dump it down the drain. Fill up the bowl with cold water, and continue washing. Proceed along the cycle of washing using alternately warm and cold water. Once the water stays clear, you're done kneading. What was flour once will be a small solid mass, the wheat gluten.

Cooking in Broth:
Cut the vegetables, put all the ingredients and spices (the more, the better) in a pressure cooker and add the wheat gluten. It should be completely covered by liquid. Cook it on high for about 45 minutes. Done. You can cut the seitan into small pieces or store it whole. It should be stored in its broth, in a refrigerated covered container. It can also be frozen.

The story behind this recipe
It was not easy to find all the necessary ingredients in Brazil. Actually, it was impossible. parsley root? They never heard about a weird thing like that. Well, any kind of rooty legume should do, I thought, and grabbed a yam. Shiitake mushrooms are unknown as well, but I found something wrinkled mushroomy from Argentina.
I started by preparing the broth to let it cook while "washing" the wheat flour. What a mess! I swear the dough tried to eat my hand. It didn't want to go off and kept 'biting' into my hand. As punishment, I let it sit in lukewarm water for 20 minutes.
Then I started washing the dough using alternately warm and cold water. Warm not HOT. Do not cook your water like I did! Some washing cycle later the dough had transformed, as well as my formerly clean kitchen. It transformed into some kind of slimy mass. The dough, not the kitchen. That is when I learned to better wash the dough in a big sieve to not lose too much slime …uummm… dough into the drain when changing water. The process of redecorating your kitchen while producing seitan takes about 30 minutes. The slime will eventually turn into some kind of solid mass.
The seitan can be cooked as a whole or in smaller pieces in the broth. That takes about 45 minutes in a pressure cooker. The seitan will absorb some liquid and grow a little. When finished cooking all you have to do is take out the seitan to store. Careful, hot. Again!
By the way, careful when opening the pressure cooker. To little patience might result in an explosion. Guess how I found out!
A dirty kitchen and some burns later, I had created my first homemade seitan. It turned out pretty well in the end though.

State Park Itaúnas

ilka — Sat, 11 Jan 2014 05:12:00 GMT

Itaúnas is located 260 kilometers north from Vitória, capital of the state Espírito Santo. Itaúnas is famous for its dunes and Forro, a typical Brazilian dance and music, which is part of the local culture. Every year in July the "National Festival of Forro Itaúnas" takes place. It is the world’s largest Forro festival. But this is not the only attraction worth your visit. The beach of Itaúnas is 25 km long. Large dunes give it its characteristic appearance and make it a perfect observation point for beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Three miles of beach are reserved for public use.

Main season is December and January. Thousands of tourists from all over Brazil enjoy their summer holidays at the Itaúnas beach. The small and charming village offers lots of Pousadas (small hostels) as well as camping sites. The village had to be relocated in the 1970s as it was originally located at the beach. But the dunes took it over and buried all the houses under waves of sand. Sometimes, depending on the wind, the old rooftops can still be seen from the beach.

If you love nature, you should take your time and go on a trail in the State Park Itaúnas (Parque Estadual de Itaúnas). It is a conservation unit of 3200 hectares with a diverse range of ecosystems, such as beach, mangroves, rainforest, river and dunes. You can’t miss the park as the village is located in its centre and if you’d like to learn more about Itaúnas and its history, visit the park’s headquarters which hold a small museum.

The River Itaunas is a sweet water river that can be explored by kayak. Just ride down the river until you reach the sea and keep an eye open for alligators and caimans. But don’t worry, it is not dangerous at all.

If you want to explore Brazil and its culture and get to know places normal tourists probably don’t know, plan your next trip to Itaúnas. You will be enchanted :)

Photos: State Park Itaunas

ilka — Sat, 11 Jan 2014 02:12:00 GMT

the State Park Itaúnas (Parque Estadual de Itaúnas) is a conservation unit of the Atlantic Forest. It is 3200 hectares big with a diverse range of ecosystems, such as beach, mangroves, rainforest, river and dunes. It can be visited and trails are available for hiking. Photos: Leonardo Merçon www.ultimosrefugios.com.br https://www.facebook.com/ultimosrefugios http://www.youtube.com/ultimosrefugios

Baby Cutia

ilka — Sat, 11 Jan 2014 00:41:00 GMT

Everybody knows about lions, elephants and giraffes in Africa. Most people even know that the Amazon region of Brazil is full of species and rich wildlife. But few people know that the Atlantic Rainforest is the richest biome in the world. 10% of the world's species can only be found there and nowhere else. But the Altantic Forest, and all its species, is about to disappear. Only 7% of its original size remains today. Deforestation and illigal hunting come at a high price.

To show you the beauty and adventures that can be found in the Atlantic Forest, I created the video webseries "Adventures of a Nature Photographer" that shows the experiences of Leonardo Mercon, photographer from Espirito Santo, during his trips to the rainforest. The serie's original language is Portuguese but English subtitles are available.

Even though it seems as if we humans try to destroy every bit of life left on this planet as fast as possible, animals are still born. Maybe it is not to late. Have a look at this cute video of a Cutia and her babies. Maybe the first birth ever registered on video.

Your Backyard - Birdwatching

ilka — Tue, 5 Nov 2013 17:51:53 GMT

The video was filmed in my “backyard”, the Atlantic Rainforest. Most communities in Brazil think that wildlife only exists in Africa or far away in the Amazonas Rainforest. Nobody expects to find this rich biodiversity in their own backyard, even though the rainforest is literally just around the corner. I chose to show and explain birding because it is an inexpensive and fun activity that can be done with the whole family and friends wherever you go.

Two years ago I decided to change my life and live in Brazil. I and my husband, Leo, are a team. We are full of ideas and enjoy creating inspirational videos. I recently started filming our field work activities during the expeditions to the rainforest.
My dream is to travel the world filming my experiences while discovering wild places and exotic cultures! Winning the trip to New Orleans would mean the world to me. The guidance and expert input would allow me to produce videos of much higher quality in the future. I want to use my knowledge and my videos to contribute to nature preservation. I want to inspire people to travel and preserve the little bit that is left of our wild landscapes and colorful cultures.