Best soup in town- Pamphylia

It sounds crazy to have a post about soup. Many people think it is not something special and not really worth to talk about. But this is what we craved for after stuffing ourselves with meat and more meat in churrascos in the initial days in Curitiba. Soup suddenly became so refreshing. Ever since we found this restaurant (Pamphylia), we became regulars; not only for the soups, but also their pastas and pizzas.

Wine Tasting at Vino

A wine tasting night of New Zealand wines in Vino. The wines that we tasted are:

1. Matua Single Peak Riesling (Marlborough) R$53
2. Palliser Sauvignon Blanc (Martinborough) R$78
   
3. Pencarrow Pinot Noir (Martinborough) R$105
4. Kaituna Valley Pinot Noir (Marlborough) R$209
   
5. Hunters Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough) R$109

Asian Dinner

Last Sunday night, we had a small dinner at home with a couple from Sid's office. I decided to give Sid a challenge with the wine list, so I chose an Asian-themed menu to see what Sid would come up with. The menu was:

1. Vietnamese Spring Roll (recipe)
2. Pan Fried Shanghainese Wontons
3. Cantonese Shredded Chicken Salad
4. Thai Chicken Green Curry
5. Satay Beef Wok-fried Rice Noodles
6. Mango Pudding

Sid opened a bottle of rose to start the evening. We had brought this bottle back from Chile from our last visit. We had tried this Cousino Macul 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon at the vineyard and I really liked the flavour - like fruits (red ones, not bananas, pineapples, or durian) bursting in your mouth! Strangely enough, we had actually bought this bottle in 2005, so I guess this wine does not need to spend much time in the barrel. (fresh from the vine to my mouth - hence the explosion).

Actually, the southern hemisphere is slightly different as the harvest period is in the first quarter of the year (rather than 3rd quarter in other parts of the world). Actually, the wine did not have very powerful aromas but tasted excellent. Given the unseasonably warm temperatures, it was a good start to the evening. During dinner, Sid chose an Argentinean Sauvignon Blanc from Santa Rita (Reserva 2005). Again, fresh from the vines - almost like we had to pick the grapes ourselves. The wine had a very interesting (actually not very interesting, as it was very pale) colour. I can't remember anything about this wine as the first wine had already left me slightly light-headed. Sid said that the wine was refreshing and had good acidity - actually went well with the green curry and the spring roll. He also said (for R$ 45) - it was a good buy!

After desserts, we had opened a box of swiss chocolate thins but had completely forgotten about the beautiful hand-crafted chocolates from Curitiba that our guests had brought. Check out these chocolates - each one was individually hand painted and they were totally yummy. (Cuore di Cacao, fone: 3014-4010)

Wine Tasting

We are lucky to find a couple who enjoy wines as much as we do. So we decide to have regular meetings to enjoy wines from different countries. This time we tried two wines, Gran Feudo rose 2005 (Spain); and Dona Paula cabernet sauvignon 2004 (Argentina).

The rose had a fantastic fruity nose and was a good wine to start the evening. It was an excellent companion for the strawberries and soft cheeses we had that day. We had left the Dona Paula in the decanter for a good half hour or so and it was surprisingly drinkable for such a young wine. We had tortelloni com molho de funghi that night and the slightly earthy flavour of the wine matched the flavour of the funghi well. Probably worthwhile to keep this wine for another year or so before drinking.

Soap

Great finds in supermarkets

It has been a while since we have tried something "Brazilian". So last weekend, we ventured out to Angeloni. (Angeloni is the best supermarket in Curitiba, as least I think so. It is very well maintained compared to the other supermarket chains like Pao de Acucar, Macardorama or Festa.) This time, we concentrated in the fridge section and here are what we found: Polenguinho pasteurized cheese, Danubio's Queijo com Frutas and Sadia's Frankfurt style sausages.
Polenguinho: Almost exactly like the Laughing Cow cheese, except that it's a cube of cheese.
Danubio's Queijo com Frutas (Cheese with fruits): A quite popular dessert in Brazil. I think of it as jam with cream cheese.
Sadia's Frankfurt style sausages: Sadia is one of the biggest producer of chilled and frozen items.


There is also a website comparing prices of consumer items available in Brazil.

Canada Day Celebration

Well, it's not today. It's on July 1. This year is Canada's 139th anniversary. We organized a party at our place on the day. We ate, watched soccer (well, not normal celebration activity but there were 2 games: English vs Portugal and Brazil vs France), worked on a quiz(yes a quiz!). For those who are interested in knowing more about Canada, here is the quiz:
______________________________________________
1. Geography
Q. What is the name of Canada’s largest group of waterfalls? (hint: they are located in Ontario)
a) Victoria b) St. Lawrence c) Ottawa d) Niagara
Q. How often does the flow of water completely stop across the main waterfall?
a) Never b) Only once in recorded history c) approximately once every 10 years d) Annually


2. Language
Q. Which province has the largest population of French speakers?
Q. What is the third most common language (mother tongue) in Canada?

3. Sports
Q.What is the name of the sport that is played on ice and involves players in 2 teams sliding stones into a target area?
a) rugby b) ice hockey c) curling d) bowling – Canadian style
Q. A Canadian invented which of the following sports?
a) American Football b) basketball c) cricket d) tennis

4. Sports
Q. Which is Canada’s official national sport?
a) ice hockey b) bear hunting c) ice fishing d) lacrosse
Q. In the Canadian Football League (CFL), what is the name of the trophy given to the winning team each year?
a) Stanley Cup b) Grey Cup c) Gold Cup d) Art Ross Trophy

5. General Knowledge
Q. In the Canadian monetary system, how much is a ‘dime’ worth?
a) nothing b) 10 cents c) 25 cents d) 1 dollar
Q. The famous Bluenose is depicted on the Canadian dime, what is it?
a) a Moose b) a Bear c) Gordie Howe d) a boat

6. Entertainment
Q. Which Canadian singer won 3 American Music Award for Favorite Female Country Singer and once as Favourite Pop/Rock Artist
a) Leann Rimes b) Justin Timberlake c) Cheryl Crow d) Shania Twain Which

Q. Canadian singer of Portuguese descent won a Grammy for her single “I’m like a bird” (Hint: her surname can mean “stolen” in Portuguese)
a) Celine Dion b) Sarah McLachlan c) k.d.lang d) Nelly Furtado

7. Geography
Q. One of the most famous companies/retailers in Canada is named after a large body of water (specifically a bay), what is it called?
a) Ice Bay Co b) Hudson’s Bay Co c) Ontario Bay Co d) Bayless Shoes

Q.Speaking of bodies of water, name the 5 Great Lakes separating Canada and the US:________, _________, _________, _________, _________

8. General Knowledge
Q. What is Canada Dry?
a) a kitchen appliance b) a desert c) a drink d) a Canadian’s sense of humour

Q. How many deserts are there in Canada?
a) None b) one c) five

9. Canadian Symbols
Q. What kind of leaf is on the Canadian flag?
a) Pine b) Maple c) Banana d) It is actually not a leaf, but instead a symbol of the Crown

Q. What is Canada’s national animal?
a) a seal b) a moose d) a beaver d) Pamela Anderson

10. Geography
Q. Which city is the capital of Canada?
a) Toronto b) Ottawa c) Eskimo Bay d) Montreal

Q. In which province is the largest city in Canada?
a) British Columbia b) Manitoba c) Ontario d) New Brunswick

11. Entertainment
Q. Which “Friends” character is Canadian?
a) Jennifer Aniston b) David Schwimmer c) Mathew Perry d) Matt LeBlanc

Q. Which of the following Canadian science fiction actor was not born in Canada?
a) Hayden Christiansen (from Star Wars) b) Keanu Reeves (from the Matrix)
c) William Shatner (from Star Trek) d) Michael J Fox (from Back to the Future)


12. General Knowledge
Q.The national police force in Canada is called the RCMP. What does the M stand for? (Hint: Royal Canadian ________ Police)
a) Military b) Metropolitan c) Mounted d) Mighty
Q. What is a “Toonie”?
a) Saturday-morning cartoons b) a coin c) someone from Nova Scotia d) a bicycle

13. Food
Q. What is the main ingredient of “poutine”?
a) Whale fat b) French fries c) Maple syrup d) Salmon

Q.Which of the following is not a Canadian food invention?
a) Beavertail b) Nanaimo Bar c) McIntosh Apple d) Fortune Cookie

14. General Knowledge
Q.What is an “Igloo”?
a) a bathroom b) a type of small living hut made of ice c) an alcoholic drink made of eggs d) a native Indian spa resort

Q. In British Columbia, what is the name of the ski resort located adjacent to Whistler?
a) Veil b) Blackfoot c) Blackdiamond d) Blackcomb


15. Invention
Q. Which of the following was not invented by a Canadian?
a) Electric Light Bulb b) Garbage Bag c) Telephone d) Ice cream

Q. Which of the following was not invented by a Canadian?
a) Television b) Wireless Radio c) Refrigerator d) Zipper
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For pictures for the day,click here.
For recipes for the day,click here.

Aula de sabonete (Soap Making Class)

I took two soap making classes recently at African Art. The basic class talked about the basic ingredients of soap, techniques of melting glycerin, tips on pouring glycerin into molds, tricks to remove bubbles from the soap and also packaging (well, not very challenging). The advance class was more interesting since it talked about the different ingredients that can be added to a basic soap bar.

Source Guide:
Atlantic Spice Co- Carries a wide range of fragrance oil
Aunt Roma's Handmade Gifts - Carries fragrance oil. Also has recipes.
Bazzill Basics Paper- Carries paper products for packaging.
Hero Arts - Carries stamps for packaging.
Life of the Party - Carries soap molds.
Milky Way Molds - Carries soap molds.