Passion Fruit ~ Maracujá

Photos by Priscillakittycat

There are a few reasons why I love Passion Fruit.  First, the flower that gives rise to the fruit is beautiful.  The flower emits a lovely aroma and attracts bees, butterflies and wasps who spread its pollen. The origin of passion fruit is unknown but it is believed to be native of Brasil where 16th century Spanish catholics called it “flor de las cinco llagas”.  They believed that the flower symbolized the death of Christ (Passion of Christ), hence the name Passion Fruit; the five petals represented the disciples (minus Peter and Judas), the corona symbolizes the crown of horns around Christ’s head, and other features were a symbol of the wounds, nails, and whips used on Christ.

I also love passion fruit for its tangy and sweet taste and the soft texture of the pulp.  Some varieties of passion fruit are very tangy.  It depends on the color of the fruit.  When the pulp is tangy, you can add some sugar and water…and it makes for a great and nutritious juice.

Desserts made with passion fruit are so pretty because the color of the pulp really stands out.  In a very ripe yellow passion fruit, the pulp has a bright yellow-orange color. The tangy taste goes very will with chocolate, especially dark and Belgian chocolate.

The nutritional value of Passion Fruit is impressive.  It is loaded with polyphenols which prevent cardiovascular disease.  The pulp is high in ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and carotenoids (vitamin A).  Fiber is also a huge component of Passion Fruit.

Last but not least, Passion Fruit has a calming effect.  It is a natural way to relax the body and mind.

The photos you see are from the passion fruit vines I planted here at home.  You can never have enough passion fruit!

 

Mexican Breakfast Burritos ~ Burrito Mexicano

While I was in Las Vegas I found it hard to stay asleep after 5 a.m.  I blame the accumulation of jet lags.  First, I had been in Brasil, that’s three time zones ahead of Miami.  Then I flew to Las Vegas.   That’s three time zones behind Miami and six time zones ahead of Brasil.  Too many time zones to think coherently or be productive.  When that happens, I think of food.  Usually the kind that’s not good for your arteries…or your waistline.  I found myself craving egg, potato and chorizo burritos.

I was kind enough to let the other members of the family sleep, while I watched the darkness and bright Vegas lights give rise to a snow-capped mountain sunrise over the Wynn and Encore Hotels.  Then, around 9 a.m., I sent the first group text.  “Breakfast burritos?  I found this place with good reviews…home cooked Mexican breakfast burritos…and the best tamales in town.”

There was no response…until 1.5 hours later when my brother emerged from his room.  “We have eggs here.”

My response:  “Yes, but we don’t have Mexican chorizo…or tortillas…or tamales”.

By 11:15 a.m. (Las Vegas time zone) we were pulling out of Doña Maria’s restaurant with a large brown bag…and very big breakfast burritos with beans on the side.  The burritos were followed by another detrimental act.  The siesta. After the nice nap we headed to the local supermarket.  I bought several Mexican Chorizos and froze them for the trip back to Miami.  Little does my brother know, I’ll be happy about that breakfast run and supermarket stop for the next year.

The tortilla recipe in the videos comes from a blog.  I won’t bother to re-type the recipe onto this blog for you because I also have to translate it to Portuguese…and today is Sunday…a day to rest.  Watch the videos and you’ll figure it out. Here is the link for the blog where I found the flour tortilla recipe. Best Ever Flour Tortillas

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Estive em Las Vegas recentemente…depois de ter estado no Brasil.  São seis fuso horários.  Nas manhas eu acordava muito cedo, antes do sol nascer.  Era bonito ver as luzes da cidade, as montanhas de topo branco no fundo e o sol nascendo lentamente.  Quando o silêncio já era demais, pelas 9 horas, resolvi enviar uma mensagem de texto para a turma.  “Burritos Mexicanos para o café da manha?”  A resposta so veio depois de 1 hora e 30 minutos quando meu irmão apareceu e disse:  “Temos ovos aqui em casa”.

Convenci ele de que os burritos da Doña Maria eram os melhores de Las Vegas.  Não podiamos perder esta oportunidade.  As 11:15 ja estavamos de volta, com um saco pesado na mão.  Os burritos eram gigantes.  Depois de papar os burritos e de uma boa siesta fomos ao supermercado comprar linguiça Mexicana.  A linguiça congelada chegou em Miami direitinho.

Encontrei a receita das tortillas num blog e gostei.  Ja tenho esperimentado muitas receitas de tortilla.  Esta é boa e super fácil de fazer.  Vou chamar ela de Tortilla Preguiça porque não é feita a mão e tambem porque depois de comer, da aquele sono gostoso de Domingo.

Ingredientes

3 copos de farinha de trigo
1 colher de sopa de sal
1 colher de sopa de pó royal
1/3 copo óleo vegetal
1 copo de água morna

Coloque a farinha, o sal e o pó royal na vasilha de uma batedeira.  Usando o gancho de massa da batedeira, ligue e misture estes ingredientes.  Acrescente o óleo e a água morna e bata até formar uma bola.  (Um minuto, velocidade média)  Pare a batedeira e raspe os lados da vasilha se for necesário.  Bata por mais um minuto (velocidade lenta) até a bola não grudar nas mãos.  Pode adicionar mais farinha se precisar.  Tire a bola da vasilha e corte no meio.  Corte as duas metades novamente e vá cortando até obter 16 pedaços do mesmo tamanho.  Enrolle as bolas e depois amasse com a palma de mao.  Cubra os pedaços com um pano de prato limpo e deixe descansar por 15 minutos.

Esquente um tacho grosso.  Abra a massa de uma tortilla e coloque no tacho quente.  Deixe por um minuto até apareçam bolhinhas na tortilla.  Vire a tortilla quando as bolhinhas estiverem dourando e deixe por mais um minuto. Se a tortilla demorar dourar, aumente o fogo.  Se ela empretecer muito rapido, diminui o fogo.