Vegan Awards 2016

A text withdrawn from the FB page of Oproer brew pub and Vegan Restaurant: The Oproer kitchen team would like to thank all our customers who appreciate what we do, and everyone who voted us for the Vegan Awards 2016!

We would like to thank ourselves too, for our hard work and dedication to making Oproer Restaurant what it is. In the picture from left to right: MG Lostia, Kristen, Asia Komarova, Carlijn Bakker, Mari Pitkänen, Martina Bovini, Sascha.

And the ones who couldn't make it to the photo shoot, but were there in spirit as essential part of the team: Wanting Li, Marlinde Kievet, Jimmy Luca, Avital de Rooze, Alexandra Mitsiou.

See you all at Oproer!

workshop on fermentation at feira space / fabrica bhering

After offering the workshop on fermentation during Sao Paulo Bienale, together with Samantha from Paisagismo Comestivel, we decided to give the opportunity to interested public in Rio de Janeiro.

On the ground floor from the Bhering factory, inside the beautiful space called Feira, dedicated to housekeeping objects and keept by Crisitiana Duarte. Here, we organised the 4 h discussion and practice around two tables. One for the examples of fermented products and starters and the other one for cooking.

 The structure was similar to the one of the Bienale, but the big difference was that we had a garden outdoor, where to harvest herbs and Corrado from Correto productos naturais brought his own shiitake, grown 2 h from the city.

So here is the recipe that one of the participants made when rounding up: natural fermented bread ( with a 154 years starter from India, donated by Slow Bakery to us ) with cashew nuts cream cheese, pickles de maxixe e xuxu and cooked shitake with fast pickled pumpkin….I have to admit, I have eaten her sandwich : )..thanks to Flavia and Cris.

Workshop on Fermentation Processes during 32 Bianale Sao Paulo

Last weekend I gave a workshop on fermentation processes in the kitchen space of the Sao Paulo biennale in Brazil, the binnale embraced many works of artisits working with alive materials, it was 'natural' to be part of it. Once again thanks to all the organisation, the production team and the participants.

Extract from the website: Russian artist and chef Asia Komarova gives a workshop on fermentation in which the participants are invited to cook their own collective lunch. Using different types of fungi, Komarova produces plant and vegetable cheeses. Fermentation can be understood as a process for conserving and preparing foods that is related to the past, present and future.
Capacity: 35 people (Registration closed)
The workshop is open to children from 8 years old

PROGRAM
2 pm Introduction to fermentation processes / what does it mean to ferment?
2.30 pm Start preparing nuts based cheeses
3 pm Pickles and fast pickling processes
4 pm Soft drinks and tepache preparation
5 pm Composing the sandwich and enjoying the meal
The space COZINHA is sponsored by CTEEP

Refloresting the rainforest with food or agro-gastronomia

Agroforestry systems (or SAF) mixes crops with forest crops, allowing food production while recovering the soil and promote biodiversity on site. During a weekend we travelled together with Kadija de Paula and Rodrigo Krul to sitio Nebulosa, in Resende ( RJ ), Brazil, to study and prepare the SAF, and finally plant the system in a small area.

 

During a weekend we travelled together with Kadija de Paula and Rodrigo Krul to sitio Nebulosa, in Resende ( RJ ), Brazil. On my way to Nuvem, the space that hosted the 'agrofloresting' course, the main question was: is 'deforestation' a reality ?

We were invited to 'process' the cacau seeds to be planted the day after, apparently to eat the covering part around the seeds is a tradition.

 

Later on, the kitchen and the fire outdoor were so inspiring, the possibilty to cook on open fire was there and I had to take it ! We made a pumpkin stew topped by fried galanga that has been collected previosuly near to the waterfall's shore.

 In the mean time Tomaz was showing us his collection of mais corn seeds and dried crops, reaped during his trips around South America, supported by an extense book collection about agrofloresting.

The day after we started an intense activity of 'refloresation' incorporating trees as eucaliptos but also palm trees and madiocas, alternating corns with cacau plants.

The last after we have been covering the planted land with a sort of a 'salad' in my vision, made of mango leaves, straw, branches and banana leaves and truncks. In this way we reacreated a natural behavior, the one of composting and protecting the soil from extern sun rays, to faciliate a humid base for the coming forest.

After a consuming morning, we had to reinforce our working bodies with some lunch, so we decided to cut a mature palm tree, pupunha, to eat it's heart.

Therefore we cooked it with some mandioca roots, thinking about the future harvest of 'agro-floresta'.

The menu was already quite nutritious but we thought it could be fun to make an agro-focaccia and to plant in the bread. We fermented the dough the day before and finally add some sunflower seeds and some spinach, by planting them into the focaccia.

When the palm tree heart was ready and to celebrate our generous surroundings and indigenous cooking we decided to prepare a variation of the pre-colombian tamales.

The activity was facilitated by Tomaz Ribeiro Lanza, Agronomist and graduated in Agricultural Sciences formed in UFRRJ, educator and researcher in the field of Plant Production, Agriculture Tropical Fruit Crops, Agroforestry and Agroecosystems, Master in Plant Science from the same institution and currently a doctoral student in Horticulture UNESP.

Big gratitude to Bruno, Mariella, Alberto, Luana, Pablo, Gabi and the rest of the farmers.