Since the beginning of Covid-19 quarantine, chefs are sharing recipes in their social media profiles on a daily basis
Max Jaques
We were all forced to make changes in our daily habits with the arrival of coronavirus pandemics. At least one of them could be positive, though. Since we can’t go out as we were used to, lots of people are facing a new task: cooking for their families or with them. But how could they do it?, sometimes with no or little culinary skills plus the extra challenge of restricted visits to markets and food shops?
Social media could be the answer. With most bars and restaurants closed, chefs from all over the country are becoming presenters for small (sometimes big) audiences, helping them to cook simple dishes (sometimes not so simple too) and even drinks. We made a selection of Brazilian Instagram profiles for those who want to learn new preparations to vary the sort of flavours cooked at home.
We couldn’t start with any other tip than the Cesta Básica series, from Instituto Brasil a Gosto. Created and presented by Ana Luiza Trajano, our president and founder, this project was still in phase of post production when we all needed to be confined to our home. Aware of this new urgency, Ana decided to publish the series anyway: it is not a final product, but it has a lot of good recipes and tips for those who want to prepare tasty homemade food in a simple way, using just a few ingredients. If you are not following it yet, you can learn more about it here. Also, you can watch some videos in our IGTV or in our YouTube channel. Don’t forget to subscribe it, so you will not miss any new content.
But this is not a feature about us. Let’s see who else is producing tasty contents for you to improve your cooking skills during this quarantine time. And remember: #stayhome if you can.
Néli Pereira and its apotheque drinks: @neli_pereira
If you are, just like we are, passionate by Brazilian ingredients and the ancestral knowledge of the “garrafadas” (traditional infusions made with herbs, roots, and other ingredients), you will love the daily classes Néli, a partner of the Instituto, is doing on her Instagram profile. From Monday to Friday, at 7:30pm, she shows off some of her extensive research in Brazil’s cocktail art. She announces the contents of next lives in advance, with subjects like alcohol-free drinks, classic cocktails, Brazilian ingredients and, our favourite, “multiply Friday”, when she uses the same ingredients she used during the week to make new cocktails just by changing the preparations. The bad side of this? Deal with how we are missing the time when we could hear all of that at @espacozebra bar, where Néli serves her creations.
Luiz Américo Camargo and his podcast Pão Nosso @luizamericofcamargo
Baking bread is one of the most joyful activities to do in the kitchen! All the magic that starts with the flour and ends with a golden crust and the smell of fresh bread coming out of the oven is well explained by the journalist and researcher Luiz Américo Camargo in his podcast Pão Nosso. With daily episodes, the podcast already has lots of content and it is not only about (wonderful) recipes, but works also as a guide for you to organize your life to start baking. It is marvellous work, like everything Luiz Américo does.
Karina Gentile and the real daily cook @depoisdeparis
The chef and food consultant Karina Gentile is using her Instagram profile to show how she organizes and prepares meals at home during this quarantine in a simple and practical way. In a calm and uncomplicated atmosphere, Karina brings recipes that bring us a nostalgic feeling: rice with sausages, Brazilian version of stroganoff with rice, French toast, bread pudding and other delicious local recipes that we, from Instituto Brasil a Gosto, love to death.
Larissa Januário and her tips to best buy with no waste @semmedida
Playing an important role in times like these, Larissa Januário, the chef who runs the projects Casa Azul, Jantar Secreto and also writes a column for Brazil’s Marie Claire magazine, brought us an important contribution: a guide to shop wisely, store and keep food items during the quarantine. Seasoned with equal amounts of responsibility and humour, the “quaretena sem desperdício” (no waste quarantine) series gives tips that went viral and that suggest that you “stop, breath and don’t freak out”. We also recommend recipes like “ultimate mistinho” (ham and cheese sandwich): she teaches, step by step, how to make a crunchy sandwich just like the best bakeries in town do, but at home.
Guga Rocha, practical intelligence and some fun @chefgugarocha
Ambassador of the Instituto Brasil a Gosto, chef, author and TV presenter Guga Rocha is known for his charisma and competence. His good mood and technical knowledge, typical of those who created menus all over the world, are some of the things the chef is using at his Instagram to teach simple, delicious and versatile recipes like orange zest marmalade, pancakes made with rice leftovers and “whatever is in the fridge” quiches. The videos are in his IGTV but there is also extra content in the stories and saved in the highlights area.
Raphael Despirite, a cosmopolitan touch and some fun @rdespirite
From pão de queijo (a Brazilian typical cheese bread) to braised veal, from ceviche to sweet rice, Despirite, who was the chef at Marcel (traditional french cuisine restaurant in São Paulo that closed its doors definitely in the middle of pandemics) and in the project Fechado para Jantar, cooks a little bit of everything while entertaining the audience with phrases such as “the truth is I clean the kitchen very well, but there is this crazy elf that comes here every time, messes everything up and runs away through the balcony. I swear!” or “since we are living sheer nonsense times, I decided to celebrate Christmas now and am already putting raisins in everything”.
Raquel Vidal and the snacks from Minas Gerais (quitandas mineiras) – @chefraquelvidal
While lots of chefs are teaching options for lunch and dinner, Raquel Vidal brings a tasty contribution directly from Minas Gerais region’s cuisine: a free e-book (download it here) with snack recipes! She explains, at the e-book presentation text, that “for mineiros (people who were born in Minas Gerais) the so called ‘quitandas’ (snacks) are anything that is homemade and could be served with a cup of coffee(…)”. The e-book teaches how to do a biscuit with guava marmalade and yam snacks, all of them are good options for those who are working at home.
And this menu of online classes is not over yet! If you miss French cuisine made with Brazilian ingredients, follow Alain Polleto (@alainpoletto) from Bistrot de Paris, who teaches a papillote of Saint Peter fillet. For meat lovers, we recommend Mário Portella @marioportellamg. If you are interested in functional food, Bela Gil (@belagil) is posting more frequently than ever. Paola Carosella made the first video of a series named #nossacozinha in which she teaches classic French omelette with herbs. Iara, from Quitandarte (@quitandarte) is teaching homey recipes like a fried biscuit. And for those who want to try their own abilities in confectionary, the award winning chef Diego Lozano (@chefdiegolozano) is teaching live simple recipes like brownie, cookies and caramel, leaving this content saved in his profile.
Have you already started a new recipe book just to take notes of quarantine suggestions? We recommend you to do so!
