Watching, Breathing, and Eating the World Cup

I talked to my father a couple of days ago. He said, "Now that Brazil is out of the Cup, I don't really care who wins. I watch the games because I am interested, but I don't care who wins." I echo his sentiments. It was tough to see defending World Champion and my second-favorite team get the boot. But I must say that France definitely deserved to win. They out-Braziled the Brazilians, plain and simple. They played the jogo bonito that Brazil just couldn't get going. And all my French friends were beside themselves with happiness. That's always good. They also liked my caipirinhas.

In the kitchen everything has been going well. The Portuguese shrimp in olive oil, garlic and chile flakes were a huge hit, even with my 7-year-old friend Felix. He also pronounced himself a big fan of my shepherd's pie, helping himself to two portions. Tatyana's vareniky were awesome and so easy to make! And of course, the maiale tonnato flew off the table in no time. I served it with chilled steamed carrots and radishes. The only thing I did not like was the Portuguese soupa verde. I think I added too much parsley, which made it bitter.

Now we have finally reached the final. Both semifinals were exciting, and really, I am glad neither went on to penalty kicks. I never would have guessed a final between Italy and France, but, hey, Jimmy the Greek I am not. What I am is excited about the next two matches. I will host my last World Cup fest on Saturday, with plenty of German and Portuguese food.

For my last feast, I will make spaetzle, tiny noodles/dumplings that are boiled and served in Germany as a side starch, like potatoes or rice. I first tried this dish with my friend Christine Schiller, who made it as a casserole topped with cheese and baked. I will also grill some bratwurst and have some sauerkraut on hand for good measure. Portugal will again be represented with those awesome shrimp with garlic and chile oil, but this time I will also try to make arroz de polvo (rice with octopus), a very Portuguese recipe. I love octopus, and for some reason Americans haven't quite understood its virtues, so I don't get to eat it very often. This is an adaptation of some recipes I found on Portuguese Web sites. I translated it myself:

Arroz de polvo

2 pounds octopus

1 garlic clove, minced

2 white onions

1 bunch Italian parsley

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1Ú2 cup dry white wine

2 cups rice

Salt and pepper to taste

Olives for garnish, if desired

Clean octopus well and cook in salted water with one whole peeled onion, half of the parsley, and bay leaf for about one hour or until tender. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid, and chop into bite-sized pieces. Discard the herbs.

Chop remaining onion. Heat oil in a pan and add onion, garlic, and tomatoes and cook over medium heat for a few minutes. Add four cups of the octopus cooking liquid, the wine, and the chopped octopus. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and then add rice. Cover and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let it rest for a few minutes. The rice should be tender and watery. Serve hot, garnished with the rest of the finely chopped parsley and whole olives, and some piri piri sauce or Tabasco, if you like. Pair it, of course, with muito vinho verde.

For the final on Sunday, I will be going to my friend Olivier's house to watch it with the French contingency. Their gatherings there are very nice, full of international flavor. There are folks from Mexico, France, Germany, England, Italy, and the U.S. along with the occasional Czech. This is what the World Cup is all about. I love the stuff. I will let the real French chefs take care of the food. I can't decide if it's OK to bring Italian food or wine to their own turf. I'll make it a game-time decision. If I am not in South Africa for the 2010 World Cup (as I am planning to do), I hope to have the opportunity to share my passion for food and fútbol with the Chronicle readers once again.