The Girl from Ipanema: Leticia Moreinos Schwartz

This week, TLK switched gears and went to The Brazilian Kitchen, to talk to chef and cookbook author, Leticia Moreinos Schwartz. The Brazilian born culinary maven took the time to chat about her love of Latin cuisine, and a cause that has become dear to her heart.

“I had a ball growing up in Rio de Janeiro,” says Moreinos Schwartz of her childhood in Ipanema. “It was a great experience and made me a very energetic child.” Moreinos Schwartz came to the United States in 1997 to study cooking, a new venture for her after studying economics in Brazil.

“I was in finance at the time. I actually don’t even know how I got involved with the industry,” admits Moreinos Schwartz. In fact, she didn’t even know that cooking professionally or being a chef was a real career option. But after discovering cooking schools like Le Cordon Bleu in Paris and the French Culinary Institute in New York, Moreinos Schwartz knew she had found her calling.

“I was like oh my gosh, this is me,” she says, but first made sure to finish her degree in economics before pursuing a new dream. Thankfully, Moreinos Schwartz always possessed an artistic side and caught on quickly. She now finds food to be a great outlet for her needs, but her Brazilian culture is never far from her heart, or her plate.

“I think that food and language is the passport to any culture,” says Moreinos Schwartz. “I would definitely say that Brazilian and Latin cuisine is in my veins,” she continues, adding that she speaks Portuguese with her kids, listens to Brazilian music, and constantly cooks a variety of Latin dishes. The chef’s culinary background in French cuisine gave her a jump-start for all kinds of inspiration.

“I think it goes by phases,” says Moreinos Schwartz of what has influenced her cooking career. “When I was just starting out in cooking school, I wanted to be just like Jacques Pepin. Now in this phase of my career, which I feel is more oriented working with different kinds of cookbooks and campaigns, my new influence is promoting Latin cooking,” she says. Her first cookbook, The Brazilian Kitchen: 100 Classic and Creative Recipes for the Home Cook, was published in 2010 and has become the number one reference on Brazilian cuisine.

Next, more on Moreinos Schwartz’s upcomming projects and delicious, healthy recipes…

In most cases, chefs usually owe their love of cooking to a close family member who influenced their career from the very beginning with dishes from childhood. This however, was not the case for Moreinos Schwartz, who is the first generation of cooks in her family.

“It’s crazy, I know! But my family loves to eat, and no one in my family can cook,” she says. “It’s actually funny because they really don’t know a thing about cooking, so it’s always nice to awe them with my skills,” she continues. In an upcoming book titled, My Rio de Janeiro, the chef features a chapter on home cooking, paying homage to her aunt. “I find that my DNA comes from her, she is an amazing cook, and I’ve been cooking with her a lot,” says Moreinos Schwartz.

Being an ambassador of Brazilian cuisine had opened up many doors to all kinds of opportunities for Moreinos Schwartz, including her involvement with the leading global healthcare company Merck. Together they have created, “Cuida Tu Diabetes, Cuida Tu Corazón,” an educational campaign dedicated to raising awareness of Type 2 diabetes among the Latin community. Moreinos Schwartz is honored to be the spokesperson for this cause, as her grandfather passed away from the disease.

“Being able to represent my culture and doing something good for our community through such a great cause is a very comforting feeling,” says Moreinos Schwartz. “I find that as a Latina, it’s very hard to adjust our diet; we are very attached to our traditional recipes and to our ingredients. As a cookbook author and as a chef, I feel that it’s very doable; it’s possible to live a healthier lifestyle and still manage your Type 2 diabetes,” she continues.

The website encourages people to cook more at home, empowering the Latin community to take control and learn about the basics of this disease.

“Along with Merck, it’s our focus to raise awareness and help people come up with a plan that is right for them, because diabetes is not a one size fits all deal,” says Moreinos Schwartz, who believes that healthy cooking and eating is the foundation for everything. “The recipes on the website are geared towards anyone’s skill level, and feature a bunch of my favorite dishes,” she says. One of the recipes, a turkey sausage and bean soup known as Feijoada is a native dish in Brazil. While the chef reveals that the complete dish takes about 2-4 hours to make, Moreinos Schwartz has come up with a quicker version that takes about 20 minutes.

“I crave this dish all the time and it’s so healthy for you,” she says. “It’s difficult to get into a healthy routine, but we are trying to change that and make cooking fun, easy and less stressful,” she continues.

Next, more on Cuida Tu Diabetes and delicious, healthy recipes…

At the end of the day, Moreinos Schwartz loves to spend time with her family at home in Connecticut. Her two children, Thomas and Bianca are active in the kitchen as well.

“Their palates are a little young for the Brazilian dishes, which are influenced by African flavors and spices, but they love to bake, especially brigadeiros, ” she says. Moreinos Schwartz is constantly in her kitchen, and says that if she isn’t cooking — her favorite ingredients to cook with are olive oil, onions and garlic — she can’t relax.

“Because I am a chef and am always working with food, it doesn’t feel like actual work, so it’s hard to give myself a break,” she says. “I do however, have to thank God for giving me a love of exercising, or else I would be huge!” continues Moreinos Schwartz who enjoys spinning.

As for the future, Moreinos Schwartz is very excited for the promise in the rise of Latin and Brazilian culture and cuisine, and hopes to make it back to Brazil for the upcoming summer Olympics in 2016.

“I think that the awareness of Latin cooking is growing bigger and bigger, and I do have hopes that Latin cooking is going to get there with the rest of popular cuisine,” she says. Moreinos Schwartz revealed that she would also love to have a cooking show on Brazilian or Latin cuisine, and of course, many more cookbooks in the works.

In offering words of encouragement to aspiring chefs, Moreinos Schwartz has three: hang in there.

“I would absolutely tell people, no matter what age or profession, to not give up and hang in there. I know it can take some time, but you’ll get there,” she says, and is very excited for what’s to come in her own future goals. “There’s a lot in Latin cuisine to conquer, and for me, it’s only the beginning.”

Get a taste of what Moreinos Schwartz is cooking up with these three recipes. 

Spanish Crepe Enchiladas

• 1/2 cup (78g) all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (110 ml or 108 g) whole milk
• 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 2 tablespoons (26 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil for frying the crepe
• 4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons salt, more for the filling
• 10 ounces (284g) fresh spinach, washed (1 bag)

Get the full recipe. 

Spiced Pineapple and Manchego Skewers  

• 1/2 pound fresh pineapple, peeled
• 6 ounces Manchego, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground chipotle
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 20 small bamboo skewers

Get the full recipe.

Black Bean and Sausage Soup

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 turkey or chicken sausage links (about 8 ounces)
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
• 2 scallions (white and green parts), chopped
• 2 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (or ½ lb or 1 cup dry black beans)

Get the full recipe.