Everywhere in Costa Rica one hears Pura Vida. It seems to be the national motto. I have been here for a week. This is the greenist, healthiest, cleanist, enviromentally conscious, most mountainous place I have ever been. Few people smoke, there is no salt on the table anywhere, the food is mostly rice, black beans, fruit, and vegetables. No hot peppers here unless they are on the Caribbean side where I have not gone yet. When I return home later this week, I will post photos with written details, including some food photos and explanations. Today I saw howler monkeys, iguanas, other lizards, numerous birds, white faced monkeys, sloths, and agoutis. Tomorrow will start out by going to a place with lots of crocodiles and scarlet macaws. This time of year it rains incessantly. I have been soaked several times and nothing dries out. Even though I am not a lover of rain or being wet, it is impossible not to love this place. Pura Vida.
cooking
Easy Thai Shrimp for Two
1/2 purple onion, chopped
1-2 red Mexican peppers, deseeded and cut crosswise into circles
1 large poblano pepper, deseeded and coarsely chopped
5 baby portabello mushrooms, sliced
20 medium cooked shirmp
garlic (optional), coarsely chopped
Olive oil
Thai sweet chili sauce
Pour enough olive oil in a skillet to cover the bottom. Saute the onions and garlic until translucent. Add mushrooms and sauté. Add the shrimp and peppers. Saute until peppers are cooked, but do not overcook. Add sufficient Thai sweet chili sauce to make a thick sauce. Serve over rice. I combine red and Jasmine rice. You may also use other types of peppers. However, the dish is prettier if you combine the green of the poblanos with some type of red peppers.
The last time I made this for my Thai exchange student, I planned to take a good photo but somehow we became too distracted and had eaten most of our dinner before I remembered that I had not taken a photo so here it is fork and all.
Chicken with poblano peppers, sun dried tomatoes and pasta
This recipe is posted as a tribute to Klara Kamper, from Austria. Klara is an exchange student and nearly every week she has come over to ride my horse, Rosie. After riding, I fix dinner. Of all the different dinners I have fixed, this is Klara’s favorite.
4 pieces boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
2 large poblano peppers, deseeded and diced into bite sized pieces
1 large purple onion, chopped
5-6 pieces sun dried tomatoes, chopped into a large dice
Olive oil
Herbs de provence
Cover the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil. Saute the onions until done. Add chicken and more olive oil if necessary. With your fingers sprinkle herbs de provence over the onion/chicken mixture. When the chicken is nearly done, add the poblano peppers and sun dried tomatoes. Saute until the poblano peppers are cooked but still a nice bright green. You may also add mushrooms if you like. Serve over your favorite pasta. My daughter does not like herbs de provence so when I cook this for her, I use a mixture of oregano, basil, and marjoram.
I am very, very picky about pasta. My favorite is organic Montebello pasta produced by Monastero Di Montebello, Isola del Piano, Italy. I especially like the conchiglie. However, I use their spaghetti and other shapes as well.
This is Rosie. She will really miss Klara who leaves for home on June 25.
A friend joined us to see the horses and for dinner. Apparently, she took this photo just before I served dinner.
Flame Kissed Chicken and Lentil Salad
This week what I thought was going to be a culinary disaster resulted in the best chicken I have ever eaten. Twelve people were coming for dinner–a teachers’ sorority. One of the women gave me the chicken half frozen in marinade to take to my house–we work together. She planned to come to my house early and grill the chicken. Because she was unexpectedly late, I had to grill the chicken myself. Now, to tell the truth, even though I cook a lot and blog about food, I had never grilled chicken before. My daughter had grilled steaks several days earlier, but it never occurred to me to clean the drippings pan under the grill. Here is what happened:
I heated the grill to about 450 degrees, took the still slightly frozen chicken out of the marinade and placed it on the grill. It took only about 30 seconds and flames were shooting up about 6-8 inches and the chicken was turning a grayish color. I was concerned about two things: the flames getting totally out of control and starting a real fire (my grill is propane) and the chicken being totally inedible. I turned the heat down, pulled the grill farther away from the wall, turned the chicken over, and hoped it would be ok in the end. After all this commotion, a half hour or so later, and after cooking the hamburgers as well, we tried the chicken. It was the best chicken I have ever eaten. It was even good left over cold out of the refrigerator–I normally refuse to eat leftover, cold chicken, reheated or otherwise, because I think it tastes dreadful. People also told me the hamburgers were cook perfectly.
If anyone can tell me how to duplicate this delicious chicken result without all the flames and fire dangers, please comment on this post.
Several weeks ago a fellow food blogger, The Hungry Irishman, posted a lentil salad. Here is my promise to him to post the lentil salad I make. The original recipe is from one of my oldest and most favorite cookbooks, The Silver Palate. However, like most everything I cook, I modify to suit myself and never really follow the recipe, except maybe for cake, but I rarely bake cake so…
LENTIL SALAD
Cook two cups dried lentils in water with several carrots, 1 medium onion, chicken or vegetable stock, cloves, and 1 bay leaf. Be sure not to over cook.
While the lentils are cooking, combine 3-4 garlic cloves, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup white vinegar, 2 teaspoons dried thyme (you can use fresh also, but will require more thyme), and black pepper to taste in a blender and blend until creamy. You may also add 2 teaspoons ground cumin for a slightly more Middle Eastern taste.
When lentils are done, drain, and remove the carrots, etc. Place in a serving bowl and stir in the blended mixture. Refrigerate overnight. Just before serving add 1 cup scallions, chopped, and 1 cup chopped walnuts. You may adjust vinegar and olive oil to suit your taste.
If you use regular onions chopped rather than scallions, this salad will keep well in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
Teriyaki Salmon with Crystallized Ginger
4 4-6 oz. salmon filets
Enough teriyaki sauce to cover the salmon in a shallow dish
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1/3 cup chopped crystallized ginger
Olive oil
Marinate the salmon in the teriyaki sauce while you prepare the remainder of the ingredients. You may marinate the salmon longer if you wish it to taste less fishy. Saute the onions in enough olive oil to cover the bottom of your skillet. Place the salmon and the teriyaki sauce in the skillet with the onions and sauté until the salmon is nearly done. Add the crystallized ginger and cook until salmon is done. Optional additions: 1 large poblano pepper chopped, chopped mushrooms, chopped garlic. The photo below includes poblano peppers which I use in many dishes. They have a unique flavor and little heat. Serve with Jasmine rice with golden raisins and a green salad.
My son is the originator of the basic recipe. I modified it to suit my own taste. He wraps all the ingredients in foil and cooks it on a cookie sheet on the grill. Sometimes I put it all together and bake it in the oven. These latter methods are the easiest with company because it cooks while you entertain.
Pie: A Story of Mothers and Daughters
My mother usually viewed the world from a black and white perspective. She had a lot of guidelines for how to live a productive and “good” life. Neighbors and friends saw her as a “good” woman who cared for and did “good” in the rural community in which we lived. Above all she was a good cook!!
I rarely think about her “rules” for life. Suddenly I realize I actually “follow” a substantial number of these rules and have passed many on to my own daughter:
This is how you make butter with an electric mixer.
This is how you make a cake:
-grease and flour the cake pan(s)
-cut our circles of waxed paper to put on top of the greased and floured surface–you
do not want the cake to stick
-sift the flour
-soften the butter
-mix the ingredients in exactly this order.
This is what you wear. You want to look presentable!!
-clean underwear in case you are in a car wreck
-matched clothes
-polished shoes
-purse and shoes that match
-no white anything before May 1 or after September 1.
This is how you present yourself to the world:
-well groomed
-clean fingernails
-self assured
-nice, but not too nice
-polite
-brushed teeth
-lotioned body
-clean hair.
This is how you wash your clothes:
-separate whites and colored items–you want the whites to stay white.
This is how you ride your pony:
-keep your heels down
-don’t lean too far back.
This is how you neck rein.
This is how you hold the reins.
This is how you get your pony to trot.
This is how you get your pony to canter.
This is how you get your pony to stop.
This is how you clean the house:
-vacuum first, dust second
-if you don’t do it right the first time, you will have to do it over.
This is how you work:
-hard
-persistent–never ever give up
-smart.
This is how you breathe to sing
This is how you practice well.
My mom could barely sew and only could play the piano by ear–two lifelong regrets. I had to learn these things no matter what. I do not like to sew much, but still play the piano and I love, love, love to sing!
She could cook, especially pie. Her crusts were tasty works of art. At potlucks people would get her pie first to make sure they got some. At potlucks now, people get my pie first to make sure they get some. My daughter does not even eat pie, but people love her pie and get a piece to make sure they get some.
Raisin Walnut Pie
This is not my mother’s recipe. She mostly made black raspberry and other fruit pies and coconut chiffon pies. This is the pie I make every time there is a potluck. If I do not make it, people ask me about it so I gave up and just usually bring this pie.
3 eggs
3/4 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup raisins, golden or dark
3/4 cup walnuts, broken
1 unbaked pie shell
Stir corn syrup and brown sugar into melted butter. Beat eggs slightly and stir into the butter/sugar mixture. Add vanilla. Mix raisins and walnuts and sprinkle into the pie shell. Pour the butter/sugar mixture over the walnuts and raisins. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until pie crust is golden and mixture is set. Cool.
If you goof and do not have vanilla, stir in 1 tsp. of cinnamon instead.
Enjoy!!
Vegetarian Chorizo Casserole and Roasted Vegetables
Last night 12 people were at my house for dinner, including a friend who is Muslim so no pork. I created this dish in order to feed both my Muslim and vegetarian friends. You could use regular chorizo, but after trying soyrizo, I quit using anything else and even my Mexican friends love it. Tastes the same, but not so greasy so probably healthier.
I package soy chorizo, removed from casing
Enough small red potatoes to cover the bottom of a 13 X 9 casserole dish when thinly sliced
3 large poblano peppers, deseeded and sliced
1 medium purple onion, chopped
10 cherry tomatoes
2 cups half and half
4 TBS flour
1 TBS chili mild chili powder
Several TBS olive oil
Cover the bottom of the casserole with olive oil. Layer the sliced potatoes so that they totally cover the bottom of the dish. Remove the soy chorizo from its casing and crumble it over the potatoes. Layer the sliced poblanos over the chorizo. Sprinkle the chopped onions over the top of the peppers. Scatter the cherry tomatoes on top of the onions. In a blender, combine the half and half, the flour, and the chili powder. Pour evenly over the casserole. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees until the potatoes are tender. You may uncover the casserole and continue baking for the last ten to fifteen minutes if you would like the top a bit browned.
I served this with roasted vegetables seasoned with cumin and ground coriander and Egyptian basil:
Cover the bottom of a heavy casserole with olive oil. Place thinly sliced potatoes–I used purple ones–to cover the bottom of the pan. Continue layering your choice of vegetables, spices, and olive oil. Bake at 400 degrees until the potatoes on done, stirring occasionally. About ten minutes before the casserole is done, add kale leaves. The potatoes take longer to cook than any other vegetables I have ever used. Last night I used these vegetables: purple potatoes, yams, baby carrots, brussel sprouts, chopped onions, beets, kale, red jalapeños (seeded and halved), and whole garlic cloves. This is also good with garbanzo beans added just before the kale.
I was going to take photos but was too busy entertaining to take them.
Curried talapia with garbanzos and chard
2-3 talapia fillets, depending on size
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium poblano pepper, seeded and chopped, but not fine
2 red jalapeños, seeded and cut in half
1 Tbs. baltic seasoning
1 Tbs. garam masala
1/2 can garbanzo beans, drained
3 pieces chard, large vein removed and chopped with leaves torn into 2-3 inch pieces
Olive oil
Saute onions in olive oil until caramelized. Add poblano, jalapeños, and chopped chard stems plus seasoning.
Saute until peppers are half cooked. Add talapia. When fillets are almost done, add garbanzos and chard leaves.
When the chard is wilted, but still green, serve over Basmati rice. Serves 2-3.
Note: there are different brands of baltic seasoning and garam masala. I use different brands, but for this
particular recipe, I used Penzy.
Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce
This recipe is dedicated to my grandson, D’mitri, who recently became a very serious vegetarian.
1 lb. soy “hamburger” (I used Gimme Lean Ground Beef Style Veggie Protein)
1 15 oz. can salt free chopped tomatoes
I medium onion, chopped
1 can tomato paste
1/2 -1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine
1 heaping Tbls. each of basil, oregano, and marjoram
Saute the onion in large skillet or sauce pan in 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil. Place sautéed onion in blender with the chopped tomatoes and spices. Blend.
In the meantime, in the same saucepan or skillet, place broken pieces of the hamburger in heated olive oil. Use a wooden spoon to break up the “hamburger” into small pieces and brown. Pour the onion/tomato/spices mixture over the browned “hamburger”. Cook on medium low heat for 5-10 min. Add one can tomato paste and the red wine. Stir thoroughly. Cook on low heat for a minimum of one hour. Serve over organic, Italian pasta of your choice. Serves four.
This is very delicious. It is almost impossible to tell the difference between this and spaghetti sauce made from meat and it is considerably cheaper. It is yummy leftover because the spices blend. I use Egyptian basil because I prefer it. Any type of basil will work.
Garlic Cream Sauce for Tamales
This recipe is posted especially for Tania Pryputniewicz who teaches blogging for the Story Circle Network. She inspired me to take blogging seriously. This is also for
Jesus Daniel Hernandez, the opera singer, who told me this is the best tamale sauce he had ever tasted.
Pour enough olive oil into a medium sized sauce pan to cover the bottom about 1/4 inch. Saute 1/2 chopped medium onion, and two cloves chopped garlic
in the olive oil. When onion appears translucent, pour the onion mixture and 1 1/2 cups half and half into a blender. Add 2 Tablespoons of flour and
1 teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper. Blend until onions and garlic are pureed. Return mixture to sauce pan and cook over low heat until thickened.
Pour over tamales and warm thoroughly in an oven. To increase or decrease the amount of spicyness, increase or decrease the amount of chili powder.
The photograph is the courtesy of Anabel McMillen, who comes to my house and photographs everything.
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