1. Mango Peeler / Pitter Set

Mango Pitter Peeler image source: http://www.chefscatalog.com/

First up is the mango peeler/pitter set ($18.99). This is a must have for those slippery  mangoes while you’re trying to get the pit out and peel them. If you’ve found the right fruit, they are nice, soft and juicy, which makes it even more difficult to prepare. You can’t be without one if you’re in a tropical climate with mango season lasting for several months.

2. Pineapple Corer / Slicer

Pineapple Slicer Corer Image Source: http://www.mileskimball.com

There are pineapples-a-plenty in Costa Rica and adding it to your weekly, if not, daily diet is a must. Pineapples are actually a type of bromeliad, or a flower, which is a conglomerate of a bunch of tiny fruits. But, it’s not really important what they are besides delicious, but with their tough skin and crown, they can be a pain to get into. With a pineapple slicer-corer ($13.99) you’ll be able to have fresh, ripe pineapple within seconds. Don’t forget to compost the scraps!

3. Avocado Slicer

Avocado Slicer Image Source: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/

The avocado slicer ($15) does what your large spoon and knife used to have to tag team to accomplish. The curved shape of the slicer digs into the wide part of the halved avocado and slices as it pulls the edible part out of the skin. It’s perfect for sandwiches, guacamole or hamburgers.

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1. First choose the best, most ripe starfruit with slight green edges and rich orange color

2. Using a sharp butcher knife, slide the blade down the green edges of the star fruit being careful only to remove the non-orange edge.

3. Once the edges are removed, slice off the two ends. Only remove about 1/2 inch, not too much. At this point your fruit should have no more green or brown areas.

4. Next, slice the trimmed starfruit across the broad side, into star shapes about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick

5. You’ll notice that your slices have seeds in them, mostly in the middle pieces. These should be removed with the tip of the knife.

6. Star fruit is a very fun-shaped fruit, so get creative with how you plate it. It also makes a great garnish, and in Costa Rica (in Spanish is called ‘carambola’) they are plentiful and cheap. They are a great snack with a little sprinkle of cinnamon, as a juice drink, or to use in salads. They are versatile, so find your favorite way to use them and enjoy!

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Latin America has a million and one uses for corn. Some examples include bread, tortillas, tamales, empanadas and buñuelos, as well as to prepare drinks such as atole, champurriada, guarapo, mazato, champus and chicha. It is also used in soups, ajiaco, guisos, masamorra and polenta. With all of the options for corn, I’m convinced the arepa is the winner.

Back at the turn of the 20th century, the indigenous people of Columbia would beat the corn on the inside of a hollowed out tree trunk (called a pilón) so that skin would break away and be discarded. Then the insides would then be boiled and ground on a concave stone and formed into a dough. Luckily a Costa Rican friend of mine gave me the arepa dough and a few tips on getting the consistency correct as well as cooking them on the stove top. Check out the recipe below and enjoy.

INGREDIENTS

DOUGH
2 Cups of Arepa Flour
2 Cups of warm water
1 Tablespoon of softened butter
1/2 Teaspoon of fresh cracked black pepper
A pinch of salt

FILLING
1 1/2 Cups of cooked ground or shredded beef seasoned with chipotle peppers.
1/2 Cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 Cup of cooked and seasoned black beans

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix the warm water slowly into the arepa flour, pepper and salt until it’s well mixed and a firm dough.

2. Fold the softened butter into the dough until well blended.
3. Break the dough into four equal parts and form rounded patties.
4. Heat a non-stick or stainless pan on medium-high heat and place in the four arepa patties, cook for 6-7 minutes on each side until golden brown and slightly crisp on both sides.

5. Meanwhile, in two other pots heat the beef filling in one and the beans in the other.
6. Cut the arepas in half and fill with beef, cheese and beans. ENJOY!

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No matter what the history books have said, I think the real gold wasn’t discovered until I walked into the Waffle Place in Escazú. This gold mine is located in the Golden Plaza close to Multiplaza Escazú. Talk about rich, delicious food. And affordable to boot! My husband claims that I’ve acquired a knack for choosing the best thing on the menu the first time, and in this case I did. Now, it’s been a few weeks since I’ve been there and I have been lazy about posting, so I’ll let the pictures and descriptions do the talking.

The owner spent two years in Belgium studying the intricacies of waffles and the cuisine specific to that country and region. The menu is probably bigger than it should be, but I have yet to find something I didn’t love. I always get the waffle with creamy bacon and mushroom sauce over a fried egg. The first time ordering, not having seen the actual waffles themselves, I imagined something completely different. But, to my surprise the flavor was bursting and the richness unrivaled. Also shown here is a waffle with bacon and a fried egg over hashbrowns and topped with honey mustard for the perfect balance of sweet and savory.

They have a great lunch menu, as you can see from the soup in sourdough bowl (not uncommon in the US, but very scarce here in Costa Rica), there is more than just waffles here. Shown is a creamy tomato soup with avocado and a side salad. It’s pretty much guaranteed you’ll leave The Waffle Place more than just full, but completely satisfied.

Related posts:

1. Cheap Food Escazu – Don Fernando
2. Malé – Cheap Food Escazú, San José, Costa Rica
3. Cheap Food Costa Rica – Flor de Loto Chinese

We’ve tried taking as much unhealthy, processed food out of our diet as possible, but it’s difficult finding snack foods that are healthy. We eat a lot of raw fruits and vegetables, but we seem to be missing that potato chip replacement. I love crackers and in the health food stores in the US there is a glorious variety of whole grain, non-MSG-laced crackers, but there are none to be found here in Costa Rica (except maybe in the over-priced AutoMercado, but as you know from my very first post on this blog, I try to stay away from those types of stores.

So, I set out to make some crackers and my first attempt was a successful one. I used Whole wheat flour (also, very hard to find and there’s only two varieties, I opted for the imported variety from the US), olive oil, sea salt, garlic powder, ground cayenne and parsley. My mind was racing with cracker flavors but I wanted to keep the first batch simple. Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (extra for topping)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 cup warm water
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (extra for topping)
1 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley

TOOLS

rolling pin
medium-sized stainless steel mixing bowl
wooden spoon
whisk
pizza stone
brush baster
fork

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium-sized stainless steel bowl, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and sea salt until mixed.
2. Add the water and olive oil and stir together until the dough is not too sticky or dry (add extra water or flour if the consistency is wrong).
3. Knead dough for 2-4 minutes on a floured countertop and then break dough into 12 small dough balls and set aside with a towel or plastic wrap to rest for 45 minutes
4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees with a pizza stone inside (if you are using cookie sheets instead, preheat them as well)
5. Take the rested dough balls and use the rolling pin to flatten the ball into a long strip about 1/4 to 1/8″ thick, brush with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with sea salt and fresh chopped parsley.
6. Slice the strip into pieces of your size preference and poke holes in the dough with the tines of the fork several times (to keep from puffing)
7. Place slices (and any other extra toppings you choose) on the hot pizza stone and cook until golden brown, about 5-7 minutes. Cook in small batches. Yields 24-36 crackers.

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Recently we were turned onto a sure-fire ‘cure’ to her arthritis in the form of homemade dog food packed full of nutrients that are supposed to help reverse the affects of arthritis. We had tried glucosamine and anti-inflammatory pills, to no avail, we thought it was worth a shot. It had to be healthier for the dogs than the bagged dry dog food anyway.

We’ve had the dogs on the food for over two weeks now and have been giving Bailey extra vitamin C to help her immune system and we’ve seen a lot of progress. Her limp is almost gone except for after play, in which case it is short-lived. Both dogs’ coats are shinier and they don’t seem to be shedding as much, however that might just be coincidence this time of year.

We are hoping for more progress and two extra-healthy dogs for the rest of their years. The food is also reasonable to make, only about $6 per batch, which lasts our two big dogs 7 days when mixed with a little dry dog food. We give each dog 3/4 of a Solo cup full of the homemade dogfood and top off the cup with the dry food, twice per day.

Here’s the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

3 cups of uncooked brown rice
2 cups of uncooked barley
2 cups of chopped raw carrots
2 cups fresh chopped beet root
1 cup fresh chopped beet tops
1 cup fresh spinach chopped
2 cups chicken livers
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp dry or fresh sage
12 cups of water

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine ingredients in a large pot.  Bring to a boil.
2. Simmer for 1 hour.  Keep pot covered, stirring every 15 minutes.
3. Add water as needed.

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The place is pretty non-descript, but has a blue sign saying BUBBA’S with a marlin on it. There are about four aluminum 4-top tables with a basket of various hot sauces in the middle. No matter what you see on that menu, get the fish taco, all the way. That includes fresh grilled Mahi, cabbage, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, onion, jalapeños, lime and a large dose of delicious! They come with a buttered ‘elote’ or corn-on-the-cob and don’t forget to order the fresh cut french fries and a lemonade. I’m telling you, you’ll never think twice about the other taco places in Jacó after you’ve left Bubba’s. Now, no matter if we are just driving past Jacó coming from Dominical or spent the day in Esterillos, we make it a point to grab a fish taco before heading home. The best part is, you can get the taco, fries and a drink for about $6, which is more than I can say for the other places.

source: http://www.junkfoodnews.net/worldrecords.htm

As it turns out, according to the Guinness Book of World Records and the Junk Food News, back in August of 2008, Bubba’s took the world record for biggest fish taco. 100% of the proceeds went to establish a reef conservation project at a local highschool in Jacó. “The mission of www.reefball.org is to rehabilitate the world’s ocean-reef ecosystems and to protect the natural reef systems using artificial reef technologies. Reef Balls are artificial reef modules placed in the ocean to form reef habitat.”

Now the little taco stand has moved two streets north and onto the beach. I don’t recall what is next to it, but everyone in town knows where it is. Bubba also runs a very successful deep sea fishing charter company, so make sure you check that out.

Related posts:

1. Taco Bar – Playa Jaco
2. Cheap Tico Food – Jaco Beach

broccoli mixture roasting in the oven

INGREDIENTS

12 oz Small Shell Pasta
1 Bunch of Fresh Broccoli, cut into florets
1/2 C. Walnuts coarsely chopped
1/4 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Cloves of Garlic, pan seared and smashed
2 Tbl Unsalted Butter
1/4 C. Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 Tsp Salt
1/2 Tsp Pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
2. Cook pasta according to package and reserve 1/2 C. of water when draining.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, toss broccoli, walnuts, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper until coated.
4. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, turning once.
5. Toss broccoli mixture with pasta, butter and reserved pasta water until well-coated and add the Parmesan cheese.

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1. Easy Soy Milk Alfredo Pasta
2. Curry Chickpea Pasta Recipe
3. Cheap Food – Tuna Pasta Salad Recipe

Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

2 TBL Olive Oil
2 TBL Butter
2 Chicken Breasts
1 – 15oz can of black beans (or the equivalent in reconstituted dry black beans)
2 cups of chicken stock
1.5 cups of fresh corn (or frozen, canned if you absolutely must)
2 Stalks of celery, chopped
1 Yellow onion, chopped
3 bay leaves
3 TBS Chipotle hot sauce
1 TBS table salt
1 C. shredded cheddar cheese
1 C. Fritos (or corn chips)

DIRECTIONS

1. Chop chicken breasts and sautee in a pot with olive oil until no longer pink. Set aside.
2. In the same pot, sautee onion in butter until they are clear. Pour in chicken stock, black beans, corn, celery, bay leaves, hot sauce and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes, add cooked chicken back in and simmer 20 to 30 minutes more. (don’t freak out if your chicken chunks turn a purple color, this is just the color from the black beans soaking in.)
3. Serve immediately with 2 TBL of shredded cheddar and 10-12 corn chips.

Related posts:

1. Cheap Food – Chicken Scallopini
2. Cheap Food – Tuna Pasta Salad Recipe
3. Costa Rica Fish Tacos

Chefs all over the world have been directly impacted by the magazine over the years. “Before I even was a professional cook I read their reviews, and it shaped who I was as a chef,” e-mailed chef Paul Kahan of Blackbird, Avec and The Publican. “It is sad that one of the most truly food-focused magazines is gone.”

“It’s the center of gravity, a major planet that’s just disappearing,” said chef and author Anthony Bourdain, who said Gourmet was the first food publication to give him a chance as a writer. “There’s been a lot of speculation about this happening, but I’m still stunned.”

Some are of the opinion that a publication once filled with rich food writing has reduced its depth to travel and gadget articles. Overall, the publication will be missed as it’s a piece of history that all of us foodies, old and young, have had a taste of. Goodbye Gourmet Magazine.

Sources include: updated 2:29 p.m. MT, Mon., Oct . 5, 2009; http://www.chicagotribune.com

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