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Costa Rican Food
My favorite was eating at the sodas - casual, typically roadside places offering cheap daily specials. Casados are like the blue plate specials - rice, beans, some kind of protein and veg, maybe a fried egg. Gallo pinto is mixed up beans and rice with seasonings that they serve for breakfast, can come with eggs, tortillas, a soft cheese, etc. The fruit there is incredible, so I'd often order a fruit plate. There's also fruit drinks that are delicious with some type of fruit blended with water or milk - liked the pineapple with milk combo best.
Cook the Book: 'Savory Bread From the Mediterranean'
Pizza bianca! It takes me back to a long weekend vacation we took to Rome last November. Being there for such a short amount of time, we'd run around seeing the sites all day and then crash in the late afternoon for a jetlagged nap. In the evening we'd head outside and couldn't resist the freshly baked bread at Roscioli right next to our hotel. Our little tradition for each day we were in Rome was to grab some of the pizza bianca (cut to order by weight from a large pan) after our power naps to stave off hunger for later dinners while we strolled the centro storico. It seemed to be a very popular thing to do among the locals too.
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Cooking with a Friend: Seasonal Produce and a Family Soup
Those muffins have been a breakfast mainstay for me for years. I make 3 batches at a time then freeze - 30 seconds zapped in the microwave out of the freezer, and they taste really fresh.
Costa Rican Food
My favorite was eating at the sodas - casual, typically roadside places offering cheap daily specials. Casados are like the blue plate specials - rice, beans, some kind of protein and veg, maybe a fried egg. Gallo pinto is mixed up beans and rice with seasonings that they serve for breakfast, can come with eggs, tortillas, a soft cheese, etc. The fruit there is incredible, so I'd often order a fruit plate. There's also fruit drinks that are delicious with some type of fruit blended with water or milk - liked the pineapple with milk combo best.
Cook the Book: 'Savory Bread From the Mediterranean'
Pizza bianca! It takes me back to a long weekend vacation we took to Rome last November. Being there for such a short amount of time, we'd run around seeing the sites all day and then crash in the late afternoon for a jetlagged nap. In the evening we'd head outside and couldn't resist the freshly baked bread at Roscioli right next to our hotel. Our little tradition for each day we were in Rome was to grab some of the pizza bianca (cut to order by weight from a large pan) after our power naps to stave off hunger for later dinners while we strolled the centro storico. It seemed to be a very popular thing to do among the locals too.
Cooking with a Friend: Seasonal Produce and a Family Soup
thanks for sharing the muffin recipe. I made a double batch last night and they are great! i couldnt find wheat bran so i substituted oat bran, to no ill effect. They were just as good this morning out of the microwave as last night!
Cooking with a Friend: Seasonal Produce and a Family Soup
Thanks for the comments, everyone!
@tmbaker669 I will definitely try to note what we're doing to prep. This week, we totally made the albondigas, prepped everything for the miso salad separately and ziplocked it, made the cranberry beans and kept the pancetta separate, thoroughly made all the veg, and made the sauteed chicken for the lettuce cups. I haven't had any issues with spoilage. I just let everything cool down before refrigerating, but am certainly not an expert on how to do avoid bacteria (admittedly, that's not a huge concern for me).
@LilAlli I'm glad someone else knows about them -- I was very impressed with the recipe.
@GoodStuffNW I think we have rapini now (I'm in San Francisco) -- I'll keep an eye out.
@_greanbean I'm definitely saving money (as is J.). The main reason is because having prepped food in the kitchen keeps me from going out as much. I live in the middle of San Francisco, and am easily distractable so if there's nothing interesting in the fridge, I will easily go out and spend $50 for a dinner nearby. I don't think I've eaten lunch out since we started this project, and my dinners have been dramatically cut.
Cooking with a Friend: Seasonal Produce and a Family Soup
i love this idea and wish i had someone to share it with.
just curious...has this been more economical for you? were you spending more or less than $50/week when you cooked for just yourself?
Cooking with a Friend: Seasonal Produce and a Family Soup
I don't know if it's in season where you are, but we've had some terrific rapini showing up in our markets. Jealous that you've already got favas...can't wait! Yum!
Costa Rican Food
@Ribster: Leche de Tigre (Tiger's Milk) is actually a Peruvian specialty, which you probably knew. I haven't tried it, either. My grandmother was a Limeña and boy, do I need to get down there to eat someday. Heard good things.
Costa Rican Food
I spend a most lovely vacation in costa. Def hit the Central Market, and go to the Ceviche stands- best cheapest and most authentic. the Central Market was my favorite part of San Jose. Comida Tipicos is incredible- you will be come addicted to gallo pinto.
Tamarindo has many lovely restaurants, with fish right off the boat
In san jose, there is a great restaurant near the folk art open market I will have to check my notes at home and post again. Every thing is just so fresh- be sure to try as many bebidas (fruit shakes) as you can- my favorite ended up being papaya w/milk.. man i want to go back.
Costa Rican Food
While in San Jose, make a side trip to Escazu (it's right outside of San Jose). Go to a restaurant called Pollo Male. (POLLO MALE a La Leña (228-0623)) It has the the best and cheapest roast chicken ever. The refried beans and tortillas are amazing, and it's a very cool little hole-in-the-wall place. It's somewhere I go at least 3 times every time I visit.
Also in Escazu is Cerutti (Latin America's only 4 star restaurant, I believe). I think the food there is perfect. (Cruce San Rafael de Escazú, Costa Rica +506 228 45 11 )
Lastly, I would recommend La Monastare (Off Santa Ana Road from Escazú, Costa Rica +506 289 4404 ). It's French food, which may not be what you're looking for, but it's worth it for the view, which is breathtaking (the food is quite good as well, I recommend any of the beef dishes).
Other than that, I would say jsut eat the local food, which is fantastic. Comida Typicos is either beef, chicken or fish, with rice & beans, and some vegetables. Even when you go to the supermarket, you get great food (the supermarkets are fun to see, since they're guarded by guys with massive firearms)...Have a wonderful time, I think it would be impossible not to in Costa Rica!
Costa Rican Food
This is great! Thanks everyone so far.
I'm drooling thinking about the fruit.
Costa Rican Food
When I was there, I found breakfast to be the 'creme de la creme' of meals. The coffee was superb. The juices enlightening and fresh. Variety of pastries I've never seen in the states. The bacon / sausages were meaty and well seasoned. And the fruit was fabulous.
When I asked my business host to take me out for 'Costa Rican Food' we ended up eating something akin to bad Mexican food. When we had a nice 3 hour lunch out one day - they took us to their favorite place which was a Chilean Restaurant. Was good, but they explained that Costa Rica is such a melting pot that the locals enjoyed all kinds of food from Japanese to American to Brazilian.
The one thing that did stand out was a drink called Tigers Milk - it was the juice from Ceviche. Supposedly quite the male aphrodisiac. I tasted it but passed on it and stuck with my beer.
Great county although San Jose can get pretty hectic.
Costa Rican Food
i second the sodas (they're kind of like small restaurants the locals go to), the fried chicken, the fruit and the fruit drinks. i got tamarindo with water and watermelon. and the fried chicken and arroz con pollo i had at the sodas were good. one day we decided to go to a "nicer" restaurant and it was a disaster. we promptly went back to eating food at the sodas. and dinner was never more than $8 per person.
Costa Rican Food
Gallo pinto, Salsa Linzano - I have been instantly transported back to CR. Yum, yum, yum!
Fried chicken is also very popular and quite tasty.
Costa Rican Food
@LilAlli: You covered the bases for eating out. Those fruit drinks are so addictive -- I usually got guanabana (white soursop) and mora (blackberry) when I was there. Also, there's a decent Mexican place in San Jose called Los Farolitos, but you should stick with typical CR food though. It's good.
I stayed in San Jose with some Ticos a while ago during the summer and they always served coffee, fresh bread, butter and jam for breakfast and served a lot of yucca-chicken soup paired with an onion, tomato and heart of palm salad for lunch. I usually went to the sodas for dinner, got gallo pinto and slathered it with Salsa Lizano, which you'll see on nearly every table. Tastes a little bit like A-1 sauce.
I picked up a habit in CR . . . one of the local kids in the house I stayed in got me eating unripe mango slices with pickled jalapenos. Delicious!
Costa Rican Food
I looooved Costa Rica. Especially bartering at the markets. That was my senior trip. I'm in France now and I prefer Costa Rica to the Franceland.
Cook the Book: 'Savory Bread From the Mediterranean'
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Cook the Book: 'Savory Bread From the Mediterranean'
True pita-- the kind you can only get in the Middle East. Both sides are thick and pillowy; the pocket stays intact so you can stuff it until overflowing with salads and sauces. I actually brought two dozen back this summer-- on a 24-hour flight. They were gone in a week and a half.
Cook the Book: 'Savory Bread From the Mediterranean'
I'd have to say lefse.
Cook the Book: 'Savory Bread From the Mediterranean'
My favorite is naan, though lefse isn't bad (as long as there isn't any lutefisk on it), and lavosh too if you have the right spread.
Cook the Book: 'Savory Bread From the Mediterranean'
Garlic naan and alu paratha top the list for me. I don't count pizza as a flatbread.
Cook the Book: 'Savory Bread From the Mediterranean'
While I love all breads, I think pita might be my favorite for its versatility. Plus, it's easy to make at home.
Cook the Book: 'Savory Bread From the Mediterranean'
naan is my favorite flatbread
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Those muffins have been a breakfast mainstay for me for years. I make 3 batches at a time then freeze - 30 seconds zapped in the microwave out of the freezer, and they taste really fresh.