Hello Costa Rica!

Hello. My name is Tara and I work in an office. I work in an office where we are so incredibly busy that even the thought of a vacation is not possible, let alone actually being able to take one. Honestly, I don't mind. I love my job and I love the people I work with. My job is fulfilling and gratifying and enjoyable but... sometimes... sometimes the gypsy inside me wriggles her toes, dusts of her shoes and tugs at my wanderlust; making me yearn for distant shores, archaic forests, arctic tundra and the glittering sandy beaches of the beyond. I have been successfully repressing my inner gypsy for quite some time now and sadly, I am not the only one. There are others in my office (yes, I'm talking about you Christine) who feel the same as I do and who have been working relentlessly for years to keep their raging gypsies at bay ... and they too have been successful ... that is until last Wednesday, when I came up with this amazingly terrific, wonderfully delicious idea. My idea ... if we couldn't go out and see the world, we could certainly bring the world in to see us and what better way to do it than through our stomachs! We would pick a country at random every week and then each Thursday hold a pot luck in the the boardroom with foods from that country. The rules would be simple:

1. Pick a dish that is authentically from the chosen country

2. Pick a dish that you have never made before

3. Make said dish authentically your own

My idea sparked some controversy in our little office, causing those less inspired to ask "what are you going to do when you get a bad country?" and "Why would you even want to do this?" Questions posed by people who had long ago dropped their own gypsies off on some lonely twisted highway, shoeless and sobbing in the rain. Bad country? Why do I want to do this? Whaaaaat???! I couldn't even wrap my head around what they were saying. I mean c'mon, why would I NOT want to do this????!! My idea was going to be exciting and fun and a learning experience with even the less popular countries like Bangladesh (sorry Bangladesh) offering up tons of food inspired adventure. Not to mention, helloooo, my idea was going to be super duper YUMMY!

Christine our Office Administrator and fellow gypsy repressor wanted in --- advising me her "bag was already packed"  and my boss was definitely up for the ride. So, like the brazen  world travellers we were longing to be we decided (or rather fate decided for us) to start our culinary journey in ... COSTA RICA.

We were all super excited and couldn't wait to get cooking. Google became our best friend as we spent hours upon hours (of non-company time obviously!) scouring website after website, desperately searching for the perfect recipe; a recipe from Costa Rica's heart to ours.

Finally decisions were made.

This week's menu: Arroz con Pollo, Zapallitos Rellenos and for dessert Arroz con Leche.

Mmmmm we were definitely NOT disappointed-- all the fare turned out wonderful and our very first Brown Bagged Travels pot luck was a complete success. My dish was Arroz con Pollo (chicken with rice) and while it was easy enough to make, I have to admit that it was not the most exciting thing I have ever eaten. While researching my dish I discovered that Costa Rican cuisine is often described in culinary circles as being "bland", which totally explains my recipe's tag line of "best served with ketchup". Christine's Zapallitos (zucchini) were fantastic and the chopped egg stuffing in them was interesting and very "costa rican". Berni made the most delicious rice pudding that I have ever tasted ... EVER (i.e. I actually licked my bowl clean. Licked. It. Clean.) I have included the recipes below in their original form with our personal touches written in bold.

Arroz Con Pollo

Ingredients

For the Chicken: 1lb chick parts (drumsticks, thighs, wings and breast halves), 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 rib of celery, salt, pepper, oregano and cumin to taste.
(*I cheated and bought a whole, already roasted chicken at the grocery store and tossed all the listed chicken spices in with the rice).

For the Rice: 1lb uncooked long grain rice, rinsed and dried, 2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil, 2 carrots cut in fine slices, 1 teaspoon annatto. Salt to taste. 2 cups frozen peas
(*I used whole grain brown rice instead of the long grain white and shredded my carrots)

For the Sauce: 1/2 cup onions finely chopped, 1/2 cup red bell pepper finely chopped, 1 large tomato, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoon cilantro finely chopped, 2 teaspoons Salsa Lizano, 1 5.5oz can of tomato paste, 1 cup of water.
(*I spent hours looking for Lizano sauce at the grocery store and couldn't find any. luckily, I discovered that Worcestershire sauce has a comparable flavour and I was able to substitute with that).

The Chicken: heat vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add chicken, salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, cumin and celery. Turning occasionally until chicken is golden brown evenly. De bone chicken. Skin chicken.

The Rice: Heat vegetable oil in a medium heavy sauce pan over medium heat. Add rice stirring often until rice is slightly brown. Add carrots, annatto and salt. Add 1 1/4 quarts of water. Bring mix to a boil over medium high heat. Cover saucepan and simmer until rice is tender. Turn off heat and leave rice in saucepan covered for 10 minutes.

The Sauce: Saute onion, red bell peppers, tomato, cilantro, Lizano


Zapallitos Rellenos

Ingredients

4 zucchini, 1 hard boiled egg finely chopped, 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/4 cup of milk, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated, salt and pepper, 1/4 cup whole wheat fresh bread crumbs.
(*Christine used soy cheese instead of the mozzarella and parmesan, soy milk instead of cows milk and shredded her hard boiled eggs).

Directions:

Boil zucchinis until tender, approximately 8-10 minutes. Let cool, cut in half length wise. Scoop out the insides and place in a strainer. Force as much liquid out as possible. Combine the squash paste, egg, grated cheese, milk and mix well. Fill the zucchini shells. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese (get them ready up to this point and then just pop them in the oven 15 minutes before serving).

Heat in 350F oven for approximately 15 minutes or until the parmesan is brown and they are heated through.

Arroz con Leche

Ingredients

2 cups rice, 4 cups milk, 4 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh nutmeg, 4oz butter.

Directions

Cook rice uncovered in 8 cups of water for 45 minutes until rice is quite soft. Stir in other ingredients and simmer for 1/2 hour.  Serve warm or refrigerate at least four hours to serve cold.

So,

Although we didn't exactly have the lush green jungles of Costa Rica or the hum from their local marketplaces we were offered a small glimpse in to the true Costa Rican experience through their cuisine, guided by our taste buds and our hunger for something new.

Costa Rica = a definite success

Next week's Brown Bagged Travels are taking us to Latvia ... hope to see you there!