November 2009

Una invitación a desayunar con una familia costarricense
~Sheila W. Cockey

English article below

Christian con su madre y su abuela en la cocina, mirando fotos de nuestra familia.

Visitamos mi esposo y yo con unos amigos que viven en una finca no muy lejos de San José. Cada mañana comimos el desayuno típico de Costa Rica. Es un desayuno muy rico que encontramos en cualquier rincón del país que visitamos. El café que tomamos en su casa es café de su cafetal, sin químicos, secado y tostado en la manera de los abuelos y bisabuelos, y molido en una máquina antigua. El proceso de preparar el café también es el proceso tradicional, en un chorreador de café. ¡Nunca hemos probado un café tan suave, rico y robusto, y sin ácido como su café! Cuando lo preparamos en casa, este desayuno nos trae buenas memorias de la estancia del hijo de la familia con nosotros en 2001 y la alegría que sentimos al conocer a su familia esta primavera.

Menú
Gallo pinto
Huevos revueltos
Queso frito
Tortillas
Fruta fresca (melón, mango, papaya, fresas, piña)
Café natural



Gallo Pinto

Ingredientes:

Arroz cocido (con cebolla, ajo, pimienta dulce roja y verde)
Frijoles negros o rojos enlatados
¼ taza de salsa de sofrito (en tiendas latinas)
salsa Lizano al gusto (en tiendas latinas)
Cebolla picado al gusto
Ajo picado al gusto
Cilantro fresco picado al gusto
Aceite vegetal

Prepare el arroz con las pimientas, cebolla, y ajo. En Costa Rica lo preparen en una olla de estofar para que los granos no peguen. Hay una cantidad lista para todas las comidas del día.

En la sartén, caliente el aceite hasta que crepita y añade el arroz. Añade los frijoles y el cilantro. Revuelve lentamente hasta que esté bien mezclado. Sírvelo caliente con huevos revueltos.

Queso Frito

Ingredientes:
Queso blanco de vaca bien fresco de 2” x 3 ½ “
Si no se puede encontrar, busque un mozzarella fresco
Aceite vegetal


Corte el queso en rebanadas de ¼”
Caliente la sartén con un poco de aceite de vegetal. Ponga las rebanadas en el aceite y cocínelas hasta que estén dorados. Voltéelas y haga lo mismo en el segundo lado. Sirve caliente.



Café costarricense
Para 4 tazas de café

4 cucharadas de café molido fino
Agua hirviente
Chorreador de café

Hierva el agua, fresca de la grifa.
Ponga el café en el filtro y eche el agua sobre el café,
dejando que el agua pase lentamente por el filtro a una
recipiente de vidrio de 4 tazas.

O, emplee una cafetera tipo Mr. Coffee.

Se sirve el café solo, con azúcar, y a veces con leche.

Article in English

An Invitation to a Costa Rican Breakfast
~Sheila W. Cockey

My husband and I were visiting friends who live on a small farm not far from San José. Every morning we ate what we came to know as the typical (one and only) breakfast any self-respecting costarricense would consider eating: gallo pinto, scrambled eggs, fried cheese, and fresh fruit. Of course this was always accompanied by a tasty cup of coffee. The coffee our friends treated us to was from their plantation, grown without chemicals, dried and roasted in the same way that their grandparents and great grandparents did, and ground in an antique coffee grinder. The preparation also followed traditional ways, using a chorreador de café. We have never tasted a coffee as smooth, rich and robust, without acid as their coffee! When we fix it at home, this breakfast brings us fond memories of the time when the son in the family stayed with us in 2001, and the joy we felt upon finally meeting his family this spring.

Menu
Gallo Pinto (Black beans and rice)
Scrambled Eggs
Fried Cheese
Tortillas
Fresh Fruit
Home-grown coffee


Gallo Pinto

Ingredients:

Steamed rice (with onion, garlic, red and green sweet peppers)
Can of black or red beans
¼ cup sofrito sauce (available in Latin food stores)
Salsa Lizano (available in Latin food stores)
Chopped onion, to taste
Chopped garlic, to taste
Fresh, chopped cilantro, to taste
Vegetable oil

Prepare the rice, adding the peppers, onion, and garlic. In Costa Rica they use a rice steamer to keep the grains from sticking together. Each morning enough is prepared to last the whole day.

In the frying pan, heat the oil until it sizzles and add the rice. Add the beans and cilantro. Stir gently until mixed. Serve hot with scrambled eggs.

Fried Cheese

Ingredients:
Fresh, soft white cow’s milk cheese, 2” x 3 ½”
If you can’t find the cheese, use a fresh mozzarella
Vegetable oil

Cut the cheese in ¼” slices.
Heat the frying pan with a little vegetable oil. Place the cheese slices in the oil and cook until they are brown. Turn and repeat on the other side. Serve warm.


Café costarricense

Makes 4 cups

4 Tbs finely ground coffee
boiling water
Chorreador de café

Using freshly drawn tap water, bring the water to a boil.
Put the coffee in the chorreador filter and pour the water
over the coffee, letting the water pass through the coffee
and drain into a 4-cup vessel.

Or, use a Mr. Coffee type coffee maker.

The coffee is served black, with sugar, and occasionaly with milk.

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September 2009

Manakeesh: Pizza, Arab Style

Wehbe and Katrina invited us over to their home for a delicious meal of Manakeesh. They served two kinds, the traditional Manakeesh with zataar and the more modern version with cheese and toppings. It is a breakfast food and served with cucumbers, tomatoes, and pickles of all sorts. We had it for dinner, however, and enjoyed it very much.

 Katrina and her sons prepared two kinds of Manakeesh, zataar Manakeesh and pizza Manakeesh.

Manakeesh is quite easy to prepare. Here are the recipes for you to try.

Dough

8 cups flour
5 tsp. yeast
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
3 cups water

Combine first 4 ingredients. Slowly add water and knead. Divide into 12 baseball-sized balls. Let rise in a warm place for an hour. In an Arab kitchen, the balls of dough would typically be placed in the middle of a clean sheet on the kitchen counter.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray cooking sheet with Pam. Roll dough into circles. Place on cooking sheet and press finger dents into dough so they don't make a pocket (this is the same recipe for pita bread).

Pizza Manakeesh

Top the dough with tomato paste, provolone cheese, and toppings (mushrooms and/or green olives). Bake for 10 minutes.

Zataar Manakeesh

Top the dough with the mixture of zataar and olive oil.
Bake for 10 minutes.

Zataar Manakeesh	Table prepared with cucumbers, tomatoes, and pickles	Andrea, Wehbe, Jerius, Gibran, Ihab, Katrina

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July 2009

Trivia question: Who eats more bread in a year, the French or the Germans?

(photo from the website of the German Embassy in the U.S.)

My immediate response would be "the French" as I tend to associate bread more with the French than the Germans. However, according to a very interesting article in the July 3rd issue of the German Embassy’s newsletter, The Week in Germany, the average German eats 87 kilos (192 pounds) in bread and rolls every year while the average Frenchman eats 55 only kilos (121 pounds) of bread annually.

This article states that the Germans are eating more and more bread every year and that many kinds of delicious bread are available. Read the article.
You might be interested in subscribing to this weekly e-newsletter, which is full of valuable information about German culture. To subscribe, Click here.
If you would like to try making a loaf or two of delicious German bread, go to this website for recipes.
Guten Appetit!

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January 2009

Pasta alla Pio
(Pasta al forno con melanzane e mozzarella)

You have received an invitation for dinner at the home of Pio and Silvia. They live in the Roman suburb of Spinaceto. The table is set. Pio is preparing his favorite pasta dish for you. Silvia’s brother Carlo and his wife Betsy will also be joining you.

While the pasta is baking in the oven, Pio will serve you a few slices of prosciutto with melon. He usually buys a whole prosciutto and slices it himself at home. Please notice the colorful plates in the photo. Many restaurants in Italy sell plates to collectors like Pio. A lovely plate is a wonderful souvenir of a special dinner.

Pasta al forno con melanzane e mozzarella

Pasta al forno con melanzane e mozzarella
Ingredienti

• 2 melanzane grandi o 3 medie
• 1 scatola di pomodori pelati
• 1 mozzarella fresca di circa 250 grammi, o di più, secondo il gusto sale
• olio d’olivo
• basilico
• noce moscata (facoltativo)
• 500 g. ziti o penne

Tagliare la mozzarella a dadini e mettere da parte. Tagliare le melanzane a dadini e, mettendole in uno scolapasta, cospargerle con del sale. Lasciarle per circa 20 minuti in modo che si toglie un po’ della loro acqua amara. Asciugarle un po’ con la carta assorbente. In un tegame con olio d’oliva, rosolare le melanzane. In un’altra padella, preparare un sugo con i pomodori, un po’ di sale, basilico e volendo, un pochino di noce moscata. Quando il sugo è metà cotto, aggiungere le melanzane e continuare la cottura. Cuocere la pasta in abbondante acqua salata, per almeno 3 minuti meno del tempo indicato sulla scatola. Scolarla e poi aggiungere la pasta al sugo, mescolando bene. Mettere il tutto in un tegame e aggiungere ¾ della mozzarella, seguitando a mescolare. Spargere il resto della mozzarella sopra, e se vuoi, un po’ di parmigiano. Cuocere al forno medio per un quarto d’ora.

Pasta alla Pio
Baked pasta with eggplant and mozzarella

You have received an invitation for dinner at the home of Pio and Silvia. They live in the Roman suburb of Spinaceto. The table is set. Pio is preparing his favorite pasta dish for you. Silvia’s brother Carlo and his wife Betsy will also be joining you.

Ingredients
2 large eggplants or 3 medium
1 can Italian tomatoes
8 oz. fresh mozzarella, or more if desired
salt
olive oil
basil
nutmeg (optional)
1 lb. ziti or penne

Cut up the mozzarella into small cubes and set aside.
Cut up the eggplants into small cubes, put them in a colander, and sprinkle with salt. Leave them for about 20 minutes to remove some of their bitter liquid. Blot them with paper towels.
Sauté the eggplant in a skillet with olive oil.
In another pan, prepare a tomato sauce with the tomatoes, a little salt, basil and, optionally, a little nutmeg. When the sauce is about half done, add the eggplant and continue to cook.
Cook the pasta in abundant salted water, for at least 3 minutes less than that indicated on the box. Drain and add the pasta to the sauce, mixing well.
Put the pasta and sauce in an oven casserole and mix in about ¾ of the mozzarella. Spread the rest on top and, if you wish, add a little parmesan.
Bake in a medium oven (350°) for about 15 minutes.

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