Tacu Tacu for Two

Sunday marked the end to my first week in Bozeman. I spent most of the morning laying in bed, paging through my Peruvian cookbook, secretly wiping the drool from the corners of my mouth. I settled on a recipe for Tacu Tacu, a dish invented by the black African slaves who worked the cotton and sugar plantations in colonial Peru. The traditional recipe consists of a pattied mixture of rice and beans, combined with pig's fat and spices. I've adapted the recipe below, serving it with a cool lentil salad, seared Halibut and fried bananas, topped with a spicy onion and tomato sauce. The 2 types of lentils and fish made for a protein packed dish perfect after a weekend of outdoor adventures. It didn't take us long to gormandize our plates in their entirety, and it helped me recall how amazing Peruvian flavors can be.

For the Tacu Tacu:
1/2 cup cooked brown lentils, 2 tbsp of them pureed
1 cup cooked basmati rice
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp chopped red onion
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp aji panca paste (see recipe below)
1 banana, sliced lengthwise into quarters

In large skillet, sauté onion and garlic over medium heat until golden, about 4 minutes. Add the lentils, rice, oregano, aji panca and mix well. Heat a thin layer of oil in the base of a Teflon pan. Patty the Tacu Tacu mixture into 2 round discs, like a small thick tortilla. Cook for a few minutes on each side, gently flipping when browned. You can fry the bananas in the same pan if you have room, or after the patties are finished.

For the lentil salad (inspired by Jordan Smith's wonderful concoction)
1/2 cup cooked green lentils
2 tbsp chopped red onion
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 tbsp chopped parsley *garden fresh here in Bozeman
1 Roma tomato, chopped
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients except herbs and chill for 1 hour. Add cilantro and parsley before serving.

Spicy Tomato Sauce
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp minced garlic
2 medium red onions, sliced
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 jalapeno or similar peppers, seeded and sliced
1 bell pepper, diced
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 cup dry white wine, drink the rest while cooking
1 cup vegetable broth
3 tomatoes, seeded and quartered
1 tbs freshly chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Heat oil and butter. Sauté garlic and onion over medium heat until golden. Add paprika and flour and mix well. Add bay leaves, peppers, wine, vinegar and stock. Continue cooking until sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Add tomato, oregano, and cilantro. Cook until tomatoes are warmed, and remove bay leaves. If you like your sauce less chunky, puree part of the sauce in a food processor before serving over pan seared fish.

Pasta (meaning paste) de Aji Amarillo
Traditionally this recipe uses the hot yellow pepper of Peru, but using jalapenos or seranos works just as well. I wasn't sure how spicy this would be, so I used a mixture of our garden seranos and yellow bell pepper. It wasn't hot enough!
1 lb. hot peppers
1/2 cup sugar (I used only 2 tbsp)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tbsp oil

Wash, stem, and devein the peppers. Place in a large pot of cold water and bring them to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes until peppers are soft. Strain, and place them in a food processor or blender with the rest of the ingredients. Blend to form a creamy paste. Press through mesh sieve to remove any pieces of skin.

Hello Mr.Tomato

Although I'm missing my fresh Agua de Pipa, the daily rain, and a beautiful blond little girl, I am finding many things here to be excited about.

First off, yellow lemons. I could write an entire blog on this subject entirely. Jorge and I rode our bikes to the Community Co-op and I received a few strange stares as I squealed with delight, raising the lemons to my nose and contemplating how many I could sneak into our basket without him questioning if I had low vitamin C levels. Later this afternoon I will attend the downtown farmers market, and my first yoga class... in English!

On a more non-food related subject, I must speak a bit about the most shocking change: roads and driving. Yesterday I was walking along Bozeman's quaint Main Street, enjoying an iced double espresso, when I decided to traverse and head for a much too expensive kitchen gadgets store. I was extremely confused as suddenly all of the cars stopped at the neatly painted crosswalk that lay before me. After searching the air for a stoplight, I felt a bit like Moses had just parted the Red Sea. Oh yes! Pedestrians have the right of way in the country! The streets are all mindfully labeled with legible signs, and the stop lights perfectly timed to manage the line of cars that wait patiently behind them. There are not ice cream vendors pushing their carts down the side of a busy freeway, nor are there drivers who feel it is acceptable to pull u-turns anywhere in busy traffic. People use their turn signals, and feel safe driving with windows down to enjoy the fresh mountain air. Beeping is reserved for emergency only situations and.... ok. I'll stop now.

So, along with the beautifully restored 1950's cruiser outside my door, I'm also enjoying a wonderful garden that George has been working (or should I say obsessing) on the last couple of months. The herbs are bountiful, and the tomatoes out of control. I've never had a garden before, so it's been interesting hearing about the process and now watching its tending. Yesterday, George asked if I had been talking to the plants. He wasn't kidding. So, after examining the garden this morning I decided to dive into some electronic research. I didn't find too much hard evidence for excessive botanical conversing, just a bunch of green thumbed hippies writing about their experiences. One study did prove to be interesting, however.

There are a few studies that seem to confirm the benefits of playing soothing music. A woman named Dorothy Retallack published a short book regarding her study that was conducted in 1973. You can read more about it here. Certainly the source, and website, are of questionable substance, but none the less it made me think more about our energy and how it transmits to all other living things. Who sounds like the hippie now?

Here are some pictures of my latest joys in Bozeman. The new cooking rule is that every meal must contain some garden grown element. So far, so good. I may not start talking to the plants, but it certainly is entertaining watching someone else do it.

Adios Costa Rica, Te quiero mucho

It's my last morning here in San Jose. I've spent the week binging on Agua de Pipa, and cherishing each passing moment with little Niva. I just finished my last Almond Croissant from Chez Christophe on the deck, surrounded by the family that has made my experience here unforgettable.

I've visited some amazing locations the past 10 months , but I’ve decided to end my last blog from Costa Rica with my "Top 5" favorite flavors from here in San Jose. Hello, Bozeman. Adios Costa Rica. Te quiero mucho.

1. Agua de Pipa
Yes, I hear this trend has now creeped into most American supermarkets (where the juice is probably being contained in some sort of plastic after being shipped thousands of miles from its source), but this refreshing local favorite has captured my heart. I’ve mentioned this in a previous post, but hot damn this stuff is the perfect start to your morning or a refreshing afternoon drink. It's best when purchased fresh from an outdoor vendor, but the store-bought (gulp, stored in plastic) is an acceptable substitute if the fresh is not at hand.

2. Chicharrón
Ok I admit it. I didn’t actually know what Chicharrón was until I tried it. I knew they were deep fried, and quite Tico, so obviously I agreed to shove them in my face. I was with a Gringo (or is he Spanish?) friend of mine who basically eats anything, so 2 plates went quickly. Originating in Spain (like most bad things in Central America), the fried pork rinds are crispy and delicious. Not too greasy, and definitely worth getting the upset stomach for. When I do eat meat, I mean it. No one can deny how delicious pigs really can be.

3. Buena Tierra:
An inspiring, thriving Café that made me cry upon departing from my last visit, Buenna Tierra (meaning Good Earth) is a tiny and cozy restaurant tucked into a small, thoughtfully designed modern building in the heart of historic Escazu Centro. Serving primarily local organic vegan cuisine, this was a favorite breakfast spot for Niva and I after visiting the Wednesday morning organic market. I enjoyed the excellent coffee, Niva loved watching for buses and traffic, and we both always ate well. A must stop for anyone spending time in San Jose.

4. Butter.
You’re right, this is not a unique Costa Rican place or flavor. This ingredient has crept back into my life whether I will admit to it or not. I am an olive oil slut. That is my preferred fat of choice and has been for years. I try and limit animal products in my diet, and butter was the first to go many years ago. This does not include my occasional binges with steamed whole artichokes or anything French, but things have changed after living with the Smiths. It started with a little “buttey toast” and things started to get out of hand. Start and finish the risotto with a little butter? Sounds like a good idea. Buttered rice? Yup. Ok so maybe it didn’t get completely out of hand, but I do value butter much more than 10 months ago. There is no substitute. I guess I just needed a gentle, artery clogging reminder.

5. Fruit fruit fruit
Sweet juicy pineapple. Always fresh avocado. A variety of bananas. Organic local strawberries. The array of fresh fruits in Central America is incredible. My personal favorite, as seen in the photo above, is a "Manzana de Agua", literally meaning "Water Apple". They are a seasonal fruit available during the early rainy season, and become extremely addictive. They are a sweet, pear-like fruit with a tangy white flesh that leaves a sort of dry after taste in your mouth. I've saved a seed and perhaps one day I'll have my own personal stash.

Development of the Palette

According to a study cited in one of my favorite books "Molecular Gastronomy: Enjoying the Science of Flavor" by Herve This, most children begin their young lives preferring bland, carb-heavy foods such as pasta, breads, and simple meats. The study was conducted from 1982-1999 by the French (big surprise) at the Gaffarell Nursery at the Dijon Hospital. The children, ages 2-3, were given the choice of 8 difference foods per meal. Sweets were not a choice, but bread, 2 starters, meat or fish as a main course, 2 vegetables, and 2 cheeses (it was a true French study) were among the spread. The choices were recorded, and the results supported some familiar assumptions but also provided some surprising outcomes. Children did indeed prefer starches and meats on the whole, and most mild cheeses. The most popular choices were french fries, small sausages, quiches, pasta, breaded fish, rice, potatoes, ham and beefsteak. Spinach was the most popular vegetable choice (although it was covered in white sauce) and hard, fibrous vegetables were the least popular. The most fascinating conclusion of the scientists was that children choose the foods with the highest caloric value most often. We know that almost all children show pleasure when they encounter a sweet flavor; could this resemble our fruit-eating monkey ancestors, who associate sweetness with the presence of sugars (whose molecules have a high energy value)? Gradually children learn to condition and develop their diet, which is where my experience comes in.

I've had a lot of discussions with parents about healthy eating and how is develops. Luckily, all the families I have worked for put a high priority on good, healthy nutrition. I've learned that the solution is easy: connecting your children with food, before it reaches their plate. Any age child can begin an interest in nutrition and cooking before they speak, and I believe it will last a lifetime. Shopping for, cooking, and eating food is an experience. So many senses are alive and working during these processes: children can feel the food, smell it, smash it, organize it, destroy it, and of course taste it. Listen to the sound of the blender. Thrown some steel bowls around the floor. Shake that container of seasoning. The series is simple: if a child sees the vegetable in the store (or ideally, in your garden or from a farmer's field), sees it being washed and prepared, watches it change while being cooked, smells it being steamed, and waits patiently while it cools, they are much more likely to be interested in it than if it is unenthusiastically thrown onto their plate and expected it to be consumed.

Even if you live in a high rise condo in downtown Chicago, it came be done. When I was working with the Eschmeyer family, we would frequently take the young twins to the nearby farmers market, letting them eating the organic blueberries straight from the container or sample the array of local cheeses we had purchased. In El Salvador, 18 month old Katia and I would shop every Monday at an indoor produce market where she would look forward to her complimentary banana and handing the woman the 20 dollars that would feed our 5 mouths for the week. Katia and her sister Sofia happily ate plain steamed broccoli for every lunch and dinner, because in their house it was expected and normal. Even Sofia, at age 5, understood why vegetables and whole wheat were better than the junk her friends ate. She would say "I'm going to live to be 100". I even recall her handing me a piece of chocolate cake at a birthday party, saying it tasted weird and she wanted some "real food". Granted, she is not the average 5 year old, but she is a shining example of how knowledge can start young and last a lifetime. Katia once ate several cloves of raw garlic, and even claimed to enjoy it. I'm interested to see how her adult palette shapes out.

Here in Costa Rica, Niva has already developed some great eating habits and a strong interest in cooking. It's been interesting to see how her palette has been changing, and how her preferences have grown. We used to sling her around on our hip to keep her happy while we tried to throw together a dinner. But now, she is genuinely interested in what is going on in the kitchen. At 16 months, she stands on top of a stool to watch, and sample, everything that is happening. Think that uncooked pasta looks delish? Give it a try. Experience it. Even with her limited vocabulary, she can point to the oven and say "hot hot hot". She also joins us in our Saturday trips to the market and every Wednesday we go to the organic market in our neighborhood. Even though her shoes aren't muddy from seeing the farmer's field, at least not all of her food comes from a supermarket refrigerator or a brightly colored package.

I realize life is busy, and parents are busy. But taking time to let kids have a say in their meal, and "experience" the kitchen, to me, makes all the difference. Come on people, let's give those French kids a run for their money.

In the kitchen with Niva Smith from Lizz R on Vimeo.