Valle Del Sol
Costa Rica Townhouse/Villa Rental
in Guanacaste Province

About Costa Rican Food

Costa Rican food is a fusion cuisine. It combines elements of culinary traditions from Africa, Italy, France, China, and Spain, flavored by traditional grains (rice, corn, and beans), roots (cassava, taro roots, sweet potatoes), spices (coriander, garlic, annatto, saffron, parsley, oregano, thyme, nutmeg, salt, and pepper), oils (olive oil, vegetable oil, and lard), sauces (Lizano, Soy, and Worcestershire), fresh fruit, and vegetables. The food is mild to slightly seasoned.

The most common dishes that reflect the rural culture and are served in typical food restaurants are Gallo Pinto (Spotted Rooster) and Casados (Married.) Gallo Pinto consists of rice and beans seasoned with coriander, onions and Worcestershire sauce usually served for breakfast with scramble or fried eggs and a cup of Agua Dulce (pure sugar cane diluted in hot water) or coffee. Casado consists of white rice, black or red beans served with pork, steak, or chicken, a small portion of cabbage/lettuce & tomato salad, and fried plantains. All is served in one dish for lunch or dinner with a refreshment or coffee.

Traditional food goes beyond Gallo Pinto and Casados. You can delight yourself with more main dishes, drinks, tapas, and desserts. Popular main dishes are Arroz Guacho (sticky rice,) higado en salsa (beef liver salsa,) Escaveche (chicken escaveche,) pozole, ceviche, Arroz con Pollo (chicken rice), Papas con Chorizo (Chorizo sausage with potatoes,) Frito (Pork Stew) Olla de Carne, Barbudos (String bean omelet,) and Mondongo (Beef Stomach Soup.)

Common refreshments are Horchata (Ground Rice & Cinnamon Drink), Pinolillo (Corn Cocoa Drink,) or Resbaladera (Rice & Barley Drink.)

Common tapas are Platanos Maduros (Fried Ripe Plantains), Platanos asados (Baked Ripe Plantains), Pejibayes (Peach Palm), Picadillo de Chayote con Elote (Minced Vegetable Pear with Corn), Picadillo de Papaya Verde (Minced Green Papaya), and Picadillo de Vainicas (Minced String Beans with Beef.)

Common desserts are queque seco (Orange Pound Cake), Torta Chilena, Miel de Chiverre (Sweet White Spaghetti Squash), Tres Leches, Arroz con leche (rice pudding,) Dulce de Leche, and Suspiros (Maringues.)

Costa Ricans Eating Schedules

Costa Ricans have breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two coffee breaks. The serving size of each meal is moderate.
For breakfast, people usually have coffee or Agua Dulce (pure sugar cane diluted in hot water) with a butter-jelly- white cheese French bread sandwich, fresh baked French bread dipped in sour cream with salt to taste, Gallo Pinto, or cereal (usually corn flakes with milk and sugar to taste.)
For the morning coffee break, people have coffee with French bread with butter.
For lunch or dinner, people have a casado, Picadillo with rice, beans, and fried plantain, Olla de Carne, Papas con Chorizo, steak, or any other main dish listed in our recipes with a refreshment.
For the afternoon coffee break, people just have coffee with a pastry.

Some recipes we have gathered for you

Costa Rican Chilasquiles (tortilla & Meat)

Use your imagination of this recipe, empty the fridge into the tortillas. Make it as spicy or as bland as you want
http://www.recipezaar.com/member/4470

2	cups cooked and shredded meat (poultry)
20	8 inch tortillas (corn are best)
5	eggs, beaten
3	cups tomato sauce
3	cups grated cheese (Use feta, Jack or mozzarella)
	oil
	salt & pepper
2	cloves garlic, minced
3	jalapeno peppers, chopped

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Fill each tortilla with meat, fold in half.

Dip the folded tortilla in the beaten egg and fry on a skillet in oil.

Brown on both sides.

Arrange the tortillas in an oven proof dish.

(you can prepare the dish up to this point and do the final steps just before serving) Cover the tortillas with the tomatoe sauce, garlic, jalapenos and cheese.

Season with salt& pepper.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until hot through.

Serve with black beans and rice.

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Costa Rican Gallo Pinto Recipe (beans and rice)

No one who's ever visited Costa Rica is likely to forget gallo pinto, and those who haven't visited rarely understand how people can be so enamored of rice and beans.
Ticos look at you like you're a little crazy if you ask how to make it; sort of like if you asked a Brit how to make a cup of tea. Everyone knows you just cook the beans, cook the rice, and then cook them together! It's almost that simple, but we finally got a recipe when our friend Quincho from Heredia visited us in Colorado, and we watched over his shoulder as he cooked up a batch.

                           
Gallo pinto con huevos fritos is common breakfast fare in Costa Rica. (©TOucan Guides)

1 lb (450 gr.) Black beans. Fresh are best but most likely you’ll find them dried.
8-10 sprigs cilantro (coriander leaf) fresh or frozen, not dried!
1 small or medium onion
½ small red or yellow sweet pepper (optional)
3 cups (700 ml) chicken broth or water
2 cups (350 ml) white rice
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
1 Tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
1-3 Tablespoon oil to fry the Gallo Pinto

If beans are dried, cover with water and soak overnight, if they are fresh, just rise them off. Drain the beans and add fresh water to an inch (2.5-cm) above the top of the beans, salt, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce heat to very low simmer until beans are soft (~3 hours).

Chop cilantro, onion, and sweet pepper very fine.

Add 1 Tablespoon oil to a large pan and sauté the dry rice for 2 minutes over medium high flame then add half of the chopped onion, sweet pepper and cilantro and sauté another 2 minutes. Add water or chicken broth, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to simmer until rice is tender (20-35 minutes). This is also the recipe for Tico rice used in other favorites like tamales.

Once the rice and beans are cooked you can refrigerate or freeze them. Keep a significant amount of the “black water” with the beans (½-1 cup 120-240 ml). This is what gives the rice its color and some of its flavor. Sauté the rice, beans reserved chopped onion, sweet pepper and cilantro together in vegetable oil for a few minutes. Sprinkle with a little fresh chopped cilantro just before serving.

Once the rice and beans are cooked you can also refrigerate or freeze them. Make up small batches of Gallo Pinto when you want it by simply sautéing them together.

In Guanacaste they sometimes use small very hot red peppers instead of or in addition to the sweet. Some people add a tablespoon or so of salsa Lizano or Chilera to the beans while they're cooking. Our friend Mercedes always simmered the beans very slowly all-day and preheated the water or chicken broth for the rice.

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Costa Rican Raisin Cake

This cake is a specialty at Cafe Cartago, Commerce City, Colorado

1	1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2	cup freshly brewed coffee
3/4	cup granulated sugar, divided
1	cup seedless raisins
1/2	cup chopped nuts
1/2	cup butter
1/2	cup dark brown sugar
2	eggs, beaten
2	cups flour
1 1/2	teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2	teaspoons baking soda
1/2	cup milk
1	teaspoon vanilla extract

• Mix cornstarch and coffee in saucepan until smooth.
• Add 1/2 cup sugar and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened.
• Add raisins and nuts and set aside while preparing batter.
• Beat butter until soft and fluffy.
• Add brown sugar and remaining white sugar and continue beating until thick and light in color.
• Add cream of tartar and baking soda together and add alternately with milk.
• Add vanilla and mix well.
• Pour 1/2 the batter into a buttered 8-inch square pan.
• Spread with raisin mixture and cover with remaining batter.
• Bake in preheated 350°F oven for 40 minutes or until knife comes out clean.
• Cool and turn out of pan and cut into nine squares.

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Hearts of Palm Salad

 
A salad from Costa Rica, I found this recipe while search for recipes that use some of the odd ingredients that have collected in my pantry. The result is a light crisp salad which is refreshing and not at all heavy. Hearts of palm taste a bit like artichoke hearts but have a touch more crunch like a water chestnut.

2 (16	ounce) cans hearts of palm
1/2	cup chopped red bell peppers
1/2	cup chopped yellow bell peppers
1	tablespoon chopped parsley
1	tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1	tablespoon Dijon mustard
2	tablespoons low sodium chicken broth (remove fat) or vegetable broth
1	tablespoon olive oil
	ground pepper
	salt, very small amount (optional)
	lettuce leaves

• Drain the hearts of palm, cut them into half inch pieces, and put them into a large bowl. Stir in the chopped red and yellow pepper along with the chopped parsley.
• To prepare the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, chicken or vegetable broth, and olive oil in a small bowl.
• Drizzle the dressing over the hearts of palm mixture and toss gently.
• Season to taste with salt (optional) and pepper.
• For best results, let the ingredients sit on the counter for 15-30 minutes before serving. Line a serving bowl with lettuce leaves, spoon the salad on top and serve.

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Plantain Soup

 

I love hispanic food and plantains are one of my favorite things to eat. Here is a unique soup for all you adventurous chefs. Please do not let your plantains turn yellow-black because they will turn sweet. Must use green plantains.
http://www.recipezaar.com/member/43083

1	tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1	small onion, finely chopped
1	carrot, finely chopped
1	celery rib, finely chopped
2	garlic cloves, minced
4-4 1/2	cups chicken stock or broth
2	green plantains, peeled, quartered lengthwise & thinly sliced
1	bunch cilantro, stemmed and finely chopped
1/2-1	teaspoon cumin
1	bay leaf
	salt & pepper

• Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat.
• Add onions, carrots, celery and garlic.
• Cook, uncovered, for 3-4 minutes, or until onions are soft but not brown.
• Add 4 cups of chicken stock/broth and bring to boil over high heat.
• Add plantains, most of the cilantro (reserve a few tablespoons for garnish), cumin, and bay leaf.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Return to boil.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered for 40-50 minutes or until plantains very tender.
• Remove and discard bay leaf.
• Transfer half the soup to blender; puree until smooth.
• Return to the pan.
• If soup is too thick, add a little more stock/broth.
• Season with more salt/cumin if
• desired.

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Sauteed Ripe Plantain

This is a yummy side dish for when you want to try something "different". The hot sauce is our addition but the original recipe excludes it. Either way this is well worth trying and takes very little time to put together
http://www.recipezaar.com/member/3288

4	plantains, very ripe (the peel may be half black outside but the plantain inside is firm)
1/2	cup butter or margarine
2	whole cloves (not ground) (optional)
2	cinnamon sticks (optional)
2	tablespoons brown sugar (optional)
2-3	dashes hot sauce (optional)

Peel ripe plantains and ensure the the pulp is firm and smells sweet Heat butter or margarine (add spices as desired) Saute in at medium heat until browned about 10 minutes Sprinkle with brown sugar, if desired Serve immediately as a side dish or dessert.

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Costa Rican Drinks

Guaro, rum, beer and drinks in Costa Rica

Guaro leads the list of traditional alcoholic drinks in Costa Rica. It’s a generic term for rum, and the taste and quality varies in different parts of Latin America. Some locals insist guaro was invented by the Guaro Indians, but they are so tiny that no one has been able to find them to confirm this. Many find it a potent, even crude spirit. But some tourists go home raving about the stuff. If you want to experience it safely, the main thing to know is to not t drink it straight like tequila: a couple of shots may numb various parts of your body you might have planned to use later in the day.

Guaro-based mixed drinks usually consist of pouring a shot or two into a glass of Fresca and ice. That’s how most Costa Ricans prefer it (except those sleeping in cardboard boxes in downtown San Jose). It also mixes well with other tangy soft drinks, Coke (but not coke!) and fruit juices.

Until this year, all Costa Rican guaros were locally bottled by Cacique. Red label and black label are most common, both with an image of "Quatro Plumas," the four-feathered Indian Cacique (which means "chief"). Blue and orange labels are also available; one is a gin-type booze, but no one who has drank both blue and orange can recall which was which. But now other brands are imported from South America and Honduras, which produce higher quality hooch

The Local Rum

A state-run distiller makes Ron Centenario, which has a fine edge like cognac and a hint of vanilla, and the cheaper Ron Rico. But the best rum you can find down here is the seven-year-old Flor da Caña, a smoky, brandy-like drink imported from Nicaragua.

Beer

The local brewery makes Imperial, a slightly dark and sweet brew now exported to California; it’s reminiscent of the Mexican dark beer, Dos Equis, though not as heavy. Pilsen has a more crisp taste comparable to Budweiser. Heineken is brewed locally and not up to part with the real thing

Everything Else

You’ll discover practically every other kind of international spirits (and Mexican beers such as Tecate) in the supermarkets and many bars and clubs. But don’t look for Wild Turkey or any other bourbon or whiskey except Jack Daniels, Jim Beam and Crown Royal. The Costa Ricans' favorite whiskey is Scotch, and many fine single malts are available in addition to the most popular, Johnny Walker.

Costa Rica has no national drink, but very popular in the cultural tradition of drinks are Horchata, a cinnamon flavored cornmeal drink, Chan, a slimy drink made of seeds, Linaza, which is popularly used to cure indigestion, and Fresco de Frutas, which is basically a fruit salad floating on a base of kola and water, delicious!! And, of course, guaro, the campesino’s nearly-tasteless yet potent alcoholic drink of choice. And coffee of course, Costa Rica’s grain of gold. Most of the best coffee is exported, so don't expect the best coffee everywhere you go. Coffee is traditionally served very strong and mixed with hot milk.

Many bars in Costa Rica have the now disappearing habit of serving bocas with each drink , bocas are different types of food in small amounts, usually ceviche or chicken wings or bean soup, to have a better time with your drinks. Some bars provide them free but others may apply a small charge. Turtle eggs which may have been taken in a special legal season are a very popular dish in many bars for its special taste, but are best avoided  because of the possibility of having been poached illegally.
Imported drinks may be expensive so you might be better of trying with the local Costa Rican drinks. The beer is a very popular drink and the ones of most sale are Bavaria and Imperial. Even the poorest campesino can afford the native red-eye, guaro, a harsh , clear spirit distilled from fermented sugarcane. In rural areas you might find Vino de Coyol, which is a wine distilled from liquid that is collected on holes on the trunk of a very spiny palm, drink with caution, intoxication goes away, but many say if you go out in the sun with a Coyol hangover, you might find yourself drunk again.

Avoid the local wines, all of which are made from fruits other than grapes, such as blackberries and 'nance'. The most memorable thing of them is the hangover. Imported wines are expensive with exemption of the ones from Chile or Argentina which are of great quality. We personally like the Cousino Macul, imported from Portugal.

 

Drink Recipes

A Perfect Margarita

Servings: 1
Categories: Alcoholic Beverages / Cointreau / Grand Marnier / Tequila
Ingredients:
1 1/2  ounces  Cuervo 1800 Tequila
1/2  ounce  Grand Marnier
1/2  ounce  Cointreau
4  ounces  Sour Mix, bottled
1 1/2  ounces  Lime Juice
  dash  Simple syrup

Directions:
Blend with ice or pour over the rocks.

Mojito

Servings: 1
Categories: Alcoholic Beverages / Rum
Ingredients:
8  sprigs  mint leaves
1  tablespoon  simple syrup
1    lime
2 1/2  ounces  light rum
    ice
    club soda
    mint sprig, garnish

Directions:
1. Make simple syrup: Heat equal parts sugar and water in a saucepan until just before boiling and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Make up a big batch, say a cup of sugar and a cup of water, than toss it in the fridge. It'll easily keep for a couple of weeks, during which time you'll be able to whip up mojitos at a moment's notice, to the delight of your very fortunate friends.
2. Place the mint leaves and 1 tbsp. of the simple syrup (cooled) in the glass, then squish it all around with a spoon (or whatever appropriate utensil you can find) for 20-30 seconds, until you can smell that good minty smell.
3. Cut the lime in half, getting rid of the seeds as well as you can. Squeeze the juice out from both halves into the glass, then drop one half into the glass.
4. Pour in the rum and stir.
5. Add plenty of ice, then top off the mixture with club soda. Garnish with a sprig of mint and enjoy!

Pineapple Daiquiri

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup white rum
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup ice cubes
• Lime slice or pineapple wedge, for garnish, optional

Directions
Combine the pineapple juice, rum, lime juice, sugar, and ice in a cocktail shaker and shake to chill. Strain into a stemmed cocktail glass and serve immediately, garnished with a lime slice or a pineapple wedge, if desired. (Alternatively, daiquiri may be blended in a blender with the ice for a frozen cocktail.)