It will be hard to start this blog from today, because like most days the meals we have eaten are a patchwork of things left over from previous days. But that is the case with any given day, so I might as well start here.
My general philosophy towards meal planning is to make do with what you have, make what you can from scratch, embrace leftovers, and eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible. And make it taste delicious.
Sound doable? It is. This isn't rocket science, and I don't spend a ton of time working on it. But I do put a lot of thought into what I put on our table. Once you get the hang of it the planning will be much easier, but you kind of have to get on a roll. Getting started, like when we come back from a trip, is the hardest part because each meal is dependent on ones previous, and you need a stocked fridge and pantry to keep things going. But I'll help you through that.
February 16, 2011
Breakfast: Gallo Pinto (Costa Rican beans and rice dish) with fried eggs and smoothies
This is the second day in a row we've had gallo pinto for breakfast, and I'm starting to feel like a tico since this is pretty standard breakfast food for the local population. It's pretty much just fried rice with beans, and every person makes it a little bit differently. I've had a honest to god Tica explain the process to me as we hiked one day, and the intricacies of the technique took almost the entire hour long journey. But it really isn't that hard.
The beans you will have to have on hand already. Canned beans are fine, but I always start with dry. This time I used the beans from the Cajun Red Beans I make, but I'll save that recipe for another time. The rice you will also need to have on hand in the morning as it needs to be a cold and a little dry for the frying part. I usually just make a double batch of rice the day before, and put the rest in the fridge for the next morning.
(So yeah, tough place to start because already I need two prequel recipes. But, if I don't start now I never will, so here we are.)
Gallo Pinto
Serves 4
2 tbs bacon grease
2 cups cooked cold rice
2 cups beans in juice
1 tbs Salsa Lizano (optional)
salt to taste
Melt about a tablespoon or more of bacon grease in a wide and deep skillet. Once the grease shimmers, add in about two cups cooked, cold rice and scrape and turn for a minute or so to make sure all the rice is coated with the grease. And then let it sit. You really have to be patient and let the rice just sit so it has a chance to develop a crusty edge, otherwise it sticks. Scrape and stir every few minutes until the rice becomes a little translucent. Then add about two cups cooked beans with a little of the juice, and mix until combined. Add a little bit of salt to taste, and it's traditional here to add a tablespoon or so of Salsa Lizano, but it's not neccessary. Let this cook for a few minutes, scraping and stirring, and then move it to the back burner under very low heat.
Gallo Pinto is typically served with eggs, and I usually serve one fried egg each. Scoop out a healthy pile of pinto, top with an egg, and serve with a dallop natilla.
This morning we also had coffee and a smoothie with breakfast. The smoothie takes care of several health food quirks in one shot: more fiber, more fruit, and probiotics. What goes into it depends on what I have on hand, so really just toss in what ever you think sounds yummy.
Breakfast smoothie
Serves 2
1 banana
2 inch cross-slice papaya, seeded and roughly chopped
hand full strawberries (you can leave the greens on)
3/4 cup natural, whole milk yogurt
2 tbs ground flaxseed
2 tbs soy powder
1/4 cup orange juice
sweetener like honey or splenda to taste
Blend it all together, serve over ice. Period.
Lunch: Cream of Tomato Soup, toast, sliced apple
The soup was left over from dinner last night, and boy was I lucky to be able to have soup for dinner. I'm sure this will come up again, but as much as I love soup my husband hates it. I can get away with it on occasion, but I have to spring it on him without warning and it has to be eff-ing delicious. Tomatoes were at a fantastic price at the feria on Friday, so I bought three kilos and had to use them somewhere. We actually had cheddar on hand (rare thing because it's quite expensive here), and some sandwhich bread, so I was able to pull off tomato soup and grilled cheese with only a little bit of griping. Oh he is so spoiled.
The soup reheated and served with homemade sandwich bread toast and sliced apples was a perfect lunch, and I still have a little soup left over. I don't know if I'll be so lucky as to serve it to him another meal, but I guess there will be more for me.
Dinner: Spanish Tortilla served with green salad
I realized with a start this morning that I had no plans yet for dinner. Usually I have either leftovers from the night before or something in the works. But since we had soup last night, and for lunch today, I wasn't going to press my luck with that again, and really had nothing new in mind.
I had picked up some potatoes from the feria on Friday, and kind of forgot about them until now. Thinking I would use them somehow, I visited the trusty tastespotting.com to get some ideas. Irish Beef Stew? meh. Scalloped? Um, would have to figure out some sort of meat dish then. Aha! Spanish Tortilla: uses the potatoes and eggs which we always have on hand.
A quick trip to the mercado and I have two smoked pork chops, a cebollin (which I really don't know what its called in English... I use it when I'm jonesing for leeks but it's kind of more like green onion just much bigger), some bell peppers which I will roast, parsely, and red wine. I already had a head of butter lettuce, but I picked up some ruffled red and a cucumber to make a salad and lighten things up a bit. I've never made a Tortilla, so we'll see how it goes.
Spanish Tortilla
(adapted from A Chow Life)
Serves 6
1 bell pepper
4-6 medium new potatoes
1 tsp bacon grease
2 smoked porkchops, or about 1 1/2 cup cubed ham
2 tbs olive oil, divided
2 cebollins (or leeks), thinly sliced cross-ways
5 eggs
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzerella cheese
1 tsp dijon mustard
3 tbs chopped parsely
salt and pepper to tase
Roast pepper over burner flame or under broiler, turning until all sides are blistered and blackened. Remove from heat and place in a airtight container for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, add whole potatoes to boiling, salted water and set timer for 20 minutes. Melt bacon grease in 8 inch cast iron or similar oven-proof skillet, and saute ham, stirring occasionally, until all sides are crispy and browned. Set aside in a small bowl, add a tablespoon of water and scrape the bottom to loosen bits stuck to the pan, pour liquid over ham, and wipe the pan clean. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to pan, and add sliced cebollin or leeks, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and cook until softened and starting to brown, about 7 minutes.
When potatoes are done, drain and leave to rest on counter to cool. Once comfortable to handle, slice into 1/4" slices.
Remove pepper from container, and under running water remove blackened skin. Cut off top, slice in half lengthwise, remove seeds and ribs, julienne, and then finely chop.
Crack eggs into medium bowl, add pepper and mustard and lightly whisk. Add grated cheese and stir until mixed. Add pork, cebollin or leeks, and pepper, and mix thoroughly to make sure everything is evenly distributed.
Turn on broiler. Wipe off skillet, add 1 tablespoon olive oil, and heat over medium low. Once the oil is shimmering, layer in half the sliced potatoes, then add half of the egg mixture, layer the remaining potatoes, and then add the remaining egg mixture. Partly cover then cook over med-low heat for 7 minutes, or until the sides start to set too about 2 inches in. Move skillet to about 8 inches from under broiler, and broil for about 10 minutes, keeping eye on the color to make sure it doesn't brown too much, until center is slightly puffed and a knife inserted into the center does not show any liquid. If top is browning too quickly, move to lower from broiler.
Invert plate over skillet, and turn tortilla onto plate. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, slice into six wedges, and serve. (Can also be served room temperature and cold).
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