Tico Local Fare

On a recent trip to Costa Rica, I had the opportunity to go to La Feria del Agricultor, a farmers’ market right in the heart of Perez-Zeledon, a town located about a 4-hour drive from the capital of San Jose. Every Thursday and Friday, rural workers get together to offer their freshest produce at excellent prices.  With a rapidly expanding food section offering an abundant variety of locally grown organic vegetables and fruit, this feria was well worth the visit.

Vendor booths displayed a bounty of mangosteen, rambutan, cashew fruit, cherimoya, starfruit, jackfruit, passion fruit, pejibaye, guava, guanabana, pineapple, banana, plantain, orange, grapefruit, lemons, limes, papaya, grapes, watermelon, coconuts, root vegetables, squash, cauliflower, peppers, chayote, salad greens, tomatoes, onions, garlic, scallion, corn, frijoles, eggplant, herbs, spices…need I continue?  You get the idea  —  a chef’s dream all under one roof.

Sorting Pineapples	Cacao Pods at US60¢/each
Mangoes	Extracting Sugar Cane Juice
Makings for a Salad	Rambutan

Being around so much exotic fruit inspired me to make one of my favorite desserts.  Try this cool, sweet one with just three ingredients.

Double Mango Sorbet
Yield: Serves 8

Ingredients
3 cups fresh ripe mango, peeled, pitted
1 cup dehydrated ripe mango slices (unsulphured), reconstituted
1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Preparation

1. In a high-speed blender, combine fresh mango with reconstituted mango slices and lemon juice, then blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Pour mixture into a bowl and freeze until ready to serve, or churn in an ice cream maker following manufacturer’s instructions.

To Serve
Scoop into serving glasses.  Serve immediately.

On this same trip, one sunny afternoon I stopped by my friend, Manuel’s family-run “soda” (a roadside diner), and this Fiery-Billed Aracari (toucan) flew in a couple of feet close to me to feast on ripe plantains.