Now that we have a homebase in Costa Rica, we’re not traveling quite as much as we used to. We love the new balance we have, but that doesn’t mean some nights the wanderlust doesn’t strike! When we can’t hop on a plane and go somewhere right away, we opt to bring the world to us. And our favorite way to do that is by cooking up a new dish from wherever it is we wish we could be!
We thought we would share this with you today by bringing you all some recipes from Costa Rica that you can try from the comfort of your home.
Today we’ve got two delicious and easy recipes straight from the kitchen of Blue Osa. These recipes are absolutely delicious. We hope you enjoy!
Mouthwatering Recipes From Costa Rica
The Osa Peninsula is located in southwestern Costa Rica. It very much remains remote and undeveloped, an idyllic tropical rainforest that has yet to see the burdens of over-tourism.
Tucked away on the eastern coast of the Osa Peninsula is Blue Osa. We’ve shared extensively about our ongoing stays at Blue Osa. But before we share these recipes, it’s fitting to explain the inspiration behind the local recipes:
First, you’ve got to meet Marie. Marie is the mother of the Blue Osa property; she was the initial owner of the grounds, and in a rather humorous anecdote, the first person Aaron and Adam (the Blue Osa visionaries we’ll introduce later this week) would meet. Aaron and Adam insisted that Marie had to come with the property. She did. A self-taught chef with French and Italian roots, Marie and her husband operated a French bistro in San Francisco, and later a French restaurant in Cartagena, Colombia. Now she splits her time at Blue Osa amongst various other places, but her guidance and recipes still influence the kitchen staff. We had the opportunity to sit down with Marie for a few meals, and let us tell you—she is one energetic woman, full of wit and humor, often speaking a fabulous mixture of French, English and Spanish in the same sentence.
P.S. You can buy Marie’s awesome new cookbook here! (This isn’t an affiliate link, we just love Marie and her cuisine so much we wanted to share.)
While Marie is the mother of the kitchen, we can’t mention the cuisine without also talking about the rest of the cook staff. Specifically, there’s Jose, the kitchen manager. Jose first came to Blue Osa as part of the construction team, but he would stay on after the retreat center was finished to blend, cut, boil and create alongside Marie. Jose brings his creativity and knowledge of local cuisine to meet Marie’s French and Italian background; the result is a unique fusion only available at Blue Osa.
So it should go without saying that we are excited to bring you these special recipes today. Just typing them out makes our mouths water! We encourage you to give them a try and then let us know what you thought!
Spicy Passion Fruit Cocktail Recipe
I had one of these almost every night during our stay; I just couldn’t resist! They’re not too sweet, with just the right amount of kick. If you’re entertaining anytime soon, these are guaranteed to impress!
Note: Dan doesn’t do spicy, and he still loved these! However, the drink is also delicious if you omit the red pepper.
Ingredients:
Pinch of red pepper
2 oz. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. sugar
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 basil leaf, cut into strips
2 oz. passion fruit infused Cacique*
1 oz. club soda
Ice
Preparation:
Combine red pepper, lemon juice and sugar; mix well and set aside. Muddle 4 lime wedges and basil leaf. Top lime and basil with ice, Cacique, club soda and red pepper mixture. Shake well and serve immediately. Enjoy!
*Cacique is local Costa Rican liquor. Substitute any passion fruit infused liquor, or try making your own!
Gallo Pinto
Gallo Pinto is a signature Tico (Costa Rican) dish. It’s commonly served for breakfast in Costa Rica, but try it any time of the day at home!
Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked white short grain rice
1 cup of cooked red beans
1/2 cup of Salsa Lizano*
1/3 red pepper (chopped)
1/3 white onion (chopped)
1/2 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic
1/3 cup of chopped cilantro
Preparation:
1. Sauté the onions, pepper, and garlic in a large pan
2. Add the cooked beans and the Salsa Lizano
3. Simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes
4. Stir in the cooked rice
5. Simmer on very low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until all excess liquid is absorbed
6. Fold in the fresh cut cilantro
7. Serve warm
*Salsa Lizano is a signature sauce of Costa Rica. If it is unavailable at specialty shops, try substituting a blend of Worchester Sauce and Red Picante (Spicy) Sauce. If you’re really ambitious, you can also try this substitute.
What’s your favorite recipe you’ve learned to cook on your travels? Have you ever tried Gallo Pinto? What international cuisine would you like to know how to cook?
Enjoy this post? Check Out More Of Our Awesome Articles On Costa Rica!
Yum yum yum! Oh my god, the avocado! And the pineapple! So jealous right now – here in wintry Europe, we won’t be tasting anything that fresh for a while.
Sam recently posted…Vegetarian Cuenca: Best Eats
We are definitely taking advantage of the fresh fruits and veggies while we can before everything (including us) will be frozen when we fly into Sweden.
I really regret now not having visited Osa Peninsula while in Costa Rica. Blue Osa looks like a great place to stay and the food … the food nothing better than getting it fresh out of your own garden. I have to go now cause I want to try out this spicy passion fruit cocktail :-) Can’t wait to read more about your stay there.
Freya recently posted…Top 5 things to do in Cusco Peru
The Osa Peninsula was like all the best things about Costa Rica on steroids! The perfect reason to go back ;-)
I would certainly love this place as I’m a big fan of fresh fruits and healthy food. I totally agree with Freya that there is nothing better than getting your food fresh out of your own garden!
They do a great job of using whatever happens to be in season and it always tastes amazing!
Food was the biggest surprise to me when we visited Costa Rica – much higher quality than I expected and a huge focus on organic.
Though rice & beans got a bit old ;)
Great recipe btw – I’ll give it a try!
Adam @ Visit Flyover Country recently posted…Albuquerque, NM: Duke City
Tico cuisine is not typically known for it’s quality/variety :-p We had rice and beans a loooot more than we would have liked, but this recipe was by far our favorite! The variety of food at Blue Osa was such a welcome relief.
Ooh I’ll to try this out, looks healthy and tasty! :-)
Becky Padmore recently posted…10 of the most beautiful places to visit in Bali
Let us know how it goes :-)
Food just tastes better when it comes from nearby, doesn’t it? I would LOVE to try that cocktail!! I just found guava rum here so I might try it with that!
Rika | Cubicle Throwdown recently posted…Roatan Month 17 Roundup
YUM guava rum sounds delicious! Let us know how it goes if you try it!
Don’t you just love staying at a place that also has great food. Even though I love to go out and find places to eat, I also love it when all I have to do is walk downstairs to a great meal. I can wait to try your recipes…I’m soooo hungry!
Corinne recently posted…Instagramming the Berlin Wall
Couldn’t agree more! We also love to explore and eat street food and what not, but sometimes it is so nice to have something like a ‘home-cooked’ meal all ready for you at the end of the day :)
This place looks like the one I would stop to have some food, I’m always looking for fresh fruits and veggie, also that spicy passion fruit cocktail sounds quite intriguing, I wanna try it.
Franca recently posted…Unusual Architecture at the House Of The Owls, Rome
It is so, so yummy!! Thinking about making some for myself this weekend :)
Aw, so many familiar faces, love to see this post :) And have to agree, eating at Blue Osa is amazing!
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