Costa Rican Shopping: Check Prices!

We had an enlightening shopping experience the other day on a quick turn through the aisles of AutoMercado, one of the large supermarket chains in Costa Rica that caters to the tastes of expats. We had taken the bus into San Jose, disembarking at Hospital Mexico, just outside of the city. From there we taxied a rather short distance (about a $2.00 cab ride) to Plaza Mayor, a mall where Layne and I have our eyeglass prescriptions filled. After picking up his new glasses, we headed to AutoMercado where we had recently found tomatillos available at a very good price, only about 1000 colones ($2.00) for a good size plastic container with 12 to 15 of the little green globes. I love this piquant tomato-like vegetable; it's a principle ingredient in Chili Verde, one of my specialties, and is delicious in Roasted Tomatillo Salsa. Oddly, despite being a Latin American country, Costa Ricans are unfamiliar with tomatillos, an item ubiquitous in Mexican, Guatemalan and other Latin cuisine. After treating our Santa Eulalia gang to a pot of Chili Verde last Saturday night, I wanted more, this time to freeze for a future dinner.

Also on my shopping list were pine nuts, another delicacy that is difficult to find here. We had looked all over Atenas with no luck but I suspected that AutoMercado just might have them. And indeed, as we cruised the aisle of nuts, I spied some small packages of pine nuts. Without a glance at the price since the bags were so modest, we headed to the checkout. On this particular trip, the lines we chose were so slow and we were in enough of a hurry to catch the bus back to Atenas that when we finally got to a cashier, we quickly paid our 10,000+ colones and headed for the bus stop across the street.

While waiting for the bus, however, I began to think about the purchase. 10,000 colones?? My goodness, that's about $20! How could two containers of tomatillos and two small bags of pine nuts have cost that much? I pulled out my receipt and discovered that the pine nuts were about $8.50 per bag! Back we went to the store and in my broken Spanish I explained to the woman at the Recepción booth that I wished to return the pine nuts. She was muy tranquilo about the whole thing, ringing up a refund receipt, which I took back to the cashier for a refund.

Lesson learned: Imports are expensive here. Read all price tags.

A Titmouse Takes a Shower

One of the (few) things we miss when living in Costa Rica are tomatillos, those husked green fruits with the tart taste so perfect for salsas, chili verde and other spicy Mexican dishes. For some reason this fruit is virtually unheard of in Costa Rica. Only our organic consultant Carmen, who hails from Guatemala where they do grow, was hip to the joys of tomatillos. Our Tico friends and feria vendors would shake their heads when we inquired about them and then ask us to describe them, which is pretty difficult, especially in my broken Spanish. Sort of like a tomato, I would say, only green and with a cáscara, which really means shell or peel, not exactly husk. "Oh! tomate verde," they might offer, a green tomato! Well, no, not exactly.

So while we're here in the US, I have been delighted to find fresh tomatillos at our local grocery. We have feasted on my semi-famous Chili Verde several times, including last night. We're keeping the leftovers - always better after a day or two in the fridge - to share with our friend Ruth who will join us for dinner tomorrow night. But when Layne suggested that I make a photo of a tomatillo to show our Tico neighbors when we return to Costa Rica, I decided to do better than that. I took photos of the unpeeled, the peeled, the chopped up ready to simmer down to tenderness and then finally of last night's finished Chili Verde and condiments.

I thought I would share my recipe with those of you who can acquire this piquant fruit as there are few better ways to enjoy it than in this delicious pork stew. Be aware, however, that free-range pork and fresh tomatillos make all the difference in the final product. Indeed, humane treatment of pigs is an important social issue for us as these animals are extremely intelligent and deserve a good life in open spaces before being sacrificed for our food. Free-range pork is all Layne and I ever buy.

KAT’S CHILI VERDE

3-4 tbsp olive oil

3 to 4 lb. organic lean pork, cut into 1” cubes (pork butt is good)

1 large onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic (or more), mashed or chopped fine

2 (or more, if you dare!) jalapeno chilis, minced (taste your jalapenos because they vary greatly in heat!)

1 – 7 oz can diced green chilis

1 cup, more or less, fresh cilantro, chopped

2-3 cans (14 oz.) tomatillos, or better yet, about 15-18 fresh tomatillos (more if small ones), stewed till tender, then pureed, with liquid from cans or from stewing

½ of a dried smoked chipotle chili (or be brave and use the whole thing!)

1 tsp salt

Lime wedges, cilantro, jalapenos and jack cheese to garnish

Heat oil to fairly hot in large heavy skillet or deep pot and add the pork in batches to brown. With the last batch, add the onion and sauté until the onion is translucent and the pork is a bit browned. Add back all the other pork and let it get acquainted.

Add the garlic, jalapenos, cilantro, tomatillos, green chilis and salt and bring to a simmer. When it is bubbling gently, drop in the chipotle chili (whole) and let it reconstitute in the simmering chili. Cover and cook over low heat for a couple of hours, stirring now and then. When the pork is very tender, remove the chipotle chili and serve the Chili Verde with the garnishes available.

Enjoy!

Yes, you read that right up above - we ARE planning to return to Costa Rica! Hurrah! After three months here in California, living on our little five-acre ranchette, we long for the Pura Vida lifestyle of Costa Rica. Each day we're reminded of just how much WORK it takes to keep this place up and how expensive it is to live in the U.S. With the improvements we've made on the house, garden and horse facilities, we're sure we can once again find a good tenant and rent the house out to someone with horses. Our plan is to return on August 1st and resume our lives in Santa Eulalia. And we can hardly wait.

The renovated pasture shelter

Still, we have enjoyed our time here and there are compensating factors for the work, such as the colorful wildlife we have enjoyed on our land. The hummingbirds have devoured the sugar water out front and the Titmouses, Grosbeaks, House Finches and California Jays love the steady supply of birdseed in the backyard feeder.

The birds also love the drip watering system Layne has repaired and expanded in the garden. One little Titmouse last night was so delirious at the dripping water, he took a shower only steps away from where we sat. And today, perhaps the same little water-lover, perched momentarily on my water hose only inches from my fingers as I watered some newly planted petunias, as if to emphasize his appreciation of the cooling liquid.

So now it's more of the exhausting job of sorting through clothes and knicknacks, books and memorabilia to decide what else we can part with. Then packing boxes and making it all fit back into the storage barn. Still, we've weeded out so much already, this process should be much less strenuous than it was two and a half years ago when we first set out for Costa Rica. And now that we know what we are looking forward to, it's really a labor of love!