Cooking with Amber

A lot of people ask me what I eat in Costa Rica. Well, so far I've eaten lots of stuff. I've had traditional Costa Rican meals made up of rice, plantains, beans, and various meats. I've had Costa Rica's version of Mexican food. And I've had Costa Rican Chinese - believe it or not, fried rice translates well down here. At home, I've made everything from an array of veggies from the farmer's market, to home favorites like tomato soup and grilled cheese. It's pretty easy to come by most US brands and foods at the grocery store - as long as you're willing to pay double what you'd pay in the States. Sometimes I am, and sometimes I am not!

I'm currently on a hunt for tofu. As some of you know, I am not particularly fond of cooking with raw meat. Add that to the fact that it is raw meat in a foreign country (no offense Costa Rica) and the outlook of me cooking lots of meaty dishes at home is not too good. But tonight, I bought chicken at the grocery store and cooked with it - yay me!

Catalina has shared her delicious recipe for Sopa Azteca (soup) with me and I had my first go at cooking it tonight. It was actually quite simple! And with Catalina's blessing, I'm sharing the recipe with you!

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
2 packets of Maggi condimento de pollo (chicken flavoring)
1 onion (chopped)
1 stalk of celery (chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1 red bell pepper (chopped)
2 tomatoes (cut into large pieces)
1 can of tomato sauce
1 can of sweet corn
tortilla chip strips
avocado
soft cheese (queso fresco here)

In a large pot, boil the chicken along with the chicken flavoring, onion, celery, garlic, red pepper, and tomatoes until the chicken is cooked and vegetables are soft. Remove the chicken, shred, and set aside. Place the rest of the ingredients and liquid from pot in a blender. Blend until smooth. Return all of the ingredients, including the chicken, to the pot. Add the corn and tomato sauce, stir while it reheats.

When done, add a few pieces of avocado and cheese. Garnish with the tortilla strips and serve!

Really, if I can do it, anyone can! Note to self (as I assume everyone else is wiser than I when it comes to this stuff): be careful with the blender and the hot liquid. If you're not paying attention, the hot, scalding liquid will shoot out of the blender and onto you and your kitchen. (Yes folks, I had the lid on...)