Food Nostalgia

This morning I had a nostalgic feeling for home and a sudden craving for an egg sandwich. A simple recipe and everything is available here in town. So after a morning jog I headed to the tienda to buy 10 eggs for a dollar and then got to work. I have been using my 5 year old neighbor as a guinea pig to receive feedback and gauge what recipes will be covertly given to the dog when I’m not looking ( I do admit, I have had that temptation on many occasions) and which will actually be enjoyed. A simple egg sandwich with a little mustard and mayo, it was a success in my book, but I am still waiting on reviews from the judge.

Kid Approval: Eaten

This evening I had a yummy garbanzo bean and vegetable curry, garlic potatoes and for dessert sweet babaco.

Recipe Sweet Babaco:

½ cup of water

½ cup of panela, a natural sugar produced here in Ecuador

Cup of cubed babaco

Then the ingredients are mixed in a pot and slowly boiled about 5-10 minutes

Babaco:

A green fruit turning to yellow when ripened. The babaco grows in high altitude climates and is a cousin of the papaya. The fruit is seedless and the skin can be eaten. It is said to have the flavors of strawberry, papaya, kiwi and pineapple. It is frequently used to make fruit juices.

Food for Thought:

As probably every Peace Corps volunteer knows, you can win anyone over with a simple banana bread. It never ceases to amaze people that overabundant fruit which people feed to their pigs can make such a delectable treat. To try to increase the bang for my buck in the nutritional department I used the recipe which calls for 1 cup flour and 1 cup oatmeal to introduce a different grain into the bread. My neighbors loved it and wanted to try it themselves. We got out all of our ingredients and mixed them up on the porch and then baked our bread in their outside wood stove. Ultimately I think I had better success with my campo oven, the wood gave the bread a smokey flavor which is not the most desirable for a sweet dish.

Kid Approved: Eaten and enjoyed