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About Central America
Below are some of our favorite recipes from Mexico and Central America.
You can also see our page of Small
Hotels and Restaurants Recommendations
Mexican & Central American Recipes
Mexico & Central America are amazing places with people rich in cultural and
tradition. There are many beautiful beaches, volcanoes, jungles, and historical
sites of interest to eco-tourists and volunteers. Central America also boasts
some very simple, but delicious foods. Many food specialties are made from corn,
rice, fresh tropical fruits and vegetables. Mexican food is spectacular with all
of the spicy chiles it has to offer in its typical dishes.
Jump to:
 Mexican
Recipes:
Mexican Food is one of our all time favorites. Flavorful, spicy, and a real
treat to experience, authentic Mexican food is spectacular.
Sopa Azteca
This is one of the best soups you could ever eat! Delicioso! This recipe is
from Restaurant La Olla, Oaxaca, Mexico.
For Soup:
- 7 red tomatoes
- 2 peeled garlic cloves
- ¼ onion
- 8 cups of chicken stock
- 2 tbsp oil
- 4 avocado leaves; roasted
- 2 chiles Pasilla Mexicano
For Garnish:
- 1 chile Pasilla Mexicano, cut into 12 thin rings
- 10 day–old corn tortillas
- ½ cup oil for frying
- ½ cup cubed avocado
- 1 cup cubed Oaxacan cheese
Soup:
- Roast the tomatoes on each side (about 3-4 minutes) until skin is
blackened; peel skin off.
- Roast the garlic, onion, 2 chiles pasillas mexicanos, and avocado leaves
in medium – sized pan over medium/high heat for 3 minutes.
- Put all of these ingredients into blender, adding ½ cup water, blend to
make puree.
- Heat the oil in a medium sized pot, strain pureed mixture and add to hot
pan.
- Boil for 5 minutes, until the puree thickens and changes to a deep red
color.
Garnish (prepare before soup):
- Cut the tortillas into julienne strips, set aside.
- Heat the oil over high heat in a large frying pan.
- When the oil is hot, add tortilla strips and fry to light golden brown,
making sure the strips don’t stick together.
- When strips are golden, remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon
and allow to drain on paper towels.
- Roast ringed pasilla mexicano chiles in clean pan.
Serve:
Place a bit of the fried tortilla strips, cubed avocados, cubed Oaxaca
cheese, and roasted chile rings in each bowl. Pour the prepared Aztec soup over
the top and serve hot.
 Guatemalan
Recipes:
The food in Guatemala is similar to that of Honduras and other countries in
Central America in that the dishes are simple. Rice, beans, meat, salad, and
tortillas for lunch and a hearty breakfast of eggs, rice, beans, fried
plantains, and coffee. Here we have collected a few good recipes from our
travels to Guatemala.
Coming soon!
 Honduran
Recipes:
Honduran Fish and chips – Pescado Frito con Tajadas
Ingredients:
- Snapper filets (4-6) inches
- Thin batter made from flour and water
- Corn starch or fine ground corn meal
- Fresh ground pepper
- Salt
- 1 ½ - 2 ripe plantains per person, sliced at an angle to produce oval
shapes
- 1 inch of oil for deep frying
Heat oil on med-high until just starts to smoke. Fry the plantains first
until just brown on edges. Season fish with salt and pepper and dredge the fish
in the corn starch/cornmeal before dipping in batter. Fry until deep golden
brown.
Serve with lime wedges and hot sauce or chilera.
Stewed chicken in Coconut Milk
Ingredients:
- Medium sized chicken parts (legs, wings, breasts)
- Diced garlic 2-3 cloves
- Diced bell peppers
- Diced chile peppers
- Diced onion
- Salt, pepper, dash of cumin
- Achiote paste or paprika
- 3 /4 – 1 cup of coconut milk
- 1 T. of vegetable lard
- 1 T. of sugar
Preparation:
In a thick-bottomed, large stock pot heat lard, sugar, and cook until it
boils and becomes a light creamy brown color. Season the chicken with the salt,
pepper, and cumin; add to the pot. Add in garlic, peppers, onion, achiote, and
stir. Cover the pot and let simmer and stew for 15 minutes. Add the coconut milk
and cook it down until the sauce thickens. Serve. On the carribean coast of
Costa Rica the locals add “chile Panamenia” to this soup and it adds an exciting
exotic flavor!
 Nicaraguan
recipes:
Coming soon!
 Costa
Rican Recipes:
Central American food is typically simple and rather hearty. Most meals in
Costa Rica will come accompanied with white rice and beans (either red or
black). If the meal doesn’t include rice and beans most Ticos feel like they
haven’t eaten a full meal. A typical light breakfast consists of fresh bread and
coffee. A heartier breakfast would include eggs, coffee, tortillas and Costa
Rica’s famous gallo pinto. Gallo pinto made the Costa Rican way is actually
delicious; rice, black beans, onions, garlic, and fresh cilantro mixed with lots
of Salsa Lizano sauce, yum. A typical lunch in Costa Rica is called a casado,
which literally means married, a plate that includes rice, beans, salad, meat,
fried plantains, and some type of picadillo (chopped vegetable medley). Many
Costa Ricans eat a very light supper – a repeat of lunch or just have coffee/tea
and assorted breads or sandwiches in the early evening. Here are some of our
favorite recipes after 6 years of living in Costa Rica.
Gallo Pinto – One of Costa Rica’s most famous dishes
Gallo Pinto is one of Costa Rica’s favorite breakfast dishes, lunch items,
and dinner options. Many Costa Rican’s begin their day with gallo pinto and may
repeat it for supper as well.
- Cooked rice – 2 cups
- Black or red beans (cooked) – 1 cup with some juice
- Onions 2 T
- Garlic – 1 T
- Red bell pepper – 2 T
- Cilantro – 2 T
- Salsa Lizano – 3 T- the more you add the better it will be in my opinion
- Cooking oil – 1 T
Saute onion, red bell pepper, and garlic in oil for a few minutes until soft.
Add in beans and heat thoroughly. Add in rice and mix in salsa lizano. Once
mixed well and heated completely then add in cilantro. Serve with tortillas and
natilla (local sour cream) and enjoy.
Arroz con Leche (Rice Pudding) … A Costa Rican Favorite….
Costa Ricans love their Arroz con Leche. Often served at family gatherings
and on holidays, this a family favorite.
- 2 cups rice
- 4 cups milk
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 T. vanilla
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves or 6 whole cloves
- ½ tsp grated fresh nutmeg
- 4 oz butter
- 1 cup raisins
Cook rice uncovered in 8 cups of water for 45 minutes until rice is quite
soft. Stir in other ingredients and simmer ½ hour.
Serve warm, or refrigerate at least four hours to serve cold.
Tres Leches ( Milk Cake) Costa Rican style
This is a popular dessert in panaderias and at restaurants. This an excellent
cake to enjoy with a fresh cup of Costa Rican coffee.
- 5 eggs
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 cups sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1 ½ cups flour
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups milk
- 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk
- 1 ½ cups heaving whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13
baking pan. Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside. Cream butter or
margarine and 1 cup of the sugar together until fluffy. Add eggs and ½ tsp of
the vanilla, beat well. Add the flour mixture to the butter or margarine mixture
2 tablespoons at a time, mix until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake at 350 degrees (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes. Pierce cake several times
with a fork. Combine the whole milk, evaporated milk, and condensed milk
together. Pour over the top of the cooled cake. Whip whipping cream, 1 tsp
vanilla, and 1 cup of the sugar together until thick. Spread over the top of
cake. Be sure and keep cake refrigerated, enjoy!
Vanessa’s Arepas Batidas
Vanessa Elizondo makes excellent “arepas” in the Cartago area of Costa Rica.
These arepas are similar to crepes or pancakes and are usually made daily to
accompany coffee in the mid-morning or mid-afternoon in many rural homes.
- 1 ½ cups of flour
- 1 ½ cups of milk
- 1/8 cup of magarine
- 1 egg
- 2 tsps of baking powder “Royal”
- ¼ to ½ cup sugar
- ½ to 1 tsp vanilla
Mix the milk and sugar together in a large bowl, and then mix in the egg,
vanilla, margarine. Add in the baking powder and flour little by little; keep
mixing until you have a mixture that is liquidy and a little lumpy. Warm a large
skillet or griddle and melt butter, once the butter is melted, pour mixture in a
pancake like circle, but thinner, like a crepe. Cook until golden brown on each
side. Approx: 10 arepas Serve warm with fresh Costa Rican coffee.
Pan de Pina (Pineapple bread)
This bread is so good. Many Costa Ricans utilize these types of sweet breads
for coffee hour or baby showers. Dona Blanca, my sister-in law and her daughter
Sujedi make this delicious bread for all kinds of family gatherings.
Ingredients:
- 1 Pineapple cored and chopped into pieces or 2 large cans of diced
pineapple.
- 4 cups of Flour
- 4 Eggs
- 2 sticks of butter (allow to become soft and room temperature)
- 4 tsp of baking powder
- 1 ½ cups of sugar
Take chopped pineapple and its juices and place into a medium or large pan.
Add the sugar; cook with out boiling for 10 minutes. Allow to cool. In a large
bowl, add the eggs and mix them slightly, add the butter and mix together,
slowly add the flour and baking powder while mixing constantly. Pour batter
mixture into a lightly greased and floured baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes and
Enjoy!
Biscocho
This is an interesting snack that Ticos make around the holidays. It looks
like a pretzel and usually is crunchy and salty due to the white cheese here in
Costa Rica.
Ingredients:
- ½ kilo of Masarica
- ½ kilo of white Costa Rican cheese, grated (Queso Maduro)
- 1 stick of butter
- 3 cups of buttermilk (leche agria)
- 1 tsp salt
Mix all the ingredients together (your clean hands work the best) in a large
bowl until the dough mixture is neither too dry nor too moist. Take small pieces
of dough and shape into circles, pretzel shapes, whatever you choose and bake
for 25 minutes.
Dona Blanca’s Baked Empanadas
These little empanadas are served as pastries in local bakeries and in homes
all over Costa Rica. You can fill these with jelly, ham and cheese, shredded
chicken - anything you can imagine.
Dough:
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1 stick of butter
- 1 stick of margarine
- 4 cups of flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1 T. of sugar
- ½ tsp salt
Fillings:
Jelly, dulce de leche, ham, cheese, hamburger, shredded chicken with tomato
and thyme…
Mix all of the dry ingredients together with your hands, works best according
to Dona Blanca. Then add the butter, mix in with hands, and then mix in the
heavy cream. Refrigerate for 1 hour before using. After chilling the dough, add
a little flour on the top, on your workspace for rolling out the dough and on
your rolling pin. Roll out until thin. Use round cookie cutters (or a glass,
jar, whatever else you can find in your kitchen as Dona Blanca does) to form the
shape of your empanadas. Add your choice of filling. With a pastry brush dab on
a little blended egg and milk mixture before cooking. Cook until golden brown,
remove from oven and allow tocool. Enjoy!
Picadillo
Picadillo is a traditional side dish or main meal in many Costa Rican
households and restaurants. Basically, picadillo can consist of any chopped
vegetable and any combination of finely chopped vegetables, with or without
chorizo or hamburger. Typically here in Costa Rica you will find finely chopped
chayote, potatoes, and perhaps a little corn or finely chopped carrots. Other
combinations include: chorizo, potatoes, chayote, and perhaps a little cilantro
as well as green banana finely chopped with chorizo and served hot.
- 1-2 Chayotes, finely chopped into small squares
- 2 potatoes, finely chopped into small pieces
- ¼ lb chorizo
- ¼ onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp cilantro finely chopped
- 1 tbsp salsa Lizano
- Salt to taste
- 1-2 cups of water
- 1 tbsp oil
Peel chayotes and potatoes, finely chop into small pieces. Saute garlic and
onion in oil, when golden, add chorizo. Then add chayote, potatoes, salsa lizano,
salt, and cover with water, (approx 1 – 2 cups), cook over medium heat for
approx 30 minutes, careful not to let mixture become to dry. Add more water if
necessary. When potatoes and chayote are tender, the picadillo is done, add
cilantro during the last 5 minutes.
Sujedi’s Achiote Potatoes
These potatoes are a favorite side dish here in Costa Rica. They can easily
be served with fish, pork chops, or beefsteak. Hope you enjoy them as much as my
two children.
- 4-5 medium size potatoes
- 2 tbsp achiote paste
- 2 tbsp butter
- ¼ onion
- Salt to taste
Boil potatoes in jackets until tender. Allow potatoes to cool. Peel potatoes
and quarter or dice them in large pieces. Heat large skillet over medium flame,
add in butter, when melted, add in achiote paste, and onion. Then add in
potatoes. Fry until red and crispy on all sides. Drain on paper towels. Enjoy!
Homemade Chorizo
Most of the chorizo you can buy here in Costa Rica is very greasy so here is
a recipe to make your own at home.
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- ¾ cup chili powder
- ¾ tsp dried oregano
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp salt
- ¾ cup dry red wine
- ¼ cup white vinegar
In a large bowl mix together the ground beef, ground pork, chili powder,
oregano, garlic, salt, red wine and vinegar. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3
days. Take out daily and mix thoroughly.
Ceviche Recipe (Marinated Seafood)
Many Costa Ricans enjoy ceviche with soda crackers as an appetizer at their
favorite restaurant or bar with an ice cold beer. I like mine with an ice cold
beer and I like to add in “chile panamena” which adds great flavor to the
Ceviche!
1 lb firm white fish
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
4 or 5 sprigs of cilantro
1 small hot chili
8 limes (at least ¾ cup of juice)
¼ tsp salt, pepper to taste
Cut fish into ½ inch cubes. Mince onion, garlic, and chili coarsely. Chop the
cilantro very finely. Juice the limes and strain to remove the pulp and seeds.
Shrimp can be substituted for the fish.
Mix all the ingredients and refrigerate tightly for at least 3 hours. Serve
with corn tortillas, tortilla chips, or soda crackers.
 Panamanian
Recipes
Many rural Panamanians eat heavy breakfasts that consist of rice, meat, fried
plantains and coffee. Beans don’t seem to be as popular in Panama as they are in
the rest of Central America. Lunch and dinner are repeats of breakfast; heavy
starchy meals. Here are a few good recipes that we have come across in Panama.
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My life is my message.
~Mahatma Ghandi
Indian political and spiritual leader (1869 - 1948)
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