Hi everyone! We are back in action here in the states. The trip was amazing and I took a million pictures to prove it. Well, not a million. More like a thousand. The first batch went up on flickr today. Stay tuned for more pics in the next week.
I had the great pleasure of trying a few Galapagos delicacies while on the islands. The island of Santa Cruz is inhabited by quite a few farmers who grow organic bananas, papaya, guava, and coffee. All of these are really yummy treats but are not native to the island. Santa Cruz is home to the endemic variety of tomato called the Galapagos tomato. It’s like the cherry tomato we are familiar with only half the size and twice as flavorful. I wish I could grow these little beauties in my back yard. Ok, I don’t have a back yard, and even if I did park officials and customs agents would be all over me if I tried to bring some back.
The island is also home to some wild giant tortoises which was our primary reason for visiting. On our way back from me almost tripping over myself to see the tortoises I spotted a pepper plant growing at the side of the path. The little fruits on the plant were bright red, and shaped like Thai bird chilies only quite a bit smaller. I was told that this was a variety native to Ecuador and that it would be ok to try one if I liked spicy food. Of course, I think I’m too cool for school, so I said “yes, I do like spicy food” and of course “I can handle it”. My coolness quickly turned into squinting and sweating and turning red after biting into one of the little firecrackers. I know this because our guide was kind enough to snap a picture of me as I let down all of my former acting instructors and pretended (unsuccessfully) to not be in pain. It tasted good though. (That picture no longer exists, don’t ask.)
What tastes better is the salsa that was created as a result of our recent travels. This is a very simple pico de giallo salsa with the addition of a little fruit. I use mango in the recipe, but peaches would also work. This is a really good base to build more complex salsas on. Try experimenting with spices like cumin or coriander. Try a little chili powder for extra kick and depth, or fire roast the tomatoes first for a deep smokey flavor. The sky is the limit! But first a picture of baby tortoises from the Charles Darwin Research Station because oh my golly they are cute!
Galapagos Salsa:
1 mango, diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 small while onion, diced
1 jalapino pepper, diced fine
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
Toss all ingredients together. Serve room temperature or chilled with chips, with tacos burritos or nachos, on fish chicken pork or steak.
Galapagos salsa
Hi everyone! We are back in action here in the states. The trip was amazing and I took a million pictures to prove it. Well, not a million. More like a thousand. The first batch went up on flickr today. Stay tuned for more pics in the next week.
I had the great pleasure of trying a few Galapagos delicacies while on the islands. The island of Santa Cruz is inhabited by quite a few farmers who grow organic bananas, papaya, guava, and coffee. All of these are really yummy treats but are not native to the island. Santa Cruz is home to the endemic variety of tomato called the Galapagos tomato. It’s like the cherry tomato we are familiar with only half the size and twice as flavorful. I wish I could grow these little beauties in my back yard. Ok, I don’t have a back yard, and even if I did park officials and customs agents would be all over me if I tried to bring some back.
The island is also home to some wild giant tortoises which was our primary reason for visiting. On our way back from me almost tripping over myself to see the tortoises I spotted a pepper plant growing at the side of the path. The little fruits on the plant were bright red, and shaped like Thai bird chilies only quite a bit smaller. I was told that this was a variety native to Ecuador and that it would be ok to try one if I liked spicy food. Of course, I think I’m too cool for school, so I said “yes, I do like spicy food” and of course “I can handle it”. My coolness quickly turned into squinting and sweating and turning red after biting into one of the little firecrackers. I know this because our guide was kind enough to snap a picture of me as I let down all of my former acting instructors and pretended (unsuccessfully) to not be in pain. It tasted good though. (That picture no longer exists, don’t ask.)
What tastes better is the salsa that was created as a result of our recent travels. This is a very simple pico de giallo salsa with the addition of a little fruit. I use mango in the recipe, but peaches would also work. This is a really good base to build more complex salsas on. Try experimenting with spices like cumin or coriander. Try a little chili powder for extra kick and depth, or fire roast the tomatoes first for a deep smokey flavor. The sky is the limit! But first a picture of baby tortoises from the Charles Darwin Research Station because oh my golly they are cute!
Galapagos Salsa:
1 mango, diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 small while onion, diced
1 jalapino pepper, diced fine
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
Toss all ingredients together. Serve room temperature or chilled with chips, with tacos burritos or nachos, on fish chicken pork or steak.