We Visit Food Again

One of the other senior missionaries told me that she doesn't think of the seasons here by spring, summer, fall, and winter, but, instead, by pineapple season, avocado season, mango season, etc.  So every month or so, we either see on the street or in the grocery store a new fruit.  Here are some of the recent ones.

Dragon Fruit

This bright fuchsia fruit is about the size a a large softball with little fuchsia “leaves” on the outside.  I tried to peel them off, but that was too hard.  So I cut the fruit in half and found this wonderful taste treat  – sort of like a smooth watermelon with little seeds sort of the size of poppy seeds.  I can’t really describe the taste, but it was quite good, and such a fun experience.

 Mangoes again

I had no idea that there were so many kinds of mangoes.  For the first couple of months, all the mangoes were about the size of a large pear and turned gold when they were ripe.  Now, he mangoes are about twice as large and either green or red when they are ripe.  They are delicious and I just blend them with cold water and ice for breakfast.  Rob likes adding some vanilla yogurt to his.  – I love mangoes.

Mamey

This fruit is really interesting.  The skin is kind of tan and about the feel of a kiwi.  They remind me of a cooked yam when you scoop out the insides.  But they taste sort of like a mango but much sweeter.  I have to dilute them more in a drink or a smoothy.   But the fruit salesman has to cut a little piece of the skin off to determine if the fruit is ripe.  If it is ripe, it will be pinkish orange – if not, they are green inside.  . So when you are stopped to wait for a light and the street sellers come to try to get you to buy their fruit, they will show you’re the slits in the mamey fruit.  At first, I couldn't figure out why there were these little cut-outs until I read about them.  

*****


Caribbean Butternut Squash and Sweet Corn Stew
Serves: 6          Prep: 15 min. Cook: 25 min.

This is one of our favorite recipes that we have about every other week.  I’m including the recipe here, in case you feel like being a little Dominican some night.  It is just a wonderful, flavorful vegetable soup. 

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

I large carrot, peeled and cut into small pieces

1 butternut squash, (1½ lb), peeled and cut into ½ - 1 “ cubes

1 red pepper, seeded and sliced

1 bay leaf

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (I've also added garbanzo beans instead which are good)

1 can sweet corn kernels, drained

1 ¼ c. broth (I just use water and then add 2 T. powdered chicken broth)

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, or to taste - I keep forgetting to buy this

1 tsp Tabasco sauce, or to taste- ditto above

1 tbsp sugar

1 T. balsamic vinegar

Chopped parsley to garnish

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, garlic, carrot, butternut squash, red pepper and bay leaf. Stir well, then cover the pan and allow the vegetables to sweat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the tomatoes with their juice, the black-eyed beans and sweet corn, and stir to mix. Add the stock, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, sugar and vinegar and stir again. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the squash is tender.  Sprinkle the parsley over the stew and serve at once.

Some more ideas (haven’t tried these yet)

For an Indian stew, soften the sliced onion and garlic in the olive oil for 2–3 minutes, and then stir in 2 tbsp medium balti paste. Add the butternut squash with 5½ oz. thickly sliced baby corn. Cover and cook for 5–6 minutes. Replace the black-eyed beans with borlotti beans, adding them with the canned tomatoes and stock (omit the sweet corn). Garnish with 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander instead of parsley, and serve with boiled jasmine rice or warm naan bread.

Down to the River

We were intrigued when the missionaries who work in the little town where we have been assigned on Sunday told us that there was going to be a baptism in a local river. Usually baptisms are held in a font built just for that purpose in our meeting houses, in a local swimming pool, or in a sort of portable font that is used in many parts of the world.   However, those choices weren't available this time.   A sweet man from Haiti, and a young brother and sister were going to be baptized.  (In our church, we believe that children should be at least 8 in order to be responsible for their actions before being baptized).  So we happily agreed to go out to the town on a Saturday afternoon to participate.

There is a fairly large river that runs through the town, but we were told it was too dirty 

and not private enough for a baptism.  I still thought it was a pretty river.

So we were directed several miles farther down a little dirt road.  We climbed down 

a pretty steep vine-covered little path, which reminded me a little of the movie Romancing the Stone.

through kind of a jungle forest to the little spot where a stream had backed up 

forming a pool that was deep enough for baptisms.  

Unfortunately, for those of us on the banks trying to keep the mosquitoes at bay 

with small tree branches, it wasn't the most spiritual experience. 

Elder Morris with Anul

But it was a sweet baptism and memorable to see a river baptism 

which doesn't happen very much anymore.   

(And I think that the chiggers who gave me with about 30 bites around my ankles 

must have had a great dinner that night!)

Just a Walk in the Park

One of the nice things that we do a number of mornings in the week is to go over to a park just across the street around 6:15 to go walking.  This park used to be a zoo and I can’t find out why it was closed – perhaps it was too small.  Anyway, there are a lot of walking trails and wonderful trees growing. There are guards here, so it's perfectly safe for me when I have come walking alone in the morning.

  

These lovely little bushes are all over - so pretty.

They are adding new curbing - this is some of the debris that they cleaning up.

 Remember the old house plant the philodendron.  Well, there is a giant 

philodendron plant growing up this tree.

A fountain that they are updating.

Look at the size of these leaves - magnolia - the

national tree.

A funky table and chairs.

We don't know what animals were here, but can you see the beautiful tree in the background?

It's called a flamboyant tree = perfect name, huh?

Here is a closeup of the blossoms.

When they fall, they also are pretty on the ground.

 A very unusual tree.

Can you see that there are sort of roots hanging down from the branches?

It is called the Caucho tree and is from India.

Rob's "hiding" in the vines of the tree.