A great part of the Nicaragua culture can be found in their food. The Nacatamal is cooked in banana leaves. If you get the opportunity to have some of the great ladies in the campos cook this simple meal of nacatamal for you... Grab it! It can be absolutely awesome.

The one thing I love about food and recipes, is you can pretty much bend and adjust recipes to your personal preference. And that goes for the method of cooking as well. It can be as simple or as complex as your heart desires. Or your ambition as the case maybe.

• 3 pounds of kernel corn
• 1 minced garlic bulb
• 1 cup of orange rind
• 1/2 can of tomato paste
• 3 cups pork lard
• 3 medium onions
• 3 medium green chitomas
• 3 teaspoons salt

Soak the corn covered in water for 2 hours. Drain excess water and place on medium heat stirring constantly until you get a soft and homogeneous texture. Brown the garlic, onions, chitomas in the pork lard. Add the tomato paste and blend with corn mass. Cool.

• 1/2 pound of bacon
• 1 garlic bulb
• 4 pounds of cubed pork
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• 1 Tablespoon of annatto seeds
• 1/2 cup of vinegar
• 1/2 cup of Worcestershire sauce (Salsa de Inglesa)
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar to taste

Cook bacon and pork in separate pans. Mince the garlic and mix well with pepper, annatto seeds, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce and salt. Add meat and mix. Ensure all meat is lightly covered

Other ingredients:

• 1 pound of rice soaked for two hours in water
• 1 pound medium peeled potatoes
• 25 roma tomatoes
• 6 chiltomas
• 2 rolls of butcher's string
• Banana (Plantain) leaves (sufficient for 50 - 16" square pieces)
• 25 mint sprigs

• Olives
• Capers
• Plums
• Carrots

Or whatever pleases you.

Drain rice and add salt to taste.

Cut banana leaves into 50 - 16" squares

Place 2 of the square diagonal to each other. Place about a cup of corn mass flattened with a chunk of pork and a strip of bacon, a spoonful of rice, tomato, one chiltoma, a sprig of mint and cover with prepared sauce. Fold over opposite corners of the banana leaves. First one then the over enclosing the ingredients. Tie securely with the butcher's string. Ensuring none of the contents leek out.

Steam the nacatamal in a large pot on a grate separating the leaves from the water. Cover nacatamales with excess leaves and cover pot. Boil for four hours adding water as needed.

Makes 25 servings.

One thing I have noticed, no matter where in the world I go. If you want a great meal... you look for the special person who absolutely sizzles when they are cooking! Heck they do not even have to be cooking.... just thinking about it makes them anxious...

This second variation of the nacatamal recipe is for those of us who prefer to cook only a small batch.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 mad chef
• 2 cups of dried kernel corn
• 2 teaspoons of lime (to taste
• 1/4 cup of lard
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 cups of broth of your choice
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 red pepper chopped
• 1 green pepper chopped
• 1 teaspoon of fresh Parsley
• Pinch of paprika
• 1 breast of chicken, cooked and cubed
• 1 pound meat of pork, cooked and cubed
• 2 tomatoes cubed
• 1/2 cup of cooked Chick-peas
• 4 teaspoons of capers
• 2 cups of mashed potatoes
• 12 stuffed olives chopped
• 1/2 cup of cooked Rice
• Ground pepper to taste
• 10 banana leaves cut into about 16" squares
• Salt to taste

A couple of local stabilizing influences

Cover the corn with water. Add the lime juice and cook on low heat until the hulls start to separate from the meal. Rinse well with cold water. Place in pot and cover with water. Let sit for 3 days changing the water daily. Drain and mash the corn. Add 1/2 of the lard, salt to taste and knead slowly adding the broth little by little until the mass is soft and homogenous.

With the remainder of the lard brown the garlic, onion, peppers.

Add the parsley, tomatoes, paprika, salt and pepper to taste. Add the meats and remaining ingredients cook for a few minutes until hot.

Now are you sure that this is just for small group. I know you said you needed some stability... and seeing the chef I fully understand why... But really do I need a pot this big?? You did say this was a recipe for nacatamal, didn't you?

Wash and cut the banana leaves in squares. In the center place a spoonful of corn mass with a couple spoonfuls of the meat mixture. Wrap well to ensure no leakage with butcher's string. Cook in boiling water with a bit of salt for 30 minutes.

A simple Nicaragua food, the Nacatamal is a beautiful representative of the Nicaragua culture. As genuine as the smiles and twinkle in the eyes of these wonder peoples.

And can you really argue with this result...

The greatest gift food has to offer is the absolute joy it brings out in people. It does not matter what the situation. Come to meal time, we all calm down and enjoy life for what she really has to offer. No matter where we are. No matter how little or how much we have. Sitting down and breaking bread, enjoying the libations mother nature has to offer.

There isn't one of us who, at some point in time, does not have a very fond memory of enjoying a great meal either with family or friends...

And sometimes, it is extremely rewarding just to sit and enjoy ones food alone. Enjoying the peace, tranquility or just watching life go by because we have those few brief moments just to sit and enjoy...

Now do you really expect me to believe that these creatures are on the menu?

I love to discover Central America and her cultures but I was thinking of other forms such as art, music.... maybe learning Spanish... living history exploring old Mayan ruins

Recipe for Iguna?

Do you dare to come back and see what is on the table?

Really... is part of Nicargua culture eating iguna?