Rice with pineapple croquettes

In Panama rice is like bread in Spain. It is present in many of our recipes, either as a main dish or a side, and obviously there are desserts too. Rice with pineapple is a fantastic way to use  a part of this fruit that we would otherwise being thrown away. To make this delicious …

Croquetas de arroz con piña

En Panamá el arroz es como el pan en España. Está presente en muchísimas de nuestras recetas, ya sea como principal o acompañamiento,  y obviamente no pueden faltar los postres en la lista. El arroz con piña es una manera fantástica de aprovecha una parte de la piña que de otro modo tiraríamos a la basura. Para …

Fish head soup

When I was little girl one of my least favorite dishes was the fish head soup;  but my mom, auntie and grandma used to say that it was good for our brain, so during school time my brothers, cousins and I will have to eat it quite often... Time gave them the reason, cause as …

Egg braided bread

Merry Christmas! Here is a sneak peek into our Christmas Eve dinner. We had prawns and foie gras as starters, then turkey with ciabatta and roasted chestnuts stuffing (for the vegan in the family I made a delicious sweet potato curry) and an apple tart (pie) for dessert. Everything was delicious, the family was happy, we sang …

Octopus ceviche two ways

This summer in Panama I got the chance to enjoy a marvelous dinner at El Trapiche a Panamanian cuisine restaurant very popular among tourist and locals as well, which is always a good sign. There I ate a classic menu with fried everything…and a corvina ceviche. Everything was delicious as expected. But lately is fashion …

Chicken rolls with spicy tamarind sauce

One of the things that I brought from Panamá this summer was tamarind pulp. I know that I can buy tamarind here in Madrid but it is so expensive…Besides, it was a present from my mom, so what’s not to like! Normally the first thing that comes into mind with tamarind are sweets. You can …

Neopanamax: Pesada de Nance

  After almost four weeks of vacation in Panama, I came back recharged and full of ideas and Panamanian recipes to publish here at BlueJellybeans. The first recipe is one that perhaps only could be made while in Panama, because its main ingredient is Nance, a small yellow fruit native of Panama and other tropical …

Homemade Panamanian Mafá

Near my home in Panama there was a “tienda”,  a dry cleaners, the “55" (some sort of mini market belonging to Enrique and his wife Elsa), a chicken slaughterhouse (led by Enrique’s brother) and a large store for building materials and knickknacks (our favorite place for buying mother’s day presents with our precarious savings), all …

Plantain tarts

Also known as plantit tat or plantitá, today’s recipe has West Indian roots, as many of our traditions do. Panamá is really a “melting pot of races”. People from around the world came and went through our frontiers, many stayed and made of Panamá their home, enriching this country with their own culture. That’s why …

Codfish fritters

  I’ve had this post ready since Holly Week ... but I haven't had the opportunity to publish it until now…It’s a shame because this is a traditional dish for that time of year in Panama. Like many of our recipes it has Afro Antillean roots and, also, as many of our recipes, they are …