Since we have arrived in Cartagena I have been cooking more interesting foods and Malcolm made mention of that fact last night as we were eating our pork chops with cape gooseberry chutney.
We first tasted these sweet little fruits in a salad at a restaurant. They were so good I decided to get some which I did yesterday along with the pork chops. We had eaten the green gooseberries in England, but we had never seen these orange ones.
It's always fun to add a little sweet element to pork so I decided to make a chutney. I didn't have all the proper spices, but I added onion, apple, dried cranberries, brown sugar, white wine, vinegar, and cayenne and simmered it about 20 minutes. I also made a salad while Malcolm was barbecuing the chops.
The finished product was scrummie on the pork and we discussed why I seem to be more creative in the galley here in Cartagena.
Obviously, it's because of what's available in the market. Finding the same old limp onions, potatoes, yucca, bell peppers, carrots, and celery at the market (like we did in so many places in Panama) certainly dampens one's creativity. Just how many ways can you combine those ingredients for a new and tasty meal?
I also think the lack of fresh produce causes a nutritional deficit which affects every aspect of your well-being from mood to energy to skin health. Aboard Thistle, we celebrate food and are so happy to be living in an area with a wide variety of fresh produce and a healthy respect for good foods.
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