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True Colors: A young woman dances in the traditional Costa Rican folclórico dance dress in Santa Bárbara, in the northwestern province of Guanacaste, where locals display their customs for the ever-growing number of tourists passing through. |
| Jeffrey Arguedas | EFE. |
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| Volz Family: Nicaraguan Judge Probe ‘Subversive and Illegal' |
After two weeks of silence, the family of Eric Volz released a statement yesterday reaffirming that Volz is out of Nicaragua and “remains in a secure location because of the danger of the situation and continues to take every precaution necessary to keep all involved out of harm's way.” |
| See More... |
| Agro Exports Continue to Grow |
Coffee and pineapple exports continue to show strong growth according to recent figures. |
| See More... |
| Road Carnage Increased in 2007 |
A total 339 people died onsite in traffic accidents last year – more than in any year since 2003, according to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT). The biggest causes were speeding, drunken driving, and carelessness by pedestrians, in that order. |
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U.S. Charity Sends 50,000 to Aid
Landmine Survivors in Nicaragua, Colombia |
Grapes for Humanity U.S., a non-profit charitable foundation, has sent $50,000 to aid the rehabilitation of landmine survivors in Nicaragua and Colombia, the U.S. Department of State said. |
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Savory or Sweet,
Plantains Are a Versatile |
For centuries, plantains have been used as a staple food in tropical and subtropical regions from West Africa to Latin America. Their versatility lies in the fact that they can be eaten at any stage of maturity, and that yields are abundant in the right conditions.
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Volz Family: Nicaraguan Judge
Probe ‘Subversive and Illegal’ |
By Tim Rogers
Nica Times Staff | trogers@ticotimes.net
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After two weeks of silence, the family of Eric Volz released a statement yesterday reaffirming that Volz is out of Nicaragua and “remains in a secure location because of the danger of the situation and continues to take every precaution necessary to keep all involved out of harm's way.”
Volz, a 28-year-old real estate agent and magazine publisher who last year was convicted of murdering his Nicaraguan ex-girlfriend, Doris Ivania Jiménez, and had his 30-year sentence overturned by a Granada Appeals Court in December, left the country Dec. 21 by a deportation ordered by the executive branch, not the judicial system, according to the statement by his family.
“The deportation was orchestrated by a faction of the Sandinista Party in Nicaragua, now in control of the executive branch of the government, so that the case could be taken to the Supreme Court in absentia,” the family statement reads.
The family also alleges that the recent Supreme Court investigation into the two Granada appellate judges who overturned Volz' conviction is in violation of the law. (See tomorrow's Nica Times print edition for more on this story.)
“We would support a fully informed investigation that includes a comprehensive study of the case file, but the nature of this investigation is both subversive and illegal,” the family statement reads.
The two appellate judges who ruled in favor of Volz are scheduled to go before the Supreme Court for questioning next week.
“The Sandinistas are supporting the investigation in an effort to gain control of the Appeals Court in Granada by prosecuting and potentially imprisoning judges Estrada and Rodriguez, in order to gain control of the court and replacing them with Sandinista Magistrates,” the statement reads.
The statement also seems to allude to a private criminal investigation of the Jiménez murder that has been kept under wraps until now.
“Over the past 13 months, out of concern for Eric's safety in prison and a very delicate appeals process, the results of a parallel investigation have been protected. Those days are over and the truth must come to light,” the statement reads. The family claims the private investigation has revealed that the “main perpetrator of Doris' murder is from a powerful and influential Nicaraguan family” who has been protected by an elaborate conspiracy among high-ranking government officials, police and state prosecutors in order to scapegoat Volz.
The family's declaration ends by saying that Volz's legal team is “studying every avenue available to redress the multiple injustices committed in the lower court, including pressing charges against those who contributed to Eric's unjustified conviction.” |
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Agro Exports Continue to Grow |
Rob Bartlett
Tico Times Staff | editorial@ticotimes.net
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Coffee and pineapple exports continue to show strong growth according to recent figures.
Coffee exports grew by just over 7% in December compared with the same period in 2006, according to Costa Rica's National Coffee Institute (ICAFE). In total, the country exported 168,915 60-kilogram sacks of coffee between October and December, an increase of 2.28% compared with the fourth quarter in the previous year.
Pineapple exports have also gone up dramatically. The industry was worth $470 million to the Costa Rican economy in 2007, reported newswire EFE, citing the Foreign Trade Promotion Office (Procomer). This figure, however, is less than originally forecast – at the beginning of the year, experts had predicted that the sector would be worth $500 million in 2007 (TT, Jan. 19, 2007).
Costa Rica is the world's leading pineapple producer and the fruit is now the fourth most valuable export in the country after microprocessors, bananas and medical supplies. However, activists are concerned about the impact of intensive pineapple cultivation on the environment, particularly given the extensive use of agro-chemicals in the industry (TT, Nov. 30, 2007). There are now 40,000 hectares of pineapple plantations in Costa Rica, up from 12,000 hectares in 2000, providing direct employment for 20,000 people.
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Road Carnage Increased in 2007 |
By Gillian Gillers
Tico Times Staff | ggillers@ticotimes.net
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A total 339 people died onsite in traffic accidents last year – more than in any year since 2003, according to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MOPT). The biggest causes were speeding, drunken driving, and carelessness by pedestrians, in that order.
There were 329 road deaths in 2006 and 278 in 2005. These figures do not include deaths that occur later in the hospital.
A legislative commission is now discussing a bill to reform traffic laws and decrease road deaths. The bill would increase penalties for traffic violations, make drunken driving a crime, crack down on corruption among the traffic police, and require road safety education in schools. Despite heavy pressure from victims' families and the Arias administration, legislators have been unable to decide on a final version for the bill.
The ministry said in a statement that traffic police will closely monitor seven highways that see increased traffic during January, when schools are on summer break. |
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U.S. Charity Sends 50,000 to Aid
Landmine Survivors in Nicaragua, Colombia |
Grapes for Humanity U.S., a non-profit charitable foundation, has sent $50,000 to aid the rehabilitation of landmine survivors in Nicaragua and Colombia, the U.S. Department of State said.
The aid was just part of the total $200,000 the foundation raised recently for conflict-related humanitarian relief around the world.
The U.S. Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement said it would match Grapes for Humanity's $50,000, enabling a total of $100,000 in public-private funds to be directed to the Polus Center for Social and Economic Development's Coffeelands Landmine Victims Trust. The group assists coffee farmers in Nicaragua and Colombia who have been injured by landmines and improvised explosive devices, the State Department said in a press release.
Nicaragua's landmine problem is a result of the 1979-1990 war. In addition to landmines, a large quantity of unexploded bombs, fragmentation grenades, mortars and ammunition also remain in former combat zones, including urban areas, according to international campaigner Landmine Monitor. In August 2002, Nicaragua, having signed the Mine Ban Treaty five years before, completed the destruction of the last of its 133,435 stockpiled antipersonnel mines.
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-Tico Times
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Savory or Sweet, Plantains Are a Versatile |
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For centuries, plantains have been used as a staple food in tropical and subtropical regions from West Africa to Latin America. Their versatility lies in the fact that they can be eaten at any stage of maturity, and that yields are abundant in the right conditions.
The plantain (plátano in Spanish) is a type of banana. From the genus Musa, most edible bananas are cultivars derived from two species, M. acuminata and M. balbisiana. Of the major types of bananas grown worldwide, about 21% are plantains.
In plant classification, the plantain is actually an herb, not a tree. In fact, it is the biggest herb in the planet, reaching up to 50 feet high and producing bunches that can weigh up to 55 pounds. It grows best in humid, warm, tropical lowlands, where it takes nine to 12 months to mature.
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| Go Bananas: The versatile plantain can be used in a wide variety of dishes, such as Chef Marco's plantain lasagna with beef and tomato sauce. |
Marco González | Tico Times |
Bananas and plantains are considered the most important fruits traded internationally. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, they are worth more than $4 billion yearly in worldwide exports, making them the world's favorite fruit. In terms of gross value of production, bananas and plantains are the fourth biggest global food crop. Of the more than 1,000 species known, about 50 are cultivated worldwide, encompassing more than 25 million acres and yielding more than 100 million tons of fruit every year.
The biggest difference between a banana and a plantain is moisture content. The plantain averages about 65% moisture and the banana about 83%. Since hydrolysis, the process by which starches are converted to sugars, acts fastest in fruit of high moisture content, starches are converted to sugars faster in bananas than in plantains.
In unripe plantains, starch comprises more than 80% of the dry weight of the pulp. Sugars comprise only about 1.3% of total dry matter in unripe plantains, but this rises to about 17% in the ripe fruit.
Unripe plantain pulp contains a total of 3.5% dry matter as cellulose and hemicellulose and therefore constitutes a good source of dietary fiber. In relation to dry weight, the total protein value of plantains is about 3.5% in ripe pulp, slightly less in the unripe fruit and in bananas. Plantains are also a good source of potassium and vitamins A (carotene), B (thiamin, niacin and riboflavin and B6) and C (ascorbic acid).
With phenomenal culinary versatility, the plantain is used in the kitchen in a host of different ways, depending on ripeness. Green plantains are prepared in the same way as starchy foods such as potatoes, yams or yuca (cassava) and may be boiled, steamed, fried or baked for savory dishes. Their yellow or medium-ripe (when the sugars start to appear) counterparts can be combined with savory accents, creating an exotic approach to common dishes such as lasagna and sushi. When the fruit turns black, the maximum level of ripeness has been achieved, resulting in astonishing dessert dishes.
As a longtime staple food in many countries, the plantain has been developed into an amazing array of culinary combinations for its three stages of ripeness. Gourmet markets offer a variety of specialties, such as plantain chips, both green and ripe, plantain beer from East Africa, and frozen green and ripe plantains ready to fry, bake or grill, making the fruit's future as a tropical delicacy look promising indeed.
Costa Rican, other Latin American and African cuisines showcase plantains in many forms, with an exten-sive array of dishes ranging from savory to sweet and everything in between. In Costa Rica, plantains are particularly prevalent in the Caribbean province of Limón, where the fruit forms the base of many dishes, as well as serving as an accompaniment or garnish.
Green plantains are used for patacones (also called tostones), ceviche, chips, breads, soups and stews, while ripe ones are used mainly in sweet dishes. More and more, fusion chefs are giving the plantain the place it deserves in innovative cooking, using a combination of tradition and imagination to bring out the best in this truly incredible and once overlooked fruit.
Plantain Lasagna with Earthly Tomato Sauce |
Earthly Beef and
Fresh Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
2 cups ground beef or texturized soy beef
7 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup red pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
5 medium tomatoes, chopped, peeled and seeded
3/4 cup green beans, finely chopped
3/4 cup carrots, cut in small cubes
3 tbs fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbs ground oregano
2 tbs tomato paste, dissolved in 1/2 cup water
3 tbs light soy sauce
1 tbs each of sugar, ground ginger and Chinese five-spice powder (available in Asian markets)
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Brown ground beef (or soy beef following manufacturer's instructions) in a skillet. Drain well and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbs oil and sauté onions, garlic, red pepper, green beans, celery and carrots for 10 minutes or until al dente.
3. Add beef, soy sauce, sugar, spices, cilantro, tomatoes and tomato paste and mix well.
4. Bring to a light boil. Add 1/2 cup water and simmer until the mixture thickens.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Adjust flavors, remove from heat and set aside.
Makes three cups of sauce. |
Plantain Lasagna
Ingredients:
3 medium-firm, ripe plantains, peeled and cut lengthwise into five long slices each Vegetable oil for frying
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup cream cheese
3 cups prepared Earthly Beef and Fresh Tomato Sauce Butter (to grease baking pan)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the plantain slices, five at a time, in 2 tbs vegetable oil, for about two minutes on each side.
3. Drain on paper towels and repeat with remaining two plantains. Set aside.
4. Grease a nine-inch glass baking pan with butter and cover the bottom with the first third of plantain slices, making sure the edges are even.
5. Add half of the tomato-beef sauce.
6. Top with the second third of the plantain slices to create another layer.
7. Dot with cream cheese, then spread it uniformly and add the remaining sauce.
8. Add the remaining third of the plantains and top with grated mozzarella cheese.
9. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the cheese is lightly browned.
Makes six servings. |
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