Every time we travel we try to eat the local cuisine. In doing that, we, of course, are going to fall in love with some of the food. After years of traveling, we noticed a lot of food from our travels make their way into our regular meals. Here are some recipes for some of our favorite meals we enjoyed traveling the last few years that are easy to make at home.
Costa Rican Recipes
On our actual honeymoon, we went to Costa Rica. A typical meal consists of Pinto Gallo, a rice and bean dish, fried plantains, a small salad, and chicken. We now make this regularly and refer to it as a “Costa Rica meal”.
Pinto Gallo Recipe from Striped Spatula
Pinto Gallo is a rice and bean dish that is very easy to make and tasty.
Making Fried Plantains
We love fried plantains and they are really easy to make. All you have to do is take ripe plantains and fry them in oil at medium-high heat until they are brown around the edges.
Ireland
We went to Ireland last year and didn’t hear too much about the food before we went. We really enjoyed a lot of the food. We loved the seafood in Dingle, the steak, and the lamb throughout the country. In general, we thought a lot of food needed a little ice, except for the Sea Salt Ice Cream from Murphy’s Ice Cream.
Since I have never seen sea salt ice cream anywhere else, the only way to have it here is to make it. It’s fairly simple if you have an ice cream maker. Just beat sugar and egg yolks, beat with milk that has been brought to a simmer. Heat and stir until it thickens. Add salt, fold into whipped cream and freeze using an ice cream machine. Full recipe here.
French Sweets
You can’t go to France without trying crepes and macaroons. These two classics can be found all around France. The good news is crepes are easy to make at home. Macaroons are a bit complicated but anyone can make them with some practice.
Making Dessert Crepes
Whisk together 1 cup of flour and 2 eggs. Gradually add in 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 cup water, stirring to combine. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons of butter; beat until smooth.e
In a small frying pan over medium high heat, pour batter, about 1/4 cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan until batter coats the surface. Cook for about 2 minutes until it loosens from the pan. Tun and cook the other side. Top with whatever you would like.
Making french macaroons isn’t easy, but here is a indepth recipe from Sweet and Savory by Shinee
Brazilian Food
I actually lived in Brazil for a while and love Brazilian food. Feijoada is a pork and black bean stew. Pudim is a dessert similar to flan but a bit thicker.
Feijoada
Feijoada originally was made by slaves in Brazil who would take pork scraps and beans to make a delicious stew. Today it is make less with scraps and more with pork belly, sausages and other meats depending on the cook. Check out the Feijoada recipe from From A Chef’s Kitchen
Pudim de Leite
Pudim is a simple dessert that only takes 4 ingredients, egg, milk, sugar and sweetened condensed milk. First you make a caramel sauce and put it in the bottom of a pan. Add the custard mixture and bake in an over. Get the full recipe from Mutt and Chop.
Cravings From Spain
I don’t really care for churros in the US. There is just too much sugar and it seems impossible to get them fresh instead of sitting in a warmer. A churro in Spain is just sprinkled with sugar and then dipped in hot chocolate. We enjoyed these almost everyday during our trip. 
For churros, you mix a dough and pipe it through a star tip into hot oil to fry it. It is prefect fresh and dipped into a thick hot chocolate. See the full recipe on Recipe Tin Eats.
Amazing Italian Foods
Panna Cotta always seemed so boring to me. Then we went to Italy and took a waiters recommendation. The dessert was full of vanilla flavor with all sorts of great toppings. Try different fruit sauces, fresh fruit, drizzle of honey or with chocolate and caramel. Here is a version from Guada De Laurentiis
Fresh pasta is so much better than dried pasta. There really is no comparison. If you ever want to try to make pasta at home, its worth the effort.
He is an expert travel advisor and enthusiast. He has traveled extensively in the USA, Central America, South America, and Europe. He has visited every Sandals Resort and is one of a select few Diamond Elite members of the Sandals Chairman’s Royal Club.
Dan graduated from Johnson & Wales University with an associate degree in Culinary Arts. Later he graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s degree in International Studies with a focus on people and culture.