Enjoying Local Ingredients at Nectandra

The idea of Farm-to-Table food is far from new. It’s actually more of a return to days gone by when preparing dinner for your family involved a visit to your backyard garden, days where dishes changed with the season to take advantage of the fresh seasonal fruits and veggies that were available.When I think of farm-to-table, I think of freshness, and flavorfulness (to create my own word) because no matter what fruit or vegetable you pick, you know it tastes best right after it is plucked from the earth or pulled from the tree. Sometimes we forget just how much difference it makes when our produce isn’t picked early and shipped internationally before arriving on our plate.

We forget about that difference until we taste a mango pulled right from the tree, or wipe the dirt off a carrot and bite into it. It’s easy to be disconnected, especially as North Americans, because if we live in a four-season climate, we don’t have the option of eating our favorite produce year-round unless we buy imported products.

It is only when you live in a place as fruitful and bountiful as Costa Rica that the full scope of farm-to-table possibilities becomes available, and taking advantage of the natural wealth of fresh ingredients really is a no-brainer.

Not only does it ensure the best flavor, but it also supports the local economy and reduces the level of emissions that ordering non-local produce creates. It's a win-win, for the planet, and for the person who sits down to enjoy a meal fresh from the vine, so to speak. 

That is precisely why the team at the Ocotea Boutique Hotel’s Nectandra Restaurant goes to such pains to find locally sourced ingredients for as many of their signature dishes as possible. The only time ingredients are imported is when they can’t be sourced with the same high quality within Costa Rica, and whenever possible, ingredients are sourced right here in Monteverde.

Here is a perfect example, our team uses only the freshest tomatillos which grow wild near the forest in Monteverde. This delicious fruit is possibly best known as the main ingredient in salsa verde, a Costa Rican staple.

The Menu At Nectandra

Karen and Valeria, founders of the Ocotea Boutique Hotel, decided that when they opened their one-of-a-kind eco-friendly, sustainable hotel, they would take things a little slowly by concentrating on breakfast dishes first, then move to lunch, and only to dinner when each meal had been perfected.

This dedication resulted in a phenomenal menu chock full of unique taste combinations ( you can learn more about the design behind our menu here). 

With the fantastic variety of locally sourced ingredients available, these new dishes are sure to tempt your taste buds and delight your senses. Out of curiosity, I thought it would be interesting to follow some of these new dishes right back to their sources, ingredient by ingredient.

My first step was to collect some information about the new menu items. 

Here are just a few items from the breakfast menu. Let’s dig a little deeper and find out where the ingredients have come from.  To accomplish this, I contacted the Nectandra team and asked them to share some of his suppliers with me, and this is what I found out.

Eggs Benedict- poached eggs, salmon, arugula, and bearnaise sauce served with house potatoes, tomatoes, and olive oil. Keeping in mind that salmon is a cold-water fish and can’t be sourced locally, this particular dish is a collection of flavors from local greengrocers and farmers.

French Toast- brioche bread with a hint of orange, served with house jelly, or maple syrup and fresh fruits. Maple syrup is another product that requires importation from colder temperatures, but the Nectandra team went to great pains to find the perfect local source for the unique brioche that serves as a base for this new twist on a classic. These, as well as the other baked goods, are made by Ingrid Artisanal Breads

Blueberry Parfait- Natural Artisan Yoghurt with blackberry jelly, fresh strawberries, homemade granola, and a layer of seasonal fruits. I love the sound of artisan yogurt, so this caught my eye. The yogurt is created in small batches by a national commercial brand, the delicious granola is made fresh in-house, and the fruits are locally sourced.

Let’s move on to the exciting new menu.

The first dish that caught my eye was the grilled shrimp because I recently discovered goldenberries and they remind me of the little ‘Chinese lantern’ plants that grew in my mother’s garden, which she called groundcherries. As with the plant from my childhood, the berry is hidden inside a little paper package that must be peeled open. Here is a little more detail…

Whole grilled shrimp with goldenberry sauce, heart of palm, and asparagus tartar. We already know the source of the vegetables and the berries, so the important ingredient here is the shrimp which is purchased from local fishermen based on the Pacific Coast just an hour’s drive from Monteverde For those of you who have never had goldenberry, they add a tart, tangy zing that is unique and flavorful.

White croaker in a cashew nut crust with a creamy corn sauce. White croaker is known by a variety of names including kingfish and yellowfin croaker and is caught right offshore and has a  mild, sweet taste that blends nicely with cashews which grow locally. Our white croaker is provided by local fishermen on the Pacific Coast.

Roasted tuna tartare with wild naranjilla, soy, sesame oil, and orange juice dressing. Costa Rica is famous for its fresh and delicious tuna, so I’m not going to go into that, but the naranjilla fascinated me, so I looked it up. An indigenous fruit, this species of nightshade resembles cherry tomatoes but tastes citrusy and is even described as having flavor reminiscent of rhubarb and lime, which complements the delicious native oranges which are the marinade from the tartare.

The Nectandra culinary team have really done their research, and their perseverance and dedication to “keeping it local” have created a menu that truly highlights the variety and quality of the goods of Monteverde. It also ensures that guests to the hotel have a chance to explore new taste sensations and to go home with a better understanding of what locally-sourced dining looks (and tastes) like.

For a chance to sample this menu in person, just click this link. Ocotea’s friendly staff can help you with everything from accommodations to tours, to transportation.