Since coming to Costa Rica I have shed many inhibitions. Inhibitions about dancing and singing (I now actually sing Karaoke in Spanish….something I never would have remotely considered a couple years ago). One thing I have not shed is the extra weight around my mid-section. Probably the single largest reason for that is that I love gallo pinto (also Imperial, the local beer, but I will hold that thought for another post). Gallo pinto is a dish that is normally served at breakfast and consists of rice and beans with certain spices (like cilantro) and a lot of Lizano sauce (local mustard base and very tangy sauce that is applied to just about everything). Gallo pinto is actually served all over Central America. For instance, the gallo pinto in Nicaragua is also very good. I like to eat my gallo pinto with a big dollop of “natilla” (essentially sour cream that is a little sweeter than what you may be accustomed to), which is another reason I haven’t lost weight in Costa Rica. The gallo pinto is prepared differently in various parts of the country. In some areas they use black beans, while in others red beans. In some areas (like the Caribbean) they cook in coconut oil, while in others vegetable based oil, and so on. Being from the south, I am used to big breakfasts. Back home there was no better breakfast than grandma’s eggs and smoke-house ham with grits and red-eye gravy. No offense grandma, but a plate of gallo pinto with fried eggs, fried cheese and platanos maduros (ripe plantains fried in oil) will give your country cooked breakfast a run for its money. I guess I still am in the south anyway, just a little further south. Okay enough talk about breakfast, I am getting hungry!
Traditional Recipe for Costa Rican Gallo Pinto
Ingredients (for 6 servings):
- 3 cups day old cooked rice
- 2 cups cooked black beans
- 2 tablespoons onions finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon bell pepper finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons cilantro finely chopped
- 3 strips bacon, fried and crumbled
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 tablespoons Lizano sauce (or Worcester if Lizano is not available)
- ½ tablespoon of Tabasco sauce (optional)
Sauté onion and bell pepper in oil on medium heat. Add beans and cook 2 minutes more. Add cooked rice and mix together. Cook 5 minutes more and then add Lizano (or Worcester) sauce, Tabasco (optional), cilantro and mix well. Garnish with bacon crumbs. If desired top with sour cream.
Comments
RYErnest
Nice post u have here 😀 Added to my RSS reader
Costa Rica Blog - 365 Reasons I Love Costa Rica » Blog Archive » Reason #143: Tico Culture - Ten Things You Might Want to Know
[…] 2. As far as food is concerned, the signature “dish” of Costa Rica is gallo pinto, which is a rice and beans mix that is served at breakfast. Also, the “típico” (or traditional) meal served at lunch is called a “casado” and is a “marriage” (hence the name….casado, which means married in Spanish) of rice, beans, a meat of choice, platano maduro (or, ripe plantain), salad and potato or yuca, sometimes also served with a fried egg on top. See previous blog post. […]