Thursday, March 6, 2014

How to make Gallo Pinto!

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Gallo pinto is the national dish of Costa Rica, a dish composed of rice and beans and is commonly served at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Even though Gallo Pinto is served very frequently, it often comes with different sides and toppings, for example , for breakfast it usually comes with avocado and a fried egg.  For lunch it is put on corn tortillas and topped with sour cream and tomatoes and for dinner it is frequently served as side dish to chicken or fish. Gallo Pinto literally translates to “spotted rooster” in Spanish.
In order to make the best tasting Gallo Pinto according to my ‘tico’ teacher here in San Jose, the rice needs to be made at least a day in advance so that it is dry and can absorb all the spices of the dish. The day before making gallo pinto, make the rice in a rice cooker or crock pot by combining 2 cups of water,  1 ½ cups of rice, 1 bouillon cube and ½ tablespoon sugar.
Ingredients:
  • 4 15oz canned, low sodium black beans
  • 1 yellow Spanish onion, finely diced
  • 1 red sweet pepper
  • 2 cups (350 ml) white rice
  • ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
  • 2 Tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon lizano salsa
  • 2 bouillon cubes (Chicken, Beef, or vegetable)
  • 8-10 sprigs cilantro (coriander leaf) fresh or frozen
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Start by mincing the vegetables for gallo pinto
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Add the vegetable oil to a large saucepan and heat to medium heat. Chop onion and sweet pepper very fine and add to pan. Sauté for 2 minutes over medium high flame
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Crack open 1 can of black beans and add the contents to the saucepan. Drain the other 3 cans, rinse the beans and then add to the sauce pan. The liquid from one can is enough to season the dish and will keep it from drying out.
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Add the Worcestershire sauce, bouillon cube, ketchup, salt and lizano sauce(needed in Costa Rica) to the beans, cooking for a few minutes until slightly thickened.
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Add the rice slowly to the bean mixture, stirring well to make sure the rice is well coated. Depending on preference, you can add more or less rice.
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Season with cilantro just before serving
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Gallo Pinto enjoyed on a corn tortilla with tomatoes
Enjoy Gallo pinto anytime of the way with a variety of toppings!
This past week, I got to enjoy some Gallo Pinto time with my sister who came down during her spring break to visit me. Together we went to Montezuma and spent a few days there together. We got to enjoy hiking up waterfalls, horseback riding and snorkeling at Tortuga island.
Enjoying a Casado which is a typical Costa Rica meal of rice,beans, chicken, salad and plantains

During the week, Mary got to visit the market, the gym and even came to a class with me. I love having my sister her to and I am so excited that she can experience a little bit of the PURA VIDA lifestyle away from Michigan. 
During out visit to Montezuma, I was reminded of the the friendliness of people in Costa Rica from an older man I met. The man was watering the road (a common thing because they have all dirt roads) and he stopped me and started asking some questions.  We ended up talking in Spanish for over 30 minutes about living simply off the land, loving others and providing for those who do not have enough. The little lessons he reminded me of were so humbling because he literally only had a shack for his house yet he was going to cook food for some neighbors down the road who didn't have electricity! 
Living in Costa Rica for over two months some things seem normal to me because I am becoming accustomed to the culture but according to Mary the top 5 differences are: 
  1. TRANSPORTATION: The bus stops for everyone and their brother (we were even a school bus in the morning) on the public bus and you are never guaranteed a seat on the bus. Also taxi drivers are very aggressive and constantly ask "Taxi? Taxi? Taxi?" but they don't understand (according to Mary) if she wants a taxi she would ask for a taxi.
  2. RICE... RICE... RICE: The amount of rice that Mary has consumed has been over her yearly allowance. Rice has been eaten at almost every meal yet served differently every time. 
  3. WALKING: It is completely normal to walk a few miles into town everyday and then walk around to complete an average of 8 or so miles a day. It is a different style of life as people take their time getting around and don't need to get from point A to B in such a hurry. BUT being using our long legs, we tend to take a little longer strides than the average tico stride. 
  4. COLD showers: When you are told you only get cold showers it sounds refreshing until you jump in the ARCTIC cold water. The cold showers are common here but we call it going "swimming" because you jump in, quickly do your think and jump out because of the freezing cold water.
  5. SPANISH: You learn it quickly how to stay afloat. Learning hand gestures and digging deep into your memory for those old Spanish lessons. Spanish is widely spoken and many people don't know English. The most important things to know are numbers (for food prices in colones), Pura vida and basic Spanish phrases go a long way.

PURA VIDA