Costa Rica - Gallo Pinto
….aaaaaaaaand we’re back!
Unfortunately, in my journey to cook and then write about all these dishes, I was waylaid by a nasty bout of procrastination and just overall laziness. Fittingly, the first country coming out of that very well encapsulates both my desire to overdose on relaxation and the “screw it, I’m going to fake my own death and buy a bar on the beach somewhere” vibe that 2020 has engendered in all of us. It’s also the first country on our list that I have actually been to, and a place that I absolutely can’t wait to go back to. We’re heading to Costa Rica and making….
Gallo Pinto!
Now, for those enterprising students out there who didn’t consider high school Spanish class as prime naptime, you’ll note that “Gallo Pinto” translates to “Spotted Rooster”. Now, I can assure you that no roosters are being spotted in the making of this recipe…in fact it actually works well for any vegetarians you happen to associate with.
Gallo Pinto is a beautifully simple and yet also delicious dish of black beans and rice flavored with a uniquely Costa Rican sauce called “Salsa Lizano”, which is made of a mix of molasses, carrots, and chilis among other things. The flavor can be most closely compared to Worchestershireirewhatever sauce, and adds a nice savory and tangy flavor to the dish. Usually it is eaten as part of a platter called a “Casado”, which can be found all over the country and generally also includes tortillas, plantains, avocados, and cheese.
I used a recipe from Striped Spautula, and found that it tasted very close to what I had when I was in-country, so I’d say this is a pretty good example of the dish. I tend to add hot sauce to mine because I’m a bit of a masochist, but in general Costa Rican food is very mild in terms of spice, so the pepper-averse among us will have a good time with this one.
Ingredients
2 TBSP light oil (think canola or vegetable)
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup Salsa Lizano (can be bought online or can be found in a hispanic grocer like Fiesta or Sedano’s)
3 cups cooked rice, preferably day-old*
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
* The day-old rice results in a drier grain and the rice doesn’t clump as much, but in a pinch fresh rice is fine. Also, it isn’t strictly traditional, but toasting the dry grains before making the rice will add more flavor…if any Costa Ricans ask, I didn’t recommend this.
Directions
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it starts to shimmer
Add pepper and onion and cook, stirring, until the pepper softens and the onions begin to get a little translucent, generally 8-10 minutes (the recipe says 6-8, but in my experience it takes a bit longer)
Add the garlic and stir constantly until garlic is fragrant, about a minute (be careful the garlic doesn’t burn!)
Add the black beans, reserved bean liquid, and Salsa Lizano, stirring to combine
Simmer the mixture for 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens a little bit
Stir in the cooked rice and cook until heated through and most of the liquid has been absorbed, should be about 5 minutes
Once the liquid has been absorbed, stir in the chopped cilantro and add additional Salsa Lizano to taste
Serve with whatever accompaniments you want, I added hot sauce to the rice and served it with cholula hot sauce, sliced avocado, and sweet plantains fried in butter.
Overall, I’d give this dish a 4/5. The Salsa Lizano adds a lot of flavor, and a nice tang you don’t normally get in rice and bean dishes that balanced the flavor well.
