Gallo Pinto

Food has played a huge role during my stay here in Costa Rica. I’ve had the privilege of learning an entire cultures' cuisine, and I’ve also met some missionaries that REALLY know how cook. I mean, seriously, Steve and Georgianna could open a restaurant. Plus, Abby and Shaina and I have had ample opportunity to display our own skills in the kitchen- making meals for our gringo friends, and making all sorts of baked goodies for the children and the house parents. This Sunday we have our biggest test yet- we’re making dinner for Pastor Jorge- the founder and director of the Abraham Project! Well anyways, today I thought I’d give you a basic recipe for Costa Rica’s national dish- gallo pinto. It is a nice way to eat rice and beans. Gallo Pinto is typically served for breakfast, with scrambled eggs and ham and perhaps a freshly squeezed or blended fresco…. Mora, naranjado, guanabana, or cas. But I suppose that a lot of you would eat it for lunch or dinner, or maybe as a side with some other Latin American dish. Ok, here it goes. By the way, I have no measurements or proportions listed here… it’s a very simple dish.



You will need:

White rice (cooked the day before)
Black or red beans (NOT from a can- either boiled on the stove for a few hours, or cooked in a pressure cooker) (I prefer black beans in my pinto)
Cilantro
Onion- finely chopped
Oil
Salsa Lizano (I don’t think you can find this in the states, but I’m bringing some home with me!)
Optional- finely chopped bell pepper, salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce… anything you want to try…

Sauté the onions in a little bit of oil. When they’re soft, add the beans and stir until they’re all warmed through. Then, add your rice and stir. Get your cilantro out and chop it up- bien bien fina. Keep stirring the rice and beans- and when they’re hot, add the cilantro and salsa lizano, to taste. Every pinto is different, and some people also like to add bell peppers, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, or any other spice that you think would taste good. (*note about the rice/bean proportion- it depends on what you like, and how dry you want your pinto to be. I like to have just over half of the pinto composed of rice, so it’s not sloppy. But it’s easy to add too much rice and make it too dry).

Oky doky! Well there you have it. Try something new today! I hope I explained it well.

Much love to all.

P.S. Happy birthday to my big brother Micah! ☺ See you soon!