Gallo Pinto Recipe
As lovingly prepared at Hotel el Mono Feliz
Costa Rican Typical Dish
Ingredients:
Rice prepared with sweet pepper, onion, and salt (see notes below) Black or pinto beans, cooked (canned or made from scratch) 1/2 Cup minced fresh Cilantro or 1 tbsp dried Salt Salsa Linzano de Costa Rica Plantains – yellow to dark yellow (not green) Serve with Tabasco and Chilero Salsa Picante
Method:
MAKING THE RICE (can be made day ahead):
Sauté onion and sweet pepper in a generous amount of high quality oil (2-4 tablespoons and note – Ticos don’t use garlic in this) for 10 minutes or so – until onions are translucent but not brown. Add rinsed, uncooked, white rice… stir in for 1-2 minutes on high heat… stirring constantly. Add 2x water for 1x rice. Bring to boil. Add 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro or 1 tbsp dried. Stir one last time then cover, lowest heat, simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off heat after cooking. Will last a few days in the refi.
Making the Gallo Pinto:
Take a cup of rice (cold from Refi or freshly made) and just under a cup of beans – with some bean water, but not a lot. Beans can be home made from dry or can just be canned. I recommend beans with only beans, water, and salt. And organic is preferred. Red or black work well and both are considered authentic.
Mix everything well in the pot, and add 2-3 tablespoons Linzano salsa. Cover and bring to a healthy simmer. Stirring frequently. Just a few minutes… but something between warming up and cooking it all over again. You want some simmer. You’ll know when it’s done.
To make fried sweet plantains:
Choose them on the ripe side, not green (but not soft and black, either). Cut them into 2 inch pieces. By ½ inch thick. Pan fry in tablespoon of oil. Watch them – they’ll go from raw to deep yellow to brown to burnt… you want the with just some carmelization.
Heat two tortillas per serving on a flat pan or griddle until there is some color in the tortillas.
Plate the gallo pinto in a covered bowl, with tortillas and plantains on the side. Serve with Tabasco and Chilero Salsa Picante (we prefer Tio Pelon brand).
Buen Provecho!