- Central America And Mexico
Costa Rica
There's a saying that seems to neatly sum up the Costa Rican culinary experience in just a few words: rice and beans, beans and rice. Each Costa Rican meal features a different rendition of rice and black beans whether served with meat, or scrambled with vegetables. Plantains and eggs are also typical favorites, which can be served with, you guessed it, rice and beans. Oftentimes, food is conveniently stuffed into a large tortilla and sprinkled with white cheese. Here is a recipe for classic Gallo Pinto, or rice and beans, so you can enjoy a taste of Costa Rica in your kitchen.
Gallo Pinto
Ingredients
- 2 cans Black beans undrained
- 8 sprigs fresh cilantro
- 1 small or medium onion
- ½ small red or yellow pepper (optional)
- 3 cups (700 ml) chicken broth or water
- 2 cups (350 ml) white rice
- 2 tbsp water
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
- 1-3 tablespoon oil to fry the Gallo Pinto
Directions
- Chop cilantro, onion, and sweet pepper very fine.
- Add 1 Tablespoon oil to a large pan and sauté the dry rice for 2 minutes over medium high flame then add half of the chopped onion, sweet pepper and cilantro and sauté another 2 minutes.
- Add water or chicken broth, bring to boil, cover and reduce heat to low until rice is tender (20-35 minutes).
- While rice is cooking, heat the black beans and 2 Tablespoons water on medium heat for 5 minutes.
- When rice is done, add the beans to the rice.
- Sauté the rice, beans, reserved chopped onion, sweet pepper and cilantro together in vegetable oil for a few minutes.
- Sprinkle with a little fresh chopped cilantro just before serving.
Ecuador
Since Ecuador has such diverse vegetations, its food is known for an array of exotic fruits, numerous potatoes and plentiful seafood. While Churrasco, a dish consisting of rice, meat and potatoes is a national favorite, soup is undoubtedly Ecuador's specialty. If you like spicy food, you are in luck! A recipe for Aji, a very popular hot chili sauce that is eaten with most Ecuadorian food, can be found below.
Ecuadorian Aji
Ingredients
- 4 hot red peppers (aji peppers or similar small hot peppers such as cayenne)
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ cup water
- 2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 3 tablespoons scallions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 lemon, juice of
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salt
Directions
- Combine the water, peppers and garlic in the blender and blend well.
- Strain the liquid into a bowl and discard any solids.
- Add the balance of the ingredients and mix well.
- Store in the refrigerator.
- For a variation, Ecuadorians like adding beans to their salsa. The most popular beans are lupini, which are large white beans about the size of lima beans. Just add the cooked beans directly to the salsa. Or, add 1 teaspoon peanut butter with the chiles in the blender and follow the above recipe.
