Gallo Pinto

The Beans

Look specifically for beans labeled Central America red beans or black beans.  They are smaller than the usual beans you might find in the US, and they seem to hold their shape better.

I made mine in a slow cooker, followed that airport-purchased cookbook recipe for beans — adding onions, peppers, garlic, cilantro and celery.

The Rice

The airport-purchased cookbook had another long, complicated recipe for white rice to use in gallo pinto, but after all the work for the beans where I didn’t feel it made a difference, I just used my rice cooker to cook up a batch of 4 cups of long grain rice.

Making the Gallo Pinto

Ingredient list:

2 cups cooked Central American beans, red or black

1/2 cup bean broth

4 cups cooked long grain white rice

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup diced sweet onion

1 diced red bell pepper

3 Tablespoons chopped cilantro, divided

1/2 cup Salsa Lizano (don’t substitute)

1 chicken boullion cube (omit if vegetarian)

1-3 tsp neutral oil, divided

Instructions

Heat 1 tsp of neutral oil in a deep skillet or wok over medium high heat.  Add the garlic and stir just until fragrant.  Lower to medium and add another 1-2 tsp oil if needed, then add the onion, pepper, and cilantro.  Sauté for a few minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.

Add the beans, the broth, the bouillon cube, and the Salsa Lizano.

Bring everything to a boil, and after letting it boil for a minute, lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until the liquid is all absorbed.  Stir in the remaining cilantro and serve.

If you want to serve it the way it was often served to us in Costa Rica, pack the Gallo Pinto into a small bowl and overturn in a molded shape onto the plate.

When we were in Costa Rica, the Gallo Pinto was usually served with a fried egg, fried cheese, plantains and fresh fruit.  I didn’t have any plantains or fresh fruit this morning, but I had some Halloumi cheese as a good fried cheese substitute.

It was delicious.