IFN: A Cheery Costa Rican Breakfast

I thought we'd change things up a little and do a typical breakfast instead of regular lunch or dinner food, though this is still pretty savory and may be mistaken as a lunch/dinner. But anyway.

So Costa Rica (officially The Republic of Costa Rica). The capital of the country is San Jose and their official language is Spanish. The population is over 4 million. They've come a long way from being a tiny isolated (read: poor) colony in the 18th century to present where they have become one of the most prosperous (and stable) countries in Latin America. Interesting fact: they have no standing army. It was abolished when their constitution was written and accepted in 1949. It is a constitutional republic, and was the only democracy in Latin American before 1950 (even if it was 1949).

Read more about Costa Rica here.

Gallo pinto is apparently the most (or one of the most) common breakfasts in Costa Rica. It is served with huevos (eggs-fried or scrambled), natilla (sour cream), and patacones (fried plantains). And, of course, a generous dose of Lizano Salsa. Apparently it's the sauce of choice there. Unfortunately, I didn't do my research early enough, so the version below is a homemade recipe I found. Hopefully it tastes similar. I guess I won't know until I try the real Lizano. My gallo pinto recipe is kind of a mash of the various recipes I found. And we've made patacones before, but I'll put the recipe on here just for easiness sake.

We thought this was a hearty and tasty breakfast! Bubs and I had scrambled eggs with cheddar and The Man had a fried egg. And by the way, if you love potato chips and/or french fries, you should try fried plantains. They are like a cross between the two. We LOVE them. LOVE!

And here's Costa Rican BREAKFAST!

Gallo Pinto
3 c. black beans
1 1/2 - 2 c. white rice
small onion, finely chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
3 c. chicken stock (or veggie)
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 sweet pepper (red or orange), finely chopped, (optional)
4-6 tablespoons Lizano salsa (or sub some Worcestershire sauce)
oil

If beans are dried, cover with water and soak overnight, if they are fresh, just rise them off. If they're from a can, drain the beans and skip the simmering. Add fresh water to an inch above the top of the beans, salt, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce heat to very low simmer until beans are soft.

Saute dry rice in oil (1 tablespoon) for a minute or so, then add the onion and garlic. Saute until soft. Add pepper (if desired) and cilantro. Add stock and cook until rice is tender. Stir in the beans and the salsa.

Lizano-style Salsa
makes about 1 cup - original recipe found here 
1 dried chili, such as guajillo
3/4 cups water
1/4 small yellow onion
1 2-inch piece thick carrot, chopped
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon molasses

Remove the stems of the chili(es) and then slice the chiles in half lengthwise. Remove the innards and pre-heat a skillet over medium heat. Lay the chile pieces in the pan and toast, turning after about 2 minutes. Add the water and lower the heat to bring the water to a simmer. Simmer for about five minutes. Remove the chile pieces from the pan and place in blender. Measure out 1/2 cup of the chile-infused water and add this to the blender with the chiles. Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth. Sauce will keep in refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Patacones (Fried Plantains)
3-4 green plantains
salt
oil

To peel the plantains, take off both ends with a sharp knife. Then cut incisions along the natural ridges of the plantain, peel away the skin. Cut into 1” rounds.

Heat an inch of oil in a deep skillet at medium (325F). Carefully place plantains in the oil. Fry until light brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and place between two pieces of parchment paper or wax paper. Flatten the rounds with a mallet, frying pan, bottle, knife, etc. to about 1/4 “ thick. Season with salt.

Turn up heat to 375F. Carefully drop the flattened plantains back into the oil and fry until brown. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Season to taste with salt. The second fry is SO important!

Eggs

Microwave Scrambled
When I'm in a time crunch, and I want to make a scrambled egg fast, I do it in the microwave!
eggs
butter
salt and pepper
other mix ins (cheddar cheese!)

Crack eggs into a microwave safe mug. Scramble the eggs well. Season and add mix ins. Place in microwave for 30 seconds on high. Remove and scramble with a fork. Place in for additional 15 second increments until done to taste.

Fried - Sunny Side Up
eggs
butter/oil
salt and pepper

Preheat a skillet (bigger if you're cooking more than one egg) on medium with a little bit of oil or butter coating the bottom. Crack egg carefully onto pan (or you can crack into another dish first if you don't trust your egg cracking skills!) and allow the white to set before you finish pouring the yolk on. (The white should start cooking immediately upon touching the pan). Place a few teaspoons of water in and cover with a lid (this steam creates the top white coating on the yolk and helps cook the white through). Check periodically until done to taste. The yolk should be covered with a white film and the white should be cooked through with the edged of the egg starting to curl. If you do not want the steam on your egg, turn the heat down to medium low and cook slowly until the egg is done through. 

So there you have it. Costa Rican breakfast!