gallo pinto.

this morning i made my first authentic costa rican breakfast, referred to as gallo pinto. it's basically rice and beans, and it's served for almost every breakfast and sometimes lunch in tico families. it's hard to get a recipe from a tico because it's so second nature that it's kinda of like asking an american how to make a PB&J...but i've eaten it enough that i think i've got it or a close enough gringo-version!

if you wanna to give it a whirl you'll need the following:
white rice, day old is preferred
canned black beans*
oil (coconut oil is awesome if you can find it)
onion
pepper
garlic
cilantro
salt
pepper
lizano salsa (only in costa, but you can use a hot sauce, etc.)

heat up the oil in the pan then saute the garlic, onion and pepper for a couple minutes. while sauteing, drain and rinse the beans but reserve some of the liquid. place the beans in the pan with some of the liquid, add seasoning and lizano salsa. stir in rice and add chopped cilantro. cook until warmed through and serve with eggs and toast. so simple and so yummy!

*the non-gringo version calls for dried black beans soaked overnight and cooked accordingly.