Hello, my sweet families!! Today I want to share our typical costarican breakfast called “Gallo Pinto” that means, quite literally, “Spotted Rooster” in Spanish, characterizing the speckled appearance of the dark beans against the white rice. We eat this every day, alongside fried or scrambled eggs, with accompanied with sour cream (“natilla” in Costa Rica, which is thinner than the American variety), a crispy slice of fried white cheese (“queso frito”), plantains, sliced avocado, a corn tortilla, sausage and a strong cup of coffee.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp light-tasting oil (vegetable, mild olive, canola) 
• 1  red bell pepper , chopped 
• 1  small yellow onion , chopped 
• 2  cloves garlic , minced 
• 2 cups cooked black beans , in ¾ cup reserved cooking liquid* 
• 1/4 cups English Sauce** this is optional 
• 3 cups cooked rice , preferably, day-old and refrigerated 
• 1/4 cups chopped fresh cilantro 

Instructions

Step 1

Heat oil in a large pan or pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook the chopped bell pepper and onions until peppers are soft and onions are translucent about 6-8 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.

Step 2

Add black beans, reserved cooking liquid, and English Sauce (optional), stirring to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened and little bit of the liquid is evaporated. Gently stir in cooked rice and cook until heated through and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 3-5 minutes.

Step 3

Stir in chopped cilantro. Season to taste and serve.