Al Fresco posted on April 13, 2009 15:14
Gallo Pinto (pronounced guy-yo peen-toe) is a Costa Rican-style rice and bean dish commonly eaten any and often every meal of the day. My brother and I lived off this stuff during our adventures in Central America. Why so wonderful? Beans together with rice are popular to the everyday latin diet for good reason; combining them creates a "complete protein," containing all of the essential amino acids. And out of all the rice and bean recipes, the Ticos do it the best! Pura Vida! For vegetarians, this is a dish to know - just make sure to use vegetarian worcestershire sauce (it normally contains anchovies).
Ingredients (serves 6)
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups cooked white rice
- 2 cups cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2-3 tablespoons vegetarian worcestershire sauce (regular can be used as well)
- salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- fresh cilantro (optional)
sliced green onion (optional)
Steps
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add onion and sauté until it just begins to soften and turns color.
- Add garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until onion is golden.
- Add spices and Worcestershire, and stir into onion and garlic.
- (The first time I made this, I was afraid to add the full 3 Tbsp of Worcestershire, but the addition of the rice balances the flavor out).
- Next, add the beans and then the rice.
- Combine the rice and beans evenly and cook until mixture is heated through.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.
- Garnish with some chopped cilantro or green onions if you prefer.
- Vegetarians use only the Vegetarian Worchestershire Sauce.