Don Bernabe's Speckled Rooster

Speckled Rooster by Dory Coffee

 

Chifrijo

          During my search for an authentic Costa Rican dish, I came across several delicious possibilities.  Costa Rican tamales, unlike Mexican tamales, go easy on the spice and are wrapped in banana leaves as opposed to cornhusks.  Chifrijo marries the flavors, smells, and textures of fried pork rinds (chicharrones) and beans (frijoles), combined with rice and pico de gallo or simply fresh tomatoes.  A popular item in the bar scene, matadornetwork.com contributor Tyler McCloskey describes chifrijo in a review of Costa Rican food as “a drunken rally brick and next-day booze mop all in one.”  Patacones are a simple appetizer consisting of flattened and fried plantains great for dipping.  When ordering Casado at a Costa Rican restaurant, expect a variety food types like rice, beans, salad, plantains, a type of meat, and fresh juice to drink.  The type of food tends to differ based on where in the country it is served.

Costa Rican Tamales

            The dish I decided to make is Gallo Pinto, a breakfast entree whose culinary stars are rice and black beans served with eggs.  There are several variations of the dish, some which utilize red beans instead of black beans, and a different mixture of vegetables and/or spices.  The name for this dish, translated as “speckled rooster”, can be attributed to the visual appearance of the white rice and black beans mixed together.  Local stories pin its origins in the small town of San Sebastian, where Don Bernabe boasted widely of his prized spotted rooster.  Word spread and one day a large crowd of townspeople formed wanting to try a taste of the infamous bird.  Thinking quickly, Don Bernabe paid homage to the appearance of the rooster while sparing his life by preparing a mountain of rice and beans for the people to eat.

            Traditionally served along with eggs, the dish can be made in 20 minutes if ingredients are pre-made the night before.  Gallo Pinto calls for one particular unique ingredient: salsa Lizano, a tangy and smoky sauce infused with cumin and turmeric.  While the product can be found in Latino grocery markets and some larger supermarkets in the international aisle, unfortunately I did not manage to grab a bottle.  However, the recipe I used recommended Worcestershire sauce as an alternative.

            

           I started the preparations by cooking the rice.  The rule with rice seems to be a 2-to-1 ratio between water and rice.  I let that cook for about 20 min. on a medium flame.  This part could have been taken care of the day before, leaving chilled rice to simply be thrown into the mixture with the beans.

            Speaking of beans, I sautéed some onions and garlic in a saucepan and then added in a can of black beans.  To make the process more authentic, one could start with dry black beans and soak them in water overnight so that they are fresh and ready to go by the next morning.  Admittedly, I wasn’t thinking that far in advance.  Throwing in the beans and some diced tomatoes (instead of red bell pepper), I also added a touch of sweet molasses and salty liquid-aminos (a soy sauce-like flavor enhancer) to attempt to imitate the flavor profile of the Worcestershire sauce and salsa Lizano.  I then let the mixture cook for about 15 minutes.  While that was cooking, I quickly fried up some eggs to complement the rice and beans.  I seasoned the rice with cumin and a bit of paprika to add some flavor.  On the table, we had some corn tortillas to complement the meal.  

The Meal!

           

            Although my limited cooking experience failed to completely capture the essence of Gallo Pinto, research into the importance of specific ingredients and their back-stories has fueled the fire for further culinary explorations in the future!