Gallo Pinto In the Catskills

Yum!

Today we did what the Costa Ricans do. We took leftover rice and leftover beans, sauteed in olive oil with shallots and garlic, added some ground coriander (no fresh cilantro on hand) and cooked until hot. Added a splash of Lizano sauce and voila: semi-authentic gallo pinto, topped with fried eggs, accompanied by a side of toast.

We had our first gallo pinto at Steve and Lisa's, a small restaurant by the sea in Puntarenas. We stopped there every time we headed for the beach. It was a perfect place for families because the kids could play ouitside on the rocky beach, and we could see them from the window. Gallo pinto, we learned, is a breakfast food only. When Marty requested it as a side dish with a roasted chicken, he was set straight on this. However, the woman took pity on him and made up a batch.

Lizano sauce is liquid gold for people who can't get it. I can assure you there's no Lizano sauce in my local supermarket. When we first moved back from Costa Rica, we brought several bottles. Then we relied on Costa Rican friends to bring a bottle or two. We had to share with Mariel when she went to college and then had her first apartment. Of course you can by Lizano in Spanish markets anywhere, but we don't have one in our little town.

The Lizano quest continues. We used most of the bottle.