When I was 16, my Brother, Josh, and I decided to travel to Costa Rica for a month of intensive Spanish language school. Since we were both homeschooled at the time (Yes, I was homeschooled. Make your judgements as you feel necessary), we had the freedom to experience many different educational experiences. We decided to live with a host family so that we could fully experience the "Tico" or Costa Rican lifestyle. Our host family was amazing. We had a great time getting to know them over the month long period we lived with them, and we enjoyed the foods and cultural experiences that came along with the host-home experience.
One of my greatest memories from that trip was breakfast each morning. Our host mother would cook up the traditional Costa Rican breakfast for us, commonly known as "Gallo Pinto" (pronounced guy-o). Salty beans, rice cooked perfectly (and in a way that I have tried to imitate but don't think I will ever succeed), and fried eggs. It was delicious. I wish I could re-create the dish the exact same way our host mom made it. Unfortunately, I can't. But, Jacob gave gallo pinto a serious contender the other night for dinner.
That's right - Jacob cooked this meal. I got home late from work, and Jacob was slaving over a hot stove creating this:
One of my greatest memories from that trip was breakfast each morning. Our host mother would cook up the traditional Costa Rican breakfast for us, commonly known as "Gallo Pinto" (pronounced guy-o). Salty beans, rice cooked perfectly (and in a way that I have tried to imitate but don't think I will ever succeed), and fried eggs. It was delicious. I wish I could re-create the dish the exact same way our host mom made it. Unfortunately, I can't. But, Jacob gave gallo pinto a serious contender the other night for dinner.
Funny thing is, this dish was actually made using duck eggs. My Father in Law gave us some duck eggs that he had been given from a friend. We couldn't taste a big difference from regular chicken eggs, but the duck eggs were much bigger and had much thicker shells than "normal" eggs.
A large salad was served on the side - made up of spinach, carrots, and mushrooms.
Just one more picture - it was just so pretty.
Huevos Rancheros Recipe:
(serves 2-3 people)
- 2 cups rice, prepared according to package directions (brown OR white is fine)
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2-3 Eggs
- 1 tbsp Butter
- Salt/pepper to taste
- 1/4 Cup Salsa
- 1 Avocado, sliced
- 1/2 Cup Cheddar cheese
Directions:
- Once rice is finished cooking, add black beans and toss. Cover, and let the beans steam in the hot rice.
- Heat a small non-stick skillet over medium heat.
- Add butter to pan, crack eggs into the skillet.
- Cook eggs to desired consistency, season with salt and pepper.
- Place 1-2 cooked eggs on each serving of heated beans and rice.
- Top with desired toppings (salsa, avocado, cheese)
It does look delicious. Get a rice cooker (if you don't have one already). It's the best thing we have!
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