I would like to introduce you to Flor (I’m actually going to introduce you to her cooking, but first a little about her.) During one of my summers in college I lived in Costa Rica with Flor and her husband while volunteering for a local organization with my friend Leslie. Flor became more than our host mom while we lived with her – she took it upon herself to be our guide to the bus system and the ins and outs of San Jose, she guarded us fiercely with her warnings about Costa Rican men (my friend and I stuck out like sore thumbs with our blonde hair and blue eyes – Flor made certain we knew to avoid the attention of men in the city), she was our personal chef as she prepared Gallo Pinto every morning, packed our lunch each day to take to work, and had dinner waiting each night when we returned home. Flor always spoke with immense faith in the Lord, his provision, and his power to heal.
A couple months before I was set to go to Costa Rica, my dad was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia. The doctors quickly started him on chemo and he had a particularly strong round a week or so before I left for my summer trip. He was expected to get sick shortly after, due to the chemo-therapy knocking out his immune system. I remember my dad hugging me tight in the airport before I left, reminding me that Costa Rica is where I was meant to be for the summer and putting my fears and feelings of guilt to rest about being so far away while he was undergoing treatment.
Within about a week of arriving in San Jose with Leslie and beginning our volunteer work with the Rahab Foundation, I got word that my dad was very ill and had been rushed to Duke for treatment. Those conversations are all a blur to me as I found out he had fallen into a coma and the doctors were doing what they could to keep him stable. What I do remember from that night is Leslie helping me scour our local shops for phone cards so I could call my mom to hear more news (these were the early days of Skype and all the internet cafes were already closed.) And I remember Flor comforting me as I anxiously dialed my mom’s number only to have to fight with Costa Rica’s automated system (in Spanish of course) until I could reach my mom’s distant voice on the other end of the phone. Instead of telling me everything was going to be okay or patting me on the back, Flor quietly grabbed a bowl of warm water, knelt down on the tile in her living room, took my shoes off one by one, and gently washed my feet.
I’m tearing up just remembering it.
In that moment, there was nothing more powerful, more thoughtful, or more meaningful anyone could have done. There were no words that would have been helpful, and no amount of “I’ll be praying for you”s that would have comforted, but I will forever remember her selfless act of loving on me without hesitation.
I wonder how I could share that selfless kind of love with others. How do you comfort someone when they’re in the midst of the darkness and they’re not sure the light is anywhere close? I’m not entirely sure. But having been on the other side, I can say that perhaps actions and presence are more important than having the perfect words.
My dad had been in a coma for a few weeks when I called my mom on Skype one afternoon. She answered and then said “hang on a second,” I waited a moment and then heard my dad’s weak voice from miles away – “hey baby.”
And there I was, bawling in the internet cafe.
My dad is all healed now. He spent 80-something days in the hospital that year, but just over a year ago he passed the 5-year mark, so they’ve declared him cured. Praise the Lord.
All that to say, this recipe for Flor’s Gallo Pinto is pretty special to me. It’s simple, and maybe you don’t like rice and beans, that’s fine. But to me this dish is comfort food. It reminds me of sitting in Flor’s kitchen in Costa Rica, chatting over the newspaper, learning to like coffee, and her husband laughing at me because it was possible that I liked Gallo Pinto even more than he did. Most of all it reminds me of Flor and her selfless act of washing my feet the night I was so scared and felt so uncertain about the future. I pray I learn to love like that.
It would make my day if you tried this recipe. It’s the closest I’ve been able to get to the dish Flor would serve us each morning. I love it served with bananas – call me crazy but the salty sweet combination of the rice and beans with the banana is delicious. Avocado and scrambled eggs are also great sides. We even became friends with one family in Costa Rica whose tradition was to have Gallo Pinto with leftover birthday cake the day after a family member’s celebration (that was also surprisingly delicious!)
On a side note – if you live in Chicago, you should visit Irazu, one of the only Costa Rican restaurants I know of in the states. Be sure to ask them for Salsa Lizano (pronounced lee-san-o) – they’ll be impressed. If you can’t get to Irazu to try Lizano, you can always order some online! Tim got a bottle for me for my birthday this year – he knows me so well.
Happy cooking! And Pura Vida!
Costa Rican Gallo Pinto
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbs canola/vegetable oil don't use olive oil or spray
- 1 15 oz can black beans do not drain
- About 3 c cooked rice day-old is best
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
- Salsa Lizano only if you're lucky enough to own a bottle
- Optional Avocado, banana, scrambled eggs, birthday cake.
Instructions
- Cook rice according to package directions (day old rice is actually best, so you can skip this step if you have cooked rice on hand)
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion, about 3 minutes.
- Add garlic and sauté one more minute.
- Add beans, with liquid, and salt and black pepper. Heat through and let simmer for 1-2 min.
- Add rice and stir to combine, trying not to smash the beans. Cook until heated through. I like to stir it together and then let it cook, without stirring it for about 3 minutes at a time. This allows the mixture to get little crunchy bits throughout. Stir after 3 minutes and then let it sit an additional 3 minutes. Repeat this, tasting along the way, till the gallo pinto is the consistency you'd like. I cooked mine about 15 minutes total.
- Serve with your choice of bananas, avocado, and scrambled eggs.