photo by Duane Storey

I only know Costa Rica as a surf destination.  There are a wealth of things to do, but my experience is defined by a very cheap and lazy agenda - surf in the morning, have a good breakfast, cruise through the rest of the day with nothing really pressing or important.  If the waves are good, maybe its worth going surfing some more, but in general, they're not.  Food, was rarely at the top of my list.  Maybe this is typical of beach towns, but it seemed like every meal was some form of rice.  I thought the lack of variety actually helped with the effects of decompression.  Who needs a menu?  Just let me have some arroz con pollo and an Imperial, no need to rush.

Breakfast on the beach in Costa Rica is defined by one food - Gallo Pinto.  There must be a rule that if you have a kitchen, you have to serve it.  All that availability tends to drive down the price.  Last time I was there it seemed like $1 was the going rate for a nice plate of rice and beans with seasonings.  By the end of your first stay, Gallo Pinto seemed more natural and comforting than cereal with cold milk.

The real challenge to making Gallo Pinto outside of Costa Rica is the added sauce - Lizano Salsa.  Sure, you can substitute Worcestershire sauce, but its just not going to be the same.  I've tried to make it work with simple Worcestershire and there is something missing.  Perhaps equal parts mustard and Worcestershire sauce would do the trick, but Lizano is easier to come by than you might imagine.  Just hard to find at the corner store.  In Tamarindo, sure...

Gallo Pinto

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

1/2 medium onion

1/2 red bell pepper

1-2 cloves of garlic

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 in ground ginger

1 cup cooked black beans

2 cups cooked rice

4 tsp Lizano Salsa

1 tsp butter

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.


2. Sauté the onion until the onion begins to soften and become translucent.


3. Add the garlic and pepper and cook for 5 minutes.


4. Add the cumin and ginger and mix through.


5. Add the beans and cook until hot.


6. Add the rice and cook until hot.  Break up and clumps in the rive


7. Add the salsa and butter and mix thoroughly.


8. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot.

I think the best way to do this is to stack a sunny-side-up fried egg on the rice.  Then you can manage the warm yolk as it mixes with the rice and meat.  You'll notice something missing in this recipe - the beef tapas.  I use day old carne asada.  In fact, tapsilog is the perfect way to use up highly seasoned meat left over from a day of grilling.  Fajitas, carne asada, kebabs - they all work wonders.  Not to mention it makes for a fantastic breakfast.  I might eventually figure out how to make beef tapas, but this is such a great compliment to an afternoon lunch of carne asada, it really seems like a waste.

Tapsilog

Garlic Rice:

1 1/2 cups cooked rice, preferably cooked the night before

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 medium onion, minced

Salt & pepper

1 Tbsp soy sauce

Directions

1. Sauté the garlic and onion in the oil over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent, usually a couple minutes.


2. Add the rice and mix well, breaking down any clumps.


3. Add the soy sauce, mix well, remove from heat.

Tapsilog:

Fry an egg whatever style you like.  Make sure to use black pepper to season the egg.

Make a mound of rice by packing a bowl then inverting the bowl onto a plate.  Put the egg on top of the mound.  Add the meat.

Other Tapsilog blogs:

http://80breakfasts.blogspot.com/2007/06/sunday-brunch-meme-tapsilog.html

http://pinoyfoodblog.com/restaurant-and-eating-places/tapsilog-from-rodics-diner/