I realized recently that 7 months in Costa Rica is the longest I've gone without seeing my family members. Weirdly enough, I feel closer to my family now than I did during my hiatuses abroad or in college. I think this mostly is a result of my effort to latch onto things here that feel somewhat familiar and close to home. Certain things my host family does are reminiscent of home, which helps me cope with the homesickness at times, but also makes me extremely grateful for the people with whom I'm surrounded. Having both families constantly on my mind as a result of each other's quirks gives me a deep appreciation for both. My four year old host brother makes me feel like my baby cousins aren't so far away, my host dads calm composure about everything reminds me of my grandpa (i.e.: Pappy), and my other host brother's sense of humor is reminiscent of my uncle Douglas. However, more than anyone lately, I've had my uncle John on my mind as a result of my host mom's passion for cooking.
The summer between my junior and senior year of college, I had an internship in San Fransisco and in an effort to save money, I lived with my aunt Marianne and uncle John in the east bay. This was one of my favorite summers for multiple reasons, but mainly because I had the opportunity to spend more time with them than I ever had before. It made me appreciate family in a different way. Every relationship I had formed with my extended family prior was in the context of their relationship with my parents, but that summer I had the opportunity to get to know them better on my own and in the context of the kitchen.
Their house in Moraga quickly became home to me. We binge watched Game of Thrones, went on weekend hikes & camping trips, and visited neighbors, but there was always one overarching theme to it all and that was food. My uncle John has an excitement for life that is contagious, but its his passion for cooking that is unparalleled. Watching him in the kitchen is like watching a kid the first time they step foot inside of Disneyland - completely blissed out. Everyone in my family knows not to question what he makes, because whatever it is will be the greatest gift you could possibly give to your taste buds. Every day, I would open the door after returning from work and get slapped in the face with the mouthwatering scent of whatever it was he was making. In those three months living in their house, I ate the best food I've ever had in my life, learned how to make cherry tart, miso glazed salmon and paella, and acquired a new appreciation for food and for family.
Most of Costa Rica survives off of a variation of rice, beans, chicken and platano, but I live on the Caribbean side of the country, and over here, its a different ballgame. The province of Limón is heavily influenced by Afro-Caribbean culture, and it shows in the cuisine. Everything has some variation of chile panameño and coconut, which makes the flavor of the dishes both sweet and spicy. The child-like excitement that I feel when learning how to cook these dishes is due to my summer with Marianne and John. Every time my host mom teaches me something new, I take close to 50 photos of the process in an effort to memorize it all, to which my she always says "Mandele las fotos a su tio" (send those pictures to your uncle).
Though I wish I could share these experiences in person, because the wide-eyed, stoked-on-life excitement would without a doubt be present in my host family's blue-tiled kitchen, the best I can do is share the recipe to my favorite Costa Rican meal, Caribbean "Rice & Beans" and tell you (John) that every time my host mom makes this, I think of you.
I need to clarify that "arroz y frijoles" is not the same as "Rice & Beans" and that any Costa Rican from this side of the country will get offended at this mistake. Making "Rice & Beans" is a long process, that uses coconut milk and copious amounts of different spices, whereas "arroz y frijoles" is simply white rice with beans on the side.
It's also important to note that my host mom made all of this from scratch, including the coconut milk and killing the chicken the morning of, which I'm aware might not be possible in the US. We also didn't use any specific measurements and made this dish for over 10 people, so I asked her to help me to approximate for a family of 6. This recipe takes a while and is a complicated process but vale la pena (its worth it).
CARIBBEAN RICE & BEANS (6 servings)
- Red beans (1 and 1/2 cups)
- White rice (4 cups)
-Thyme (a lot: close to 20 sprigs)
-1 head of garlic
-2 Onions
-1 Red Bell Pepper
- Coconut Milk (a lot: 2-3 liters worth)
-Celery (quantity depends on preference)
- 1 Chile Panameño *the most important part*
-Sugar (1/4 cup)
-Vegetable oil (For cooking the chicken)
-Chicken (we used legs and thighs) -- skin on!
-Cilantro (quantity depends on preference)
-All Spice Mix
-Chipotle Paste (tablespoon)
-Bay Leaves
-1 packet of dried chicken stock
-Tablespoon of garlic paste
-Salt
THE BEANS
Put the beans in a pot with just enough water to cover them, turn the stove on low heat and let them simmer. Add 7-10 sprigs of thyme, dice 1 onion, add one liter of coconut milk to the pot and let everything simmer for around 1 hour. The progression of your pot should look something like this:
After an hour, dice 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 of the red bell pepper, celery and one chile panameño and add to the mixture and then add another 1/2 liter of coconut milk. Let simmer for 1-2 more hours until the beans are tender.
THE CHICKEN
Put heat on low, put sugar in the pan and let it melt until it turns golden brown. Add a small amount of oil to the pan (around 2 tablespoons) and add chicken. Cook and coat the chicken until the skin is covered with the golden brown sugar mixture. Dice the second onion, one more clove of garlic, 5 sprigs of cilantro, the second 1/2 of the red pepper, celery (with the leaves) and add to the mixture. Add 7 more sprigs of thyme and let sit for about 20 min on low heat. The progression of the pan should look like this:
Add a liter of coconut milk to the pan, add mixed spices, pepper, the packet of chicken stock, a dollop of garlic paste, a dollop of chipotle paste, let sit for 10-15 more min until the coconut milk is simmering. Once the coconut milk is simmering, add another ~1/2 liter of coconut milk, 4 bay leaves, about 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro and salt. Cook until chicken has cooked all the way through. The progression should look like this:
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER:
Dump the bean mixture (juices, sprigs and all) into a deep skillet or pot and keep simmering over low heat. Add 4 cups of white rice to the mix. Cook until rice is fully cooked and the mixture looks like the final photo below. The progression should look like this:
To serve, scoop a generous amount of the rice and beans mix into a bowl, top with chicken. Make sure to pour a hearty amount of the sauce from the chicken onto the rice. Typically, Rice & Beans is also served with platanos maduros, which is sweet plantain sautéed in butter. This is by far my favorite Costa Rican dish and being able to share it makes me feel close to home and that somehow things have come full circle.
Provecho