Eating Around the World (From Home....And Gluten Free...): Central America

Welcome to Nicaragua! This is another country that is special for me. While living in Alaska, I was one of the youth leaders at my church. We took the youth group to Nicaragua for 10 days to Casa Bernabe with Renew the Hope - it was incredible. That trip was one I won't forget, and I am so thankful for the time spent there. It was such a beautiful country with some kind, genuine, amazing people. According to Google, the population of Nicaragua is 7 million people and the capital is Managua. Their national dish is...

Gallo Pinto!

Beans and rice. How am I going to do this when my stomach revolts with beans?! I remember eating gallo pinto every day on our trip to Nicaragua, and it was amazing. I was sad to not be able to try it here. I decided to make something to go with gallo pinto, so I also made Arroz a la Valenciana, which is like the Nicaraguan version of paella, and Nicaraguan Perrerreque, which is a corn cake. We had some Nice Neighbors over for dinner too, and it was great to have this meal with them. Here's what I did:

GALLO PINTO

1 package (14-16 oz) small dried red beans, (not kidney beans).

3 C cooked beans needed for recipe

2 1/2 C red bean cooking liquid

2 C uncooked long grain white rice
1/3 C avocado oil
1/2 onion, finely chopped
3 tsp salt, divided

Pick through beans to remove any debris and rinse well with water
Place beans in a large pot and add enough water to cover by 3-4 inches, and bring to a boil
Reduce heat to low or medium-low to keep at a slow boil
Boil gently, partially covered, for about 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender, but firm “al dente”
Check after 1 hour to ensure too much water hasn’t evaporated. Add more if needed
Add 2 teaspoons salt during last 30 minutes of cooking time
Once cooked, set pot aside at room temperature and keep beans in their cooking liquid until ready to use
In a wide saucepan with about 2″ sides, heat oil over medium heat
Add chopped onion and saute for 2-3 minutes, until slightly softened
Measure out 3 cups of cooked beans, removing from bean liquid with slotted spoon, and add to oil and onion
Immediately add 2 1/2 cups of bean cooking liquid, 2 cups uncooked rice, and 1 teaspoon salt
Bring to a quick boil and then reduce heat to low
Cover and cook on low for about 20 minutes or until rice is cooked
Adjust salt as needed
Enjoy!

(Source: Gallo Pinto)

ARROZ A LA VALENCIANA

1 Chicken breast, cooked and shredded

1 C peas and carrots (I used the frozen mixture)

1 stick Butter

1 tsp Sugar
2 pieces Pork sausages cut in slices (I used a small package of plain "breakfast" sausage links, cut up. Make sure NOT to get the maple-flavored ones!)

3 C ham, diced
1 onion, cut in julienne strips
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, cut in julienne strips
2 Tomatoes, diced
1/2 C white wine
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 C rice, uncooked
3 C Chicken broth
Cilantro, for garnish

Place a frying pan with two tbsp of butter and the sugar over medium heat for about 2 minutes
Once the sugar has caramelized, add the shredded chicken, the pork sausage, and the ham; stir and cook for about 8 minutes, or until golden brown, and set aside
Add a little bit of butter to a pot and melt over medium heat until it is hot
Add onion and garlic, lower the heat a little bit and wait for them to caramelize
Add the bell pepper, tomatoes, white wine, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and rice
Stir everything for about 2 minutes, then add the chicken broth
Let it cook over low heat, covered, for about 15 minutes or until the rice is soft
When the rice is cooked, stir in the cooked chicken, pork sausage and ham, carrots, and peas
Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve

(Source: Arroz a la Valenciana)

NICARAGUAN PERRERREQUE

1 pound fine white corn meal
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 C sugar
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 C milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix the corn meal with the cheese and sugar.
Cut/crumble in the butter.
Mix the baking soda into a little of the milk and pour into the dry ingredients.
Add the remaining milk until the mixture is well blended.
Place the cake mixture into a greased baking pan.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the cake is golden brown.
After this time, remove it from the oven, allow to cool and then cut into small pieces or squares before serving.

(Source: Nicaraguan Perrerreque)

The verdict? I couldn't have the gallo pinto, so I will let Handsome Husband tell you about that:

Handsome Husband here. The gallo pinto was pretty much what you would expect from rice and beans -- surprisingly tasty for something so simple. Somehow it always tastes better in other countries though, I'm not sure why that is!

The Arroz a la Valenciana was actually much better than I anticipated. The sausage was very good in it, and I actually didn't mind the peas (I don't like peas...). In the future, I would add more meat to the recipe, but it was very good and had good flavor. The Nicaraguan Perrerreque was not good. I think the concept is good, but it tasted spoiled when we ate it. It also took way longer to bake than the recipe said. Not sure if it is my oven or the recipe, so I didn't change the cooking time in the recipe to what I actually did. If you make it, keep that in mind. Overall, a decent meal, and a lot of memories!

Taste of Gallo Pinto (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): NA

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): NA

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): NA

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Gallo Pinto (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6