I spent two years in Ecuador as a missionary, and learned to love the people, the culture, the land and the food. Well, a lot of the food. We'll leave guatita (cow stomach) out of this. Cui (Guinea Pig) is okay, however. But my favorite is arroz con menestra (rice with stewed beans ), carne asada (grilled meat) and patacones (plantains).
Since returning home eighteen years ago I have tried making it myself on a couple of occasions, but never to my satisfaction. Flash forward to tonight. Here in my "crash pad" I have several roommates, including Omar who is originally from Costa Rica. He is also a pretty good cook, and has generously shared his creations from time to time. I told him that one day I would return the favor by cooking arroz con menestra.
Tonight I finally did and it was quite a success. Maybe I have just forgotten what it tastes like, but it seemed to come out just right. It was delicious, if I do say so myself. Hmm, I wonder if I can find a good recipe for seco de chivo (kid--no, not that kind of kid--stew) or arroz con pollo (good ol' rice and chicken).
3 comments:
Oh the differences between people. My husband's mom grew up in Brazil so she always cooked rice and bean dishes. My mom's parents came from Czechslovokia so I'm more of a noodle / potato girl. My husband can't understand why I don't cook with rice more often. I just don't have a clue WHAT to cook with rice. Perhaps you will have to share your recipie some day with me. He loves black beans and rice but that just tastes so blah to me.
Annette makes a mean black beans and rice. The key for all bean dishes seems to be the spices and bacon to add flavor. And enough salt. Makes all the difference!
I forgot how good this was until you made it last week- YUM!
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