After working a long night at his Costa Rica restaurant Al Mercat Dota, Chef Jose Gonzalez craves gallo pinto, his country’s national dish. Traditionally made from leftover rice and red or black beans cooked anew with spices, onions, garlic, peppers, and cilantro, a bowl of gallo pinto is unpretentious, homey, and belly-warming, everything a comfort food should be. “[Gallo pinto] means my roots, my childhood,” Gonzalez said during a phone interview. “It means Costa Rica.”
Gallo pinto (whose name translates to “spotted rooster,” a nod to the dish’s speckled look) is often classified as a breakfast food, but it is welcome at the table at any
