Monday, May 2, 2011

Meatless Monday: Casados

Casados means "married" in Spanish and this popular Costa Rican plate is just that, a marriage of several foods to make a complete meal! Casados always come with beans, rice and salad, many come with fried plantains and can be served with warm tortillas. Usually, a meat protein is added. If you would like to add a substitute, we have included a recipe using Quorn cutlets. ¡Esperamos que disfrute de este plato!

Ingredients

Rice
1 cup long grain brown or white rice
1 1/2 cup water

Beans
2 cups dried black beans
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro (coriander leaves)
1 tsp. salt
12 cups cold water

Picadillo
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
1 medium parsnip, peeled and diced
1/4 cup peeled and diced celery root
1 T olive oil
1 T vegetable stock
1 tsp. Oregano
Salt to taste

Plantains
2 plantains (can substitute bananas)
1 cup coconut oil

Salad
½ head of iceberg lettuce or mixed greens, shredded
½ cup grape tomatoes, diced

"Chicken"
4 Quorn Cutlets
1 cup milk or substitute
1 T ground roasted coriander
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp freshly ground sea salt
Cracked black pepper, to taste
1 T olive oil
1 lime, quartered

Directions

1.Sort and wash beans, discarding shrivelled or cracked ones; soak overnight in cold water. Drain beans discarding the water, rinse under running tap water and place in a soup pot with 12 cups water. Peel garlic cloves (do not chop) and coarsely chop the cilantro (stems too). Add salt, garlic, oregano and cilantro to beans and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 2 or more hours (preferably 3-4 hours). Remove garlic cloves.
2. Place cutlets in milk bath and refrigerate for an hour. Blend spices together in a small side bowl. Set aside. Once ready to cook chicken, place olive oil in pan over medium high heat. Remove one chicken breast and sprinkle both sides with spice blend. Cook on each side for 4 minutes or until cooked through.
3. Rinse rice two times. Then add 1 1/2 cup water and bring to slow boil. Once boiling, set to simmer and cover for 20 minutes or until cooked.
4. Steam the diced veggies for 5 minutes. Remove from water. Combine oregano, salt, vegetable stock and oil. Add to pan and turn heat onto medium high. Sauté veggies for 2 minutes.
5. Peel plantain and discard peel. Cut plantain into 1/4 inch chunks. Coat bottom of pan about 1 inch deep with oil. Heat oil over high heat but take care to not let it begin bubbling. Place plantain sections in oil and turn every 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Salad can be the final step for your casado to keep salad cool and ingredients in fridge until everything else has cooked.

Plating
Think of your plate by quadrant, when plating a casado: every ingredient gets its own home. Their will be one part of the plate dedicated to the beans, another to the rice, the plantains immediately next to the rice, then cutlets, picadillo and lastly salad. Serve with warm tortillas and/or fresh avocado if desired.

Adapted from lavieenroute.com and veg.ca

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