Costa Rican Casado by Ana Sofia Fehn

Préparation

Spanish for “married,” casado is a traditional Costa Rican lunch or dinner plate. The hearty meal typically features rice and beans (the happy couple?), another protein (such as steak, fish, or eggs), and a few side dishes made with what’s on hand. In this version, the beans are stirred right into the rice and served with tender beef strips, fried sweet plantains, warm chayote picadillo, and crisp iceberg lettuce.

This recipe originally ran stateside on HexClad.com.

Make the Chayote picadillo. Half-fill a HexClad 3QT/3 L Hybrid Saucepan with salted water and bring to a boil. Add chayote and cook until tender but still firm, 5 to 7 minutes; drain. Wipe saucepan dry and reserve for later use.
Heat oil in a HexClad 12"/30 cm Hybrid Fry Pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add bell pepper and garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Cook until tomato softens and flavors meld, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in chayote. Moisten with water or broth if mixture seems dry. Add peas and cilantro. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed. Transfer to a medium bowl, cover and keep warm. Wipe fry pan clean and reserve for later use.
Make the rice and beans. Return the reserved saucepan to the stove over medium heat with oil. Add bell pepper, onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add cumin, paprika and oregano; cook, stirring until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Add rice and stir to coat.
Add water or broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Stir in black beans; cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and keep warm.
Fry the plantains. Pour oil to a depth of ¼ inch/½ centimeter in a HexClad 4.5QT/4.3 L Hybrid Deep Sauté Pan and heat over medium heat. When oil shimmers, add plantain and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt.
Make the beef. Squeeze lime halves over beef strips to moisten them, then season with paprika, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Return the reserved fry pan to the stove over medium-high heat with oil. Add beef in a single layer and cook, turning occasionally, until browned and cooked to desired doneness, 3 to 5 minutes.
Serve. Spoon some rice and beans and shredded lettuce onto each plate, along with some beef, a few plantain slices, and some picadillo. Top with crumbled queso fresco and cilantro, and serve with a lime wedge.