One of my favorite wine books is a memoir written by Lawrence Osborne entitled The Accidental Connoisseur. Filled with insights, humor, and brilliant prose, he brings to life the other side of wine: the people behind the wines. This book closely...
Robust & Ready: Coyam 2007
When it comes to pursuit of drinking good wine, sometimes you get lucky enough to stumble upon one of those bottles that hits the price-quality ratio dead on. A wine that year after year gives the same consistency, hovers in the same price range, and has decent...
Your Next Dinner Party Theme: Chile
Since everybody has Chile in their thoughts this week, why not continue to show your support and throw a Chilean theme dinner party over the weekend? Great idea Liz, but, errr...what should I make? Well, let's do a little primer on Chilean cuisine first and then lay...
Help Chile Rebuild After the Earthquake
Yesterday afternoon I went for a walk. As I walked quietly, I observed the pristine yards in our neighborhood. The mountains turned pink at dusk. On my way home, I saw the first pile of rubble in our area. Images from the south flashed through my mind. Ironically, it...
Why Now is Still the Time to Come to Santiago-and Chile
Yes, you read that correctly. And no, I am not nuts. Let me explain, por favor. While so much of the worldwide media seems intensely focused on the devastation in Chile, please note that many of these images are from the cities of Constitución, Talca, and...
Holy Humita
Late summer in Chile tends to be one big corn fest. Green vegetables are sidelined and the markets fill up with ungodly sized corn, the size of rugby balls, that are used to make the sacred dishes of these sunny days: pastel de choclo (Chilean corn pie),...
Carnivoral
Today marks the beginning of 40 days of lent and the end of carnival when partying, overeating, sex, and general debauchery have gripped much of Brazil (and NoLa) for the past 5 days before repenting sets in. Although I am not Catholic, it got me thinking if I...
The Most Addictive Substance Known to Man
Thanks to Roboppy for this yummy pic. You may be wondering what that is. No, it's not illegal, although like crack, it will turn you into a junkie. It's not caffeine either, but you will get a buzz--of sorts. Can you guess what it is? It's a sweet, thick spreadable...
Move Over Chimichurri, Uruguayan Salsa Criolla is in the House
You know, with all the zesty sauces in South America, how come chimichurri steals all the thunder? Chileans make at least a dozen versions of mean pebres, from spicy-as-hell green chili and cilantro to the garden vegetable variety. Uruguay too has its creole...
The Art of Cooking with Greda (Clay)
In Chile, traditional cooking vessels are made with greda, natural clay. Much of greda is still hand thrown the homes of dusty country towns throughout the central valley like Pomaire (terra cota color ), near Pichilemu (fleshy colored), and in the south...
Bienvenido September -and Empanada Mania
The first of September begins to wake Chileans from their deep sleep of winter hibernation. The weather turns spring like with orchards blooming in an array of white and pink blossoms. The days get longer, the sun warmer. The hills are emerald green and the...
Conger Eel with Warm Fava Bean-Spicy Sausage Salad
Congrio con Ensalada Tibia de Habas-Longaniza To be honest, I didn’t really like favas at all when I first tasted them as a college student in Chile. My host family boiled the hell of out of them to the point of a drab olive green and ate them, including the bitter...
Happy Gillmore
Hacedor de Mundos, Cabernet Franc Reserva 2006 I will confess that this wine has been on my radar for a long time. For one reason or another, perhaps because it was Cabernet Franc which kind of came off as "uninspiring", I put off trying it. On my last visit to my...
Chilean-Style Tomato Salad/Ensalada Chilena
I will never forget the first time I ordered “Chilean Salad” back as an exchange student. Expecting a heaping bowl of greens, to my dismay, what arrived was a simple plate of peeled tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. The waiter, sensing my confusion, quickly explained...
Quintessential Chilean Chicken Stew (Cazuela de Ave)
Cazuela is the ultimate Chilean comfort food. The dish has its origins in the indigenous Mapuche soup known as “corri,” originally made with potatoes, pumpkin, corn or cornmeal, green beans, red peppers, quinoa, chili, wild herbs, and animals ranging from wild...
I Love Lucuma
Perhaps Chile’s most undiscovered fruit abroad, if you quiz any Chilean on their favorite dessert combination it most likely will consist of a) manjar b) lucuma and c) meringue. It is a match made in heaven. Lucuma is an orange-yellow baseball-shaped fruit that is...
Pisco Sour: Chile (and Peru’s) Iconic Drink
Since No Reservations aired on Monday night, where Tony sips potent pisco sours in Bar La Playa in Valparaíso, I have seen a plethora of debates ensue about the origin of pisco and whether or not the pisco sour is rightfully Chilean. Today’s post is going to...
Pillowy Pumpkin Bread: Sopaipillas
This morning I awoke to cold, gray skies that seem to thicken by the minute with moisture. The weekend forecast? Rain. Brrr. In these chilly days of winter, my former American self would normally pine for matzah ball soup, chicken pot pie, and hot chocolate to...
Searching for flavors; the honest
and the meaningful
and the meaningful
