Q&A with Chef Laurent Pasqualetto

by Liz Caskey on June 19, 2013

We recently sat down with the talented chef of The Singular Patagonia, Laurent Pasqualetto, the creative food/beverage engine of this spectacular hotel in Chile’s far flung Patagonia. One of the most noticeable differences at The Singular, over other properties in the region is the simply divine, fresh, creative food and wines that clearly put it a step above and beyond what other hotels in this rugged region are cooking up.

Over coffee, Laurent and I discussed how they’ve successfully carved out this, well, singular culinary niche along with the vision for their new hotel about to open in our neighborhood, in mid-2014.

How did you come to Chile—and specifically, Patagonia?

I came to Chile on vacation, to Santiago. I had met a Frenchmen in Paris who was married to a Chilean who wanted to open a restaurant in Chile. That never happened. Instead, I stayed on and ended up joining the Explora team to open the kitchen in their Atacama hotel in 1998. I eventually oversaw the entire food program for all three Explora hotels; in Atacama, Patagonia, and Easter Island; before leaving to join The Singular’s team.


Tell me how you got into cooking and what’s your inspiration.

I grew up in Ilhe de France about 45 km. west of Paris. My family was half Italian and half French (hence, the Italian surname). The Italian side of my family loved to cook and both my grandparents participated in the kitchen. On the French side, only my grandmother cooked. Many Sundays, as a family, we would set off in the morning to gather the ingredients for our lunch. We’d go to see the cheese monger, baker, buy fresh vegetables at the market. We’d usually split up to get the products then rejoin at home to cook together and assemble all the ingredients. We always procured the best ingredients. In my family, I also had an uncle who was a cake maker and another who was a baker. I am a self-taught chef but learned a great respect for the best ingredients and the best preparation methods to honor them.

Define the food concept at The Singular Patagonia. How did you create local food connections/suppliers in such a remote region?

The concept of The Singular is very simple. Fresh. Local. Sustainable products. For example, we have been working with the fishermen in Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales to only bring in larger fish since the fjords’ fish population has been decimated from overfishing. Many artisan fishermen can no longer subsist and have to navigate up to 7 hours out into the Pacific. We have brought on local farmers who have their own organic or biodynamic huerta, farm, to have a dedicated supply for the hotel with native potatoes, herbs, and greens. With the biodynamic farming, we even try to harvest the same time every day for the vitality of the ingredients like our fresh salad. We also use local seaweed for the compost.


The menu has some “unusual” game meats not seen anywhere else in Chile. Can you talk about these specific dishes?

One of the original shareholders of Puerto Bories, the Mancrean Family, still has a meat processing plant near Punta Arenas. In Tierra del Fuego (near Cape Horn), there is a serious guanaco (a camelid native to South America) overpopulation. During part of the year, hunting is permitted. Since these animals have few predators, maybe an occasional puma, if the population is not controlled they will eat the sparse vegetation causing other species to starve. We use their tender, succulent filet on our menu with toothy pearl barley salad. There also are very large hares (the size of small dogs) that overpopulate and these are also hunted as game. On the menu we offer this as an appetizer in the traditional escabeche, vinegar marinade with carrot and onions (usually made with rabbit). As a main course, we serve the loin with pears poached in red wine. With the fishermen, we also are able to source wild diver scallops that are sweet and tender and need only a few minutes on the grill in addition to the very famous centolla, king crab served as a salad.

How would you define the style of the dishes on the current menu?

My philosophy is simple. Respect the product and find the absolute best specimen. No dish should have any more than 4-5 ingredients or the flavors get muted and covered. We also respect the cooking point of all our ingredients. For example, crunchy roasted potatoes smashed in the mortar with a pestle are soft yet with crunchy edges; perfectly seared scallops or juicy and barely cooked with a buttery center; the tender rack of lamb and octopus cooked in the sous vide for hours melt in your mouth. We source from artisans around the region like our sheep’s milk cheese from a cheesemaker in Coyhaique to pair with the succulent rack of lamb you can almost eat with a spoon. That cheese is pressed with a native potato into a type of gratin-terrine and served with traditional (British) mint sauce. The lamb in this area of the world, like in parts of England and France, has a slightly saline taste since they graze on grasses near the brackish fjord waters.

Let’s talk about your vision of the food/wine pairing since there are so many great wines available.

Distribution of wines here is not easy, but our concept was to honor Chile’s terroir and pair that with our local food. We first looked at the local distribution and then what terroir wines we could source that show where the Chilean wine industry is moving today. We now have 56 labels, including many reference/icon wines and wonderful boutique wineries represented like Casa Marin and Perez Cruz on the menu. We also have the organic fair trade Miguel Torres País Estelado, a sparkling rosé wine many guests love for happy hour with our signature olives and crunchy vegetable chips or a selection of our local craft beers like Baguales.


The restaurant, unlike many other “tourist” hotels, has its historic museum and restaurant open to the public. How has the project been received by the local community of Puerto Natales?

The restaurant and hotel in general, have been warmly received in Puerto Natales only 5km away. The locals come here to celebrate birthdays, promotions, and life! They love seeing the creative, responsible use of these local culinary ingredients and feel very proud with the history of Puerto Bories, the original meat processing plant that The Singular renovated to create the hotel. Without Puerto Bories, Puerto Natales never would have been born so there’s a strong connection.

Tell me about the concept for The Singular Santiago opening in Lastarria in mid-2014.

The new hotel in Santiago is quite different given its urban location in the middle of the city and shorter guest stays (1-3 nights). There will be a bar and restaurant on the first floor divided into two separate areas. The hotel design whispers of 1950s French-style, so we decided to break with all the current trends and offer an executive lunch via push carts, a sort of old school style. Given our proximity to the downtown and need for a “power lunch”, the idea is to have these elegant carts circulating with a fixed menu where servers can shave off roast beef, a spoonful of roasted vegetables, salad, etc. All the food very fresh and homemade but quick and efficient for lunch. In the evening, the restaurant will open as a refined spot with white tablecloths and the full a la carte menu.

Food-wise, since Santiago is in a Mediterranean garden, there is so much to incorporate to this menu—olive oil, local cheese, breads like sopaipillas, seafood, meats, all the seasonal produce available from the Central Valley, and even local seaweeds like cochayuyo. The menu will follow the same line of respect the product and keep it simple but it’s slightly more “pan Chile” since we have access to other regional ingredients from other areas of the country in the capital. Of course, here the wines will be hugely important since we have so many valleys close to the city.

Thanks Laurent for sharing!! To get everyone’s mouth watering, here are a few of our favorite dishes not mentioned above when we’ve traveled to The Singular. This year, they also launched a full vegetarian menu. The Singular Patagonia is wonderfully creative with accommodating any special diet in a creative, fresh way. We cannot wait to have the privilege of dining there on our Yoga, Wine & Patagonia tour this December!
• Chilled avocado soup with crunchy radishes and croutons
• Veal cheeks served with tagliatelle pasta dressed with truffle oil butter
• Chupe de Centolla: Creamy King Crab pie
• Fresh hake served with cumin and honey carrots
• Mushroom gnocchi served with a beet leaf and mushroom sauce
• Charquicán de verduras: Savory vegetable stew with pumpkin and potatoes
• Lamb sweetbread salad with apple
• Lucuma and chocolate cake served with homemade cinnamon ice cream
• Mil hojas (thin layer cake) with vanilla cream and manjar (Chilean dulce de leche)

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Five Chilean Wines for Meditation

by Liz Caskey on June 10, 2013

Every morning for the past month, I have been waking up early to meditate. It’s become a sacred space to quiet my mind, focus on all the positive things I want to do/be/have/achieve in the day. By the time the dawn is starting to peak over the Andes I feel calm, centered, and completely connected to myself, the universe, and to others. This simple practice (only a little willpower needed to get out of bed) has had such a positive spillover effect into all parts of life, it’s gaining momentum.

This weekend, as my husband and I were musing over a favorite Syrah made from a boutique/garage wine from MOVI (Movement of Independent Vitners) we became totally enthralled in its depth and power of expression. It truly spoke with a clear message as to its place of birth: the granitic soil, the intense sunlight, cool nights, all reflected in its tension between tannins-acid-alcohol. It spoke of the man who made that wine with such love, passion. The wine was balanced with wild yet rounded tannins that caressed our palate and an acidity that lingered on and on. It was a moment of bliss in a glass and not unlike that fuzzy, warm, I-love-the-world-and-life sensation I get while I am meditating. Who says wines can´t be meditative?

In that vein, I decided to pull together my top five wines that have created pause, for me, as of late. These are wines, winemakers, and projects who are totally committed to showing the depth and diversity of Chile’s myriad of microclimates, soils, and expressions. Fresh perspectives and passionate people not afraid of walking to their own (wine) drum. Open a bottle, decant for an hour (except the Sauvignon Blanc), and give yourself some quiet time to reflect. The perfect exercise is during 30 minutes, tasting and tasting again as the wine evolves. The wine will speak to you—if you have the patience to open up to it and listen.


Koyle Costa (Sauvignon Blanc 2012): This organic and biodynamic project is located in the Los Lingues, Alto Colchagua, in the folds of the Andes Piedmont. Overseen by the Undurraga family (who have since sold their original winery), the family is fully vested in this project and exalting the terroir from this corner of Colchagua. At an event there not so long ago to launch their new Auma icon wine, I was totally blown away by this coastal Sauvignon Blanc. While most of Chile’s Sauvignon Blancs come from the coastal regions like San Antonio, Leyda, and Casablanca, a handful of winemakers in Colchagua are finding excellent granitic soil near the rugged Pacific for a new expression of Sauvignon Blanc. This is the third Sauvignon Blanc I have tasted from the Paredones area (western Colchagua) and it is exactly my kind of white.  With the 2012 vintage, the nose has almost a wet sand and fresh seashore smell with some citrus notes behind it. The mouth is almost sparkly, very dry, and has marked mineral notes. It is a linear, high-acid wine that is lean yet bright, and really transports you to the coast. I can almost hear the seagulls cry.

Montsecano Refugio (Pinot Noir 2010): This is the project of organic Alsace producer, Andre Ostertag, only 12km from the Pacific coast and in the foothills of the Coastal mountains in the Casablanca Valley. The chilly ocean breeze gives an average summer temperature no higher than in Burgundy although constant sunshine ensures bright ripe fruit balanced by lovely fresh acidity. Totally smitten with this biodynamically farmed Pinot Noir (disclaimer: I am Pinot Noir obsessed!). The nose is earthy paired with intense red, crunchy fruit that almost tickles your nose hairs. Behind that, scents of blueberries, cherries, tobacco, and new leather (ahh). In the mouth, this wine departs from the sometimes tartness of many Casablanca Pinots. It’s darker than most but has good acidity and feels fresh. Yet it gives you something to sink your teeth into. Love at first sip.

Clos des Fous (Latuffa Pinot Noir 2010): This is a new partnership between the father of terroir in Chile, Pedro Parra, winemaker François Massoc, viticulturist Paco Leyton, and businessman Albert Cussen. The concept is to explore extreme terroirs and go against the buck of traditional wine styles. Hence the winery’s name, meaning ‘Vineyards of the Crazy Men’. We waxed over their expressive Pinot Noir from Traiguén, in Malleco Valley, one of the southernmost growing areas in Chile (and interestingly on the same latitude as Central Otago in New Zealand). This wine is a beautiful ruby color and has that typical nose I associate with good (cool weather) Pinot from the Williamette Valley in Oregon with floral aromas such as violets and red fruit like strawberries, and “nutty” notes intertwined with vanilla. In mouth, hello Pinot, I have missed this style in Chile. Elegant, fine tannins, and a refreshing acidity with flavors that linger. Grace, finesse, and a glimpse of what’s coming in Pinot Noir in Chile.


Cuvée del Maule (Blend 2010): I was first intrigued by this wine because its label was familiar. It reminded me of a favorite Malbec Blend in Mendoza, Cuvelier de los Andes. Low and behold, it’s the same owner. This wine was born in the aftermath of the massive 2010 earthquake (8.8 on the Richter scale) that rocked the Cauquenes region of Chile (nearly the epicenter). The winerywas destroyed, as was equipment, barrels and (sob) juice. Winemaker Baptiste Cuvelier picked through the surviving barrels and crafted this blend in homage to this region so affected by the quake.  This cuvee is loaded with dense blue and black fruits, spice, and licorice. There are some notes of chocolate and crème de cassis. In your mouth, it’s round, ripe, and has something a little racy about it with that chocolate appearing on the back end. It is an unusual blend of 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Carmenere, 22% Merlot, 6% Carignan, 4% Pais, and 2% Cinsault and screams southern France. Plus it is an amazing value for under US$20 per bottle.

Louis-Antoine Luyt (Carignan, Trequilemu, 2010): Totally natural wines from Chile? You bet, baby. Native Burgundian Louis-Antoine Luyt is leading the charge in natural, terroir-driven winemaking in Chile, working with independent farmers throughout the Maule Valley. Luyt sources fruit from dry farmed, organically tended 70yo vineyards that are plowed by horse and managed in as hands-off a way as possible. This 100% Carignan, from vineyards between 200 to 250 meters in elevation, was vinified using native yeast and carbonic maceration, then aged for eight months in neutral oak barrels. He has two Carignans from the “Sauzal” and “Trequilemu” vineyards. I tried the latter. First, when tasting, remember these are natural wines; they are a little different than the heavily sulfited usual juice. The nose is full of delicately ripe, raspberries and blueberries.  In the mouth there is more fresh fruit along with a slightly earthy note and mouthwatering acidity. It’s a different, easy drinking wine. Weighing in at 12.9% alcohol, you won’t be too silly if you drink a few glasses, too.

Where to get this yummy juice? There’s a wonderful wine shop right in my barrio, on a charming tree-lined street right off Lastarria. The owner, Arnaud Robert, a Frenchman living in Santiago, has a deep love for terroir wines and small, independent projects and has many of these wines on hand. He’s very knowledgable and also stocks some good charmant, champagne, and good French cheeses like Brebis and saucisson. Beware entering this store, I always leave with several items I don’t need—but are totally fun.

 

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Tips for Weathering a Trip to Patagonia

by Liz Caskey on June 3, 2013

Just saying the word Patagonia conjures up visions of jagged mountains, glaciers, and cold, often inclement, weather. The extreme weather in the remote lands of Patagonia in Southern Chile can make packing for a trip quite complex. Patagonia is notorious for its unpredictable weather patterns as storms born in the warmer Pacific Ocean move across the large ice masses causing “wild weather” as two air temperatures collide. In fact, in one day, you can experience elements from all four seasons (snow, rain, sun, wind, hail, lightening) within a matter of hours—or minutes. During South America’s warmer months from November to March, temperatures can range from the low-30s to mid-70s and snow is not uncommon depending on the location and elevation. And then there is the wind, with gusts topping out at 80 mph at times. How to prepare? Here are our suggestions.

Gear Up: You will need high-quality, layered, versatile clothing that will allow you to easily adapt to nearly any climate that Mother Nature throws out. And then, layer, layer, layer. You need a base layer to keep you warm and wick moisture away from your skin so you don’t get wet (or sick). How warm this is depends on your personal thermostat. On top, you’ll need a light or heavy fleece depending on the temperature and wind chill. Pant-wise, if the forecast is looking like precipitation may fall, put on some water-resistant rain pants since umbrellas won’t cut it in these latitudes. Likewise, a good shell that is water resistant with a hood, shielding you from the rain and wind, is essential. We like to have two sets of hiking pants, a lighter pair that can zip off into shorts if you are lucky enough to get a rare day of warm sunshine. Another, thicker pair you can use when it’s windy and cold (no rain). Of course, nothing is more fundamental than good, comfortable trekking boots. Seriously, invest your money here. You don’t want to be in the middle of an 8-hour hike with soggy feet and an agonizing blister. Sneakers or trail shoes will NOT cut it.

Layer on the SPF: There’s less ozone in Patagonia so the sun is viciously strong, even on cloudy days. Bring a good UV filter with at least 50spf for your face and apply abundantly a couple times per day, or more. Don’t forget your lips, too. The wind can burn them and your precious apples (cheeks). Also important are good sunglasses since when the sun does appear, it’s  intensity is blinding. Even on cloudy days, there’s often a glare. If you plan on doing horseback riding a baseball hat is helpful to provide some shade for your face, often your only exposed skin.

Turn off Accuweather: Turn off the Accuweather forecast on your smart phone. It won’t do you any good. Most forecasts in Patagonia really only serve for telling you the weather at that exact moment, a specific location, or some probability. With many localized micro-climates and fast-moving weather, it can be down pouring in Puerto Natales, sunny at Glacier Grey in Torres del Paine, and snowing in nearby Cerro Guido. That is part of the charm, and adventure, of this far flung region of the world.

Bring snacks: While most top hotels like The Singular Patagonia will provide snacks (almonds, dried fruit) and lunch for expeditions, we suggest bringing protein or raw bars to supplement for long drives, especially if you are vegan or gluten-free. We love Raw Revolution, Greens Plus, and Lara bars.

Pack, then divide: Flying in-country, national airlines like Sky & LAN have lower weight limits than allowed for international flights (23 kilos for maximum of two bags). With all the options, it’s easy to overpack. Our suggestion is pick your most fundamental pieces, and no more than 2 each. When staying in top hotels like The Singular on our Yoga, Wine, & Patagonia tour, you can leverage the hotel’s speedy laundry to do a turn around on your soiled clothes while you use the other set. If your trip is within a variety of latitudes, you can always try compression sacks to make more room in your luggage.

Other items: Needless to say don’t forget a warm hat, scarf, gloves, your camera, and smart phone. Many hotels will provide water bottles to refill, which is environmentally friendly over plastic bottles (and you can drink out of many streams in Torres del Paine park). A moleskin journal is essential for taking notes about the experience and nature. For recommended pre-trip reading, check out the entertaining travel memoir In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin.

Flexible attitude: You know the disclaimer about the weather. Come ready to enjoy and bask in nature’s grandeur. Be flexible if some days need to be moved because you can’t kayak due to 100kph winds or torrential rain could make trekking to the base of the Torres too hazardous. Go with the flow and trust the guides who know this region like the back of their hand. Do keep in mind even on days that look dreary, you often have the experience to see the landscape through four very different light paradigms—cloudy, misty, full sunlight, racing clouds. For all you photographers, novice and pro, Patagonia is a truly dream to try  to capture in photos. It’s evocative, soul-stirring nature that leaves no one indifferent.

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Racy Corn Soup with Ginger & Basil

by Liz Caskey on May 24, 2013

We are officially in soup season. While the afternoons here in Santiago still reach the mid-60s, the mornings and nights are frigid and have taken a dip into the 30s-40s. I have put to good use my favorite new hat, a chullo, made from alpaca from Taquile Island in Lake Titicaca.

I recently kicked off my first 60-day Bikram Yoga Challenge at my local downtown studio (Day 17 and going strong). Since class is every night from 6:30-8:00pm, by the time I get home and showered, I am hungry and want something filling, but also light so I can get to sleep. Soup (and some salad) have been my solution to keeping it light in the evening. Eating more vegetable-based soups was something I learned last year at Rancho La Puerta as a fantastic way to fill you up without ingesting tons of calories. The Ranch served them at nearly ever lunch and dinner. Since then, we usually have three different vegetable-based soups per week, rotating between what’s in season and where my cravings are headed. In the summer I love raw soups like gazpacho or cucumber-dill-yogurt, but right now, I need warm soups with late fall/Winter upon us. My internal thermometer needs some help getting warm, even though I sweat in a sauna every evening.

This particular soup is one of my favorites. I found this in a great cookbook called “Everyday Greens”, from the famous vegetarian restaurant Greens in San Francisco, from Chef Annie Sommerville. While corn and potatoes are ubiquitous in South America, particularly in Peru and Chile, the addition of basil and ginger adds an exotic, slightly racy flavor twist. I also love that you get a creamy, almost chowder-like texture from pureeing part of the soup without having to add an dairy, soy or coconut milk. Thus, it keeps the soup on the very low fat side. It is so light, flavorful and uplifting. If you are stuffed up, the ginger will clear out your sinuses; or if you are habitually cold as I am, it will really warm you up. The ginger is not too much though, it’s just the right amount. Do not add more, as tempted as you may be, or it will overpower the other flavors.

In these types of simple soups, I really want to encourage you to use all natural ingredients that are fresh, not canned/frozen/jarred. Soups clean flavors really shine through this way and for my palate, produce an umami that can only come from the inherent sweetness in ripe vegetables and homemade stock. More time? Yes. More work? A little, but aren’t you and your body are worth it? Plus, this recipe makes a big batch so you can freeze it for easy eating later.

A note on wine pairings with this soup…I find that fresh, unoaked Chardonnay is a natural partner with sweet corn in this creamy, addictive dairy-free soup. Here that spicy kick from the ginger plays with the tropical fruit notes inherent in this variety. The creaminess that comes from the  partial blending will have a nice contrast to a lean-bodied Chardonnay. Keep the chard unoaked though. You don’t want to be pairing this with a caramel-tasting bon bon. If you want to move past Chardonnays or had some past flavor trauma around this varietal, try a dry Riesling or Gerwurztraminer.

Ingredients:

8 cups homemade corn stock, see below (substitute: vegetable stock if in a pinch)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 ½ tablespoons grated fresh ginger

6 cups fresh corn kernels, reserve cobs if making stock

1 1/2 cups potatoes

1 red pepper, diced

1 jalapeño, seeded and minced

¼ cup cilantro, minced

For corn stock:

6-8 corncobs, broken in half

1 large yellow onion, sliced

2 celery ribs, sliced

1 large potato, sliced

5 garlic cloves, smashed with flat side of knife, skins on

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon peppercorns

5 parsley sprigs

2 fresh thyme sprigs

10 cups cold water

Make the stock. Combine all the ingredients in large stockpot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the stock through a strainer, pressing as much liquid from the vegetables as possible, then discard them. This stock will be lighter in color than a regular vegetable stock. The flavor is sweet and fresh. If not going to use, freeze since this won’t keep long in the frig.

Heat oil in pot. Sauté onions, garlic, and ginger with a pinch of salt until soft. Add the corn, potatoes, and 6 cups of the stock. Simmer over medium heat with lid covered until vegetables are tender. Once cooked, reserve 4 cups of the mixture. Allow the rest to cool and purée in a blender until silky smooth.

In a separate pan, heat the remaining olive oil. Cook the pepper and chili until soft. Add to the reserved corn and potato mixture. Incorporate to the puréed soup and bring to a soft simmer for 10-15 minutes. Adjust seasoning

Serve in large bowls with a sprinkle of cilantro.

Serves 4-6.

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Sky High: Into the Peruvian Altiplano

by Liz Caskey on May 13, 2013

Peru is a captivating country that continuously ceases to amaze me with the depth of its food, culture, climates, and friendliness of its people every time I visit, which fortunately is quite often. Many people have Peru primarily on their bucket list for one sole item: Machu Picchu. While spectacular, there is so much more to explore. Last month, we set off to Cusco again, and from there, ascended to the altiplanic region of Puno and Lake Titicaca. I had previously been to Titicaca before, not with the best of luck. Our itinerary was thwarted by a paro, strike, with the road cut off to Bolivia (our final destination). We spent several days with a base in Puno city (not overly scenic) and never did make it to the Bolivian side. Thus, I was eager to revisit this area.

The trip from Cusco to Puno is a scenic 6-hour drive by car, or 10 hours by the Andean Explorer train. The winding road out of Cusco weaves among emerald mountains. In early April, the hills are covered with showers of color from the wild flowers in bloom after the end of rainy season. Fields of golden cornhusks are heavy with crop, the small plots climbing the mountainsides. Mmm, those tender morsels of choclo are just waiting to show up in a perfect cebiche.

For the first leg of the journey, we follow the Vilcanota River as it twists and turns down the valley floor. This same river flows past Machu Picchu and eventually into the mighty Amazon. We pass tiny towns like Cusipata (meaning happy village) where Quechua is the mother tongue. Along the roadside, we spot many women wearing tall, white bowler hats. Franco, our driver, points out these women are “mestizas” and believed to be direct descendants of the Incas. A white ribbon on their hat means they are single, a brown ribbon married, and a black ribbon a widow. Clothing colors also convey the same message.

The road is not unlike an obstacle course. Franco honks constantly to avoid sheep, cows, goats, and even campesinos (country folk) that wander into the road. We stop in Andahuaylilla to visit the “Sistine Chapel” of the Americas. Dating back to the 16th century, this adobe church is what many art scholars refer to as “Peruvian Barroque”. Inside the chapel, it smells like mildew and incense. The temperature is not much above a refrigerator and I snuggle into my scarf. Nearly every square inch of the walls and ceiling is covered with fresco paintings, similar to those in Europe during the same period. Life-like, hand-carved wooden statues of Christ and saints depict religious scenes that, for me at least, are very graphic and a little freaky. Their beady wooden eyes seem to fixate on me and follow me as I move across the church towards the glowing altar, covered with gold-flecked paint.

We continue our ascent to the Altiplano. The flora and fauna slowly begin to shift. The golden fields of corn and red swathes of quinoa transition into prairies with green grasses and grazing cattle. The plants become closer to the earth and the landscape is barren, only with occasional flashes of green plots of alfalfa for the animals. I flash back to our many trips to the Patagonian estepa, the expansive windblown prairies that stretch across the extreme south of Chile & Argentina. Maybe it is the wind, the cold, the barren landscape but there is a connection. In two more months, when winter and dry season overtake the region, temperatures drop to below freezing at night and the prairies turn to straw.

As we pass the kinship of Ayavirí, ominous dark clouds to the southeast threaten with rain and seem to collide with the mountains. In the distance, sheets of precipitation come down even though the sun shines upon us. Peru Rail’s Andean Explorer chugs along the tracks like a slow grand dame moving across the landscape with its sapphire-colored cars. Not far up the road, we pass one of the region’s largest queserías, cheese makers, whose tangy, spongy delicious cheese will show up on our breakfast table every morning during our stay in the region.

Before arriving in the city of Puno, we are obliged to navigate across Juliaca (also home to the airport in the region), probably the worst urban planning in all of South America. This city of 200,000 people is a disaster. Soul-less, drab cinderblock buildings have mesh iron stretching into the sky from the roofs. The reason? An unfinished home structure is considered still “under construction”, hence you don’t have to any property taxes. Paved roads and stoplights? Optional. Traffic jam, pot holes, chaos? Everywhere. Signs from Juliaca’s municipality tout “Juliaca, some day a city of the future”. If that’s their motto, it’s not difficult to imagine why things are as they are. According to Franco, the road (if you can call it that) that we are on was covered by 12-inches of mud the year before after a flood. The mayor simply didn’t “unearth” the street. Now compacted with permanent pot holes.

We descend from the altiplano down to Puno city with the deep blue waters of Titicaca in the background. We rendezvous with our guide and have an hour or so down to the peninsula where our hotel, Titilaka Lodge. We turn off the main road and head down a teeth-chattering path. The landscape has changed again and here, the Pacha Mama here is very fertile and generous. Patchwork fields of oats, barley, quinoa, potatoes, and fava beans dot the landscape with adobe huts with thatched roofs. Fishing dinghies bob in the waves that gently lap among the tall reeds. April is harvest month and most families are out in the field bringing in the crops by donkey. Little schoolgirls adorn brightly colored, hand-woven hats that flap over their head, a sign of solidarity with the community.

We are arrive at Titilaka. The hotel is a simple architectural structure perched on a bluff over the lake. The “lake”, feels more like an ocean. It stretches out for as far as the eye can see towards Bolivia and the islands, with their own unique villages and culture, which we’ll discover while here. The wind blows and swells crash on the rocks below. I don’t think I will be swimming in this water (too cold).

This petit hotel, now part of Relais & Chateaux, has high floor-to-ceiling windows for the panoramic views at sunset and sunrise. Regional textiles from the weaving communities with colorful pillowcases and hand-woven rugs are combined with elegant yet very local décor. After lunch, I find a plush armchair with a sliver of sun that warms my back. I settle in with my muña tea, made from a wild Andean mint, good for acclimating to this altitude of nearly 14,000 feet. We are on the rooftop of the world! I could sit here for hours and contemplate the lake, and life. Instead, I write a much overdue 5-page letter to my 90-year-old grandfather, my best Pen Pal. As the sun sinks into the western horizon, the lake becomes a midnight blue.

That night, the air feels electric as a storm surges in Bolivia. Zigzagging bolts of lightening light up the night sky like strobe lights with a distant crash of thunder. What a treat! I miss the drama of the thunderstorms of my childhood in the Northeastern United States with such “predictable” weather in Chile. I return to our room and cuddle with my sweetie under the cozy down comforter. Tomorrow, the exploration and adventure begins. Stay tuned for more.

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Tips for Pairing Vegetarian Dishes with Wines

by Liz Caskey on April 24, 2013

There’s a popular saying that “red wine goes with meat and white wine goes with fish, or white meats”. Although this may be very overly generic, what happens when you take a break from meat and focus on vegetables; or are vegetarian? What happens to the above-mentioned wine pairing hierarchy? Does it break down? Do vegetables combine with any wine? Absolutely. Grapes, just like vegetables, come from Mother Earth and one is made for the other. They completely complement each other, you only have to learn a few tricks to pair them perfectly. Here are some of my learning experiences and examples of successful pairings on this journey of eating healthily (and mostly vegetarian)–but always with great wine in my glass.

First and foremost, when thinking about pairing vegetables or vegetarian dishes with wines, the same basic concepts apply as with meat. Ask yourself, “What is the function of the wine here?” Is the dish begging for a wine with lots of acid to complement some green notes or a tannic wine to cut through fat and intensity of flavors? That’s the starting point.

Sauvignon Blanc: As a “lean” white wine, Sauvignon Blanc goes well with vegetables of similar characteristics. They walk together, holding hands, with green salads and it’s an incredible partner for raw tomatoes, including Chile’s famous fresh tomato salad.  It’s also a good companion for brussel sprouts roasted or sautéed in olive oil (or mix it up with hazelnut oil). Green vegetables like green beans or zucchini, raw or cooked “al dente”, flirt happily with a few drops of soft vinegar made from fruit (raspberry, champagne) or a squeeze of lemon. This completely meets the natural zingy acidity of a Chilean coastal Sauvignon Blanc. Since Sauvignon Blanc some times has herbaceous notes, fresh herbs like chives or classic basil pesto are a perfect ally, as is a peppery, green olive oil.

Chardonnay: With Chardonnay, the biggest determinant in pairing is the presence of oak (or lack thereof) and if the wine has malolactic fermentation or not. These two variables greatly affect the pairing, types of vegetables, and style of cooking. For example, a Chardonnay with aging in oak barrel hailing from Chile’s Casablanca Valley tend to have tropical notes and a slightly toasted flavor. This type of Chardonnay combines best with creamy cheese sauces (or vegan sauces made with silken tofu and nutritional yeast) that can accompany strong-tasting vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower, or bath a baked potato. Similarly, the wine’s toasty notes reflect the same flavors in vegetable dishes so almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, or pine nuts are great allies with Chardonnay. Want a wine bullet to the head? For your next movie, try a Chardonnay with popcorn popped in coconut oil and dosed with sea salt and nutritional yeast.

Another technique is to “marry” sweeter vegetables like corn, butternut squash, sundried tomato, and roasted red pepper with a Chardonnay with less barrel. Here pairings come to mind like Chilean corn-basil pudding, pastelera, pumpkin ravioli/soup/roasted, and even Middle Eastern mezze. These same veggies, you can chop up and add to a fresh arugula or watercress salad to round out their intensity with more vegetable notes. For vegetarian curry dishes from Southeast Asia (full disclosure: my obsession), an unoaked Chardonnay from the Limarí Valley with crunchy acidity, minerals, and slight sweetness cuts through the spiciness and tangos with the coconut milk. Oh. Yeah.

Pinot Noir:  Mushrooms. The. Best. Wine. Partner. Ever. Quite simply, a match made in heaven. Specifically, mushrooms should be wild, not those tasteless button variety. We’re talking about porcini, morels, golden trumpet, shitake, whichever variety you can get ahold, or even better a mix, that has a truly “earthy” taste. A good Pinot Noir also evokes this same flavor. For this delicate grape also consider pairing earthy tubers like native potatoes, sweet potatoes, or roasted beets drizzled with a touch of truffle oil. We are drinking a lot of generous, intense Pinot Noirs from the San Antonio valley that have this earthiness but lots of fruit and body. Think Pinot pairing with veggies stops here? No way. Give hearty bean dishes a go with a Pinot with a more moderate body and fruit forward notes like Chile’s delicious porotos Granados (corn-fresh bean-pumpkin-basil stew) or a warm bean salad with sage. Honestly, this grape is a chameleon and goes well with so many vegetables. Mix it up and see what works for you.

Medium Reds: In this category, I include Merlot, Carmenere, Carignan and some of the Malbecs that are not “bodybuilders”. Although these wines are all made from different grapes and have their own unique personalities, the common thread here is smooth tannins and good acidity. This is a total turbocharger for flavor. What’s working behind the pairings is the concentration of natural sugars present in the vegetables that turns them into a manjar, or culinary delight. Once again, here we bring in earthy vegetables like spuds, beets, parsnips, pumpkins and squash, roasted peppers to complement a red of this style. Concrete examples. Roasted vegetable lasagna is an ideal mate for a red like this since its intense, deep flavor is “lightened” up by the brightness and fruitiness of the wine on the palate. However, the star pairing is, without a doubt, tomato in all its (cooked) forms. Homemade marinara sauce, roasted cherry tomatoes, roasted tomato soup, bruschetta, however you want it, the acid in those tomatoes twists and turns with the acid in these reds and leaves you wanting more.

Tannic Reds: Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah are a bit more difficult to pair with vegetarian dishes since their tannic structure begs for ingredients with fat (usually animal). Of my best experiments so far, roasted eggplant has emerged as the champion given its smoky notes and inherent “meatiness”. I have made some killer dishes like vegan eggplant Parmesan (gluten free I may add, substitute almond meal for bread crumbs), and Greek vegetarian moussaka. The combo of pumpkin with sage leaves fried in olive oil (ravioli, soup, mashed) works incredibly well with Chilean coastal Syrah from San Antonio or Casablanca as the wine from this region takes on herbaceous notes of thyme and wild sage.

These pairings and tips are by no means exhaustive. It’s the tip of the iceberg on my path of learning to tastily pair vegetables and wines. What’s certain, though, is that there are thousands of possibilities.

 

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