Patagonia has been on our mind a lot as of late since the Torres del Paine park suffered a major forest fire in early January. Fortunately, the park is now open as is Explora hotel in the park. There’s so much talk of Patagonia that people think it’s just one place and it’s really this wide spread, ultra diverse territory where you can make multiple trips. It’s not a once and done deal, as if Alaska and it’s beauty ever got “old”. For me, Patagonia is mythical. Epic. Its fabled images live as much in my imagination as they do in reality. Patagonia feels like the last frontier. A windblown land in the far southern reaches of the Americas with its closest continental neighbor being Antarctica.

First, let’s get our bearings. Patagonia covers the lower (southern) part of Chile & Argentina, encompassing an area roughly the size of Texas between both countries. Chilean Patagonia is really divided into two types of territories: Patagonia Insular includes all the fjords and channels along the Pacific Ocean down to Tierra del Fuego, and Cordillera Patagónica, encompasses the valleys and glaciers towards the steep Andes where Argentinean Patagonia begins. On the Argentine side, the valleys are a type of cold desert called the Pampa Patagónica.

Chilean Patagonia is composed of two sub-regions: the northern Aisén and southern Magallanes provinces. Recently, the boundaries of what has classically been considered “Patagonia” seem to be extending north to encompass the area from Palena up to Puerto Montt and the Lake District. I won’t get into this heated debate but for the purposes of this piece, we’ll include it since it’s essentially the jumping off point to head south. I also will be recommending my short list of properties to experience the region to the max in total comfort, and where we have our guests stay. If you’re interested in traveling, we can include these properties in any itinerary and set up all the details for you. Contact us.

Lakes District to Palena

The port town of Puerto Montt is the central hub for travelers heading to the Lake District near Puerto Varas, taking the famed Carretera Austral down into virgin eastern forests. Shove off on a boat here to the archipelago of Chiloé, one of the most unique insular cultures in Chile with dozens upon dozens of indigenous shellfish. While there’s not much to see in Puerto Montt beyond the Angelmó fish market and the airport, not too far away, the landscape will turn into rolling green pastures with serrated mountain peaks reaching into the sky in the distance with the cones of distant volcanoes. Here, the German settlers turned the wild forest into cultivated, productive land. Head towards the rugged coast with cliffs, beaches, and cloud forests and you’ll be treated to artisan fishing villages with painted dinghies which haven’t changed in decades. In some islands, electricity just arrived a year ago. During the summer, Humboldt penguins flock here. Chileans often refer to this as the end of “continent”. From this point, Chile crumbles into thousands of islands only to be navigated by astute sailors within its network of channels, sounds, archipelagos, majestic fjords, sapphire lakes, and the snow-peaked Andes in the distance–always.

My Pick: The Cliffs Preserve Patagonia

Set on a stunning 8,000 acres of private property where the Chilean continent ends southwest of Los Muermos, The Cliffs can only be described as magical; for me, it was life changing. This eco-luxury retreat brings you back to your natural centered place through long walks on the beach; the rhythmic sound of crashing waves; uplifting excursions to see Penguins; horseback riding with gauchos; even visiting the local fishing villages. I never tired of contemplating the beautiful sunrise and sunset every day with a constant view of the sea. Hike the perfumed bush; feed your body with the organic homegrown produce. When its time to slumber, crawl into the private hot tub or retreat to your cushy villa to cuddle up by the fire and hear the wind whisper and waves crash.

Aisén

This is one of the least populated and most dramatic areas of Patagonia in Chile. This thousand-mile extension is mostly unexplored by man-and I would add, fairly off the radar for most folks. Here, the snow-capped mountains, volcanoes, and azure lakes so dramatic and isolated that few humans have ever set foot on them. The fjords are untrodden, perhaps only an occasional tiny port or a fishing village. Cruise ships or yachts pass infrequently en route to the San Rafael Glacier, or making their way to/from Puerto Montt and Puerto Natales, 2-4 days at sea. Inland, the roads are gravel, in so-so condition, punctuated by a wildly fickle climate that changes on a dime. Much of the terrain is virgin and untouched, not unlike its geographic cousins the Alaska Panhandle, the Norwegian coast, and the Milford Sound in New Zealand. Apart from the mostly unpaved Careterra Austral, which rarely turns toward the coast, there are few roads in these latitudes. In fact, did you know that in this part of Patagonia over 70% is comprised of water? To get around, small planes, boats, and even helicopters are necessary. But those who persevere will be treated to the geography of their lives. You may catch glimpses of dolphins, whales, sea lions. You can catch the best trout of your life in the streams fed by snowmelt–and look up and see that glacier!  You can truly imagine how the earth was 10,000 years ago, and give thanks that these corners of earth still exist.

My Pick: Nomads of the Sea

This was by far one of the most mind-blowing, inspirational, and moving trips I have ever done (and it kicked off my obsession with helicopters). Given that I mentioned that Patagonia is primarily water and hard to penetrate, enter Nomads of the Sea. Nomad’s high-tech and intimate luxury ship sails deep into the virgin heart of Chile’s Patagonia. From there, take off in helicopter, jet boat, zodiacs , and other “toys” to explore the rain forest, mountains, and hundreds of pristine emerald lakes and rivers. Head out with resident marine biologists to meet with the dolphins; heli-ski down the side of a volcano; trek out to hot springs for a soak; or just be pampered by great chefs while overlooking millennium glaciers. While Nomads specializes in fly-fishing and nature-based adventures, on board there’s gourmet cuisine, fine wines, and creature comforts like the sauna and thalassotherapy baths. And yes, the novelty of the chopper never wore off, even though it felt like the family car to get around. So awesome.

Magallanes

The southernmost, largest and second least populated region of Chile, this province is a who’s who of geographical importance: Torres del Paine National Park, an UNESCO biosphere, Cape Horn, Tierra de Fuego Island, the Straigt of Magellan, and Chile’s Antarctica is included within this territory. This part of Chile touches the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, the third largest in the world, after Antarctica and Greenland. It is isolated from the rest of Chile by fierce storms and impassable mountains so that Magallanes can be reached only by air, sea, or overland from Argentina.

While many people envision the typical postcard pictures of jagged mountains veiled in clouds, electric-blue glaciers, emerald-colored lakes, and icebergs, parts of this part of the Chilean Patagonian are also arid, windblown Prarie land called the estepa. Here, the trees grow sideways with the incessant wind, lamb graze peacefully munching on yellow-colored grasses called coirón, and baqueanos (Southern gauchos) tend to the their flocks.

In the early 1900s, there was an important immigration from Scotland, Germany, and Croatia who founded Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales, setting up the sheeping industry with huge estancias.  Here, fishermen set off for days in the deep sea fjords to hunt the prized Patagonian toothfish (Chilean seabass), centolla (king crab), sea urchin, and conger eel. You can feast on jams and Pisco sours infused with the calafate berry, a wild indigenous berry between a blueberry and cranberry. Savor the best grass-fed lamb of your life. Kayak, hike, ride, bike, and take a couple days to hang out or base yourself from the Foodie Frontier town of Puerto Natales with great restaurants like Afrigonia and the sleek Indigo hotel. Soak up this amazingly diverse area where the sunsets at 11pm in the summer and comes up at 4:30am.

My Pick: Explora Patagonia

This exquisite refuge is located in the heart of the breathtaking Torres del Paine national park, an UNESCO biosphere. While this hotel had to unfortunately shut down while the fires were controlled, it’s now open and in perfect condition. The sweeping views of the turquoise Lake Pehoé and vistas of the serrated peaks of the Cuernos del Paine are from every angle of the hotel (they even carved out a peek-a-boo window in the Paine bathrooms next to the WC). From this base, exploring the 450,000 acres of the park is literally at your doorstep on horseback, by foot, by boat or kayak. The superb guides will take you to the glaciers, Torres, Valle del Francés or to see the rolling grasslands teeming with foxes, pumas, and graceful condors. One thing is to remember to keep a sense of humor here. Mother Nature will shower you wind, sudden snow, maybe a little hail, rain, bright sunshine, and then repeat.) The weather changes on the drop of a dime, especially in the summer time when the moist, warmer winds from the ocean collide with the glaciers and cause mini-storms. No biggie, you get back to your refuge, slip into the jacuzzi and a glass of bubbly somehow always finds a way into your hand.

My Favorite New Hotel: The Singular Patagonia

Opened to the public since November 2011, this brand new chic lodge is situated in the historic Puerto Bories, outside the little town of Puerto Natales. The first landing place of the settlers in the region, the handsome brick building built in 1915 is now a historical monument that has been expertly “recycled” using environmentally friendly architecture to transform the old frigorífico, cold-storage space which originally exported mutton to Europe. With primo location on the on the shores of the Last Hope Fjord, the spacious rooms all sport beautiful vistas of the water and snow-covered mountains in the distance. Jump off into the Torres del Paine Park, only an hour away, head to the Sierra Baguales for off road trekking, load up on their boat from their private pier to go cruise to see the glaciers. Visit the hotel’s private collection, a museum about the origins of the region, indulge in a massage, or in the evening, participate in their olive oil and wine tastings before dinner. What I most love, love, love about this hotel (besides the great digs, guides, and food) is that it’s truly all-inclusive even including alcoholic beverages beyond wine. Hello Calafate Berry Sours. Details, details.

Interested in booking your dream trip to Patagonia? We can take care of all the details from flights, to bookings with preferential rates, culinary add-ons, and pair it with the Argentina Patagonia in El Calafate or an exploration in Chile’s Wine Country and beyond. Contact us at info@lizcaskey or 904 687 0340.

Tweet

Summer is the best. I wait all year for this season in Chile. Hot, dry sunshine-filled days that feel like a loving hug. The nights still dip into the mid-50s and there’s light until 9pm. At 4pm, it can feel hot but find a shady tree, and that balmy summer breeze blows. It is when you want to be outdoors all day, forget the A/C.

Summer has something that’s eternal, nostalgic, full of fresh, vibrant flavors. It connects us with other periods of life like childhood when we were free to roam, play, and forget about all our worries. Summer does coincide with a mental attitude of relaxing, seeing friends, getting out of the house, enjoying. Stress would seem to have taken a vacation and let’s us all breathe a little easier than the rest of the year.

For me, summer time is synonymous with intense food flavors, provoked by the heat. These are the tastes that I yearn for in rainy, cold July when I am glued to our central heating. While many of these flavors may be enjoyed around the world, in every country, region, home, and cook, they express themselves differently. Summer is about abundance, sharing.

These are the flavors that dominated my childhood in Pennsylvania; memories of sticky nights with little gnats and fun thunder storms. In contrast, my summer “reality” is now Chile. I love both.

Corn
Then: I was raised on some of the best sweetcorn in the US–Silver Queen. The Amish farms near our house would put up stands by the road and we’d load freshly cut ears into paper bags. Poached for 4 minutes and eaten on the cob, with melted butter and sea salt, it was truly heaven.
Now: Corn is the king (of starches) in Chile during summer and I love, love, LOVE  humitas, fresh tamales, my obsession at this time of year. This could be my year to learn how to make them from scratch. Then again…

Berries
Then: My family always called me “Strawberry Girl” since I would run out to the garden to pick our homegrown strawberries. With those, my grandmother would put together her deliciously famous “Strawberry Shortcake”. That spongy cake absorbed the juice of the strawberries and with homemade whipped cream, divine simplicity.
Now: I really adore living in a country where there are more blueberries than I know what to do with. Seriously. Right not, La Vega appears to be a berry festival and the head-lining act is the blueberries. Well, maybe the plump, juicy blackberries too. My breakfast. Every. Single. Day.

Tomatoes
Then: Until I turned 24, I couldn’t deal with raw tomatoes. It was the seeds. Slimy, acidic, unwieldly things. Trying to eat a Capresse Salad was a scandal, complication, disgust. Tomato at our house was typically in the form of ketchup on a hamburger or hot dog off the grill. Am I proud of this? No. But, it’s the truth.

Now: Yes, I have gotten over the tomato issue. It didn’t take hypnosis, just the same attitude as learning to eat oysters, sushi, and tartare. Result? Gazpacho fiend. Love tomato salads. Pop cherry tomatoes like they are candy.  But let’s get back to that gazpacho. Eating a soup that’s a liquid salad never bores me. Tomatoes must be good for me since I feel a zip when I eat them. Vitamins!! And of course, since I have professed undying allegiance to humitas, their companion is the ensalada chilena, Chilean Tomato Salad.

Fish & Shellfish

Then: We lived only an hour from the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, famous for its crabs. In summer, crab season, we’d head down to Baltimore or the Eastern Shore to the crab shacks where the boats would roll in to pick up buckets of crabs steamed with Old Bay. On picnic tables, with only a bib and hammer, we’d dissect the crabs, sucking out the sweet and salty meat. Dirty fingers? You bet. That was half the fun.

Now: Ceviche, in any form with any fish: Peruvian, Chilean, Nikkei, or my own invention. Invigorating, flavorful, and fresh thanks to the mighty Pacific lapping at our feet in Chile, it’s the perfect high protein, zero carb meal. With a chilled Chilean Sauvignon Blanc. Always.

Ice Cream
Then: I swam competitively in the summer and after the races, my parents would often reward us with a sundae at our favorite spot in the forested area of Mount Gretna known as the “Jigger Shop”. Part of the fun was the excursion in our convertible as we zipped through the fragrant Pennsylvania pine forest and ate colossal sundaes on the wooden deck.

Now: I am not really a dessert person at this point in my life. If I am having a rare “sugar moment”, I would usually go for a handful of cherries over ice cream, maybe a piece of dark chocolate. However, if you invite me to Café del Opera nearby, I probably will reconsider for their Mocha gelato.

Tweet

December. Again. This year, the months passed as if they were weeks, but it has been awesome. Busy. Productive. Fun.

I´m always in favor of New Year’s resolutions and defining my yearly goals to achieve, but before setting off on that exercise, I take a moment to reflect on the year that I have just lived. Save those memories and highlights.

This post is a ranking of what most impacted and inspired me in flavors, wines, meals, places, trips, books, and experiences. It was not easy to choose. Honestly, I feel so grateful every day to be able to make a living from my passion, work with my husband, and share that with with the world. There are so many options. However, after thinking about this for a while, of course, I came up with the finalists.

Three memorable meals in the US: 1) Rasika in Washington DC is by far the best contemporary Indian food that has tantalized my palate as of late. Best. Chaat. Ever. 2) Spoon Thai in Chicago. My brother took me here, and although they speak very broken English, I quickly learned that what’s spicy for Thai, is something I cannot hack (call the fire department my taste buds are ablaze…). I did have an epiphany though with their Tom Kha soup. 3) Hugo’s in Houston. If I lived in Houston, you’d have to peel me away from this place which serves authentic Oaxacan cuisine at brunch, from chilaquiles to mole. Two lethal margaritas on the rocks lead to a fuzzy afternoon and siesta.

Three memorable meals in South America: 1) Last year I celebrated my 34th birthday at Osaka in the W Santiago. It was a parade of one sexy sushi fusion roll after another, and tiraditos that melted in my mouth. Heaven. 2) One freezing cold June afternoon in Buenos Aires at Brasserie Petanque in San Telmo, I ate the best steak tartar in my life. This dish is why I will never be vegetarian in this lifetime. 3) Gardenia in Montevideo, Uruguay is a nuevo resto by a young chef couple from Spain & Brazil. Its fun, edgy gastronomy that rewrites the rules and pushes the envelope with its traditional yet innovative flavores and textures.

Best road trip: Crossing from Awasi in San Pedro de Atacama over the altiplano (by vehicle) to Purmamarca, in Northwestern Argentina. On our vuelta, we went through Salta and its stunning canyons and charming adobe towns of Cafayate, Colomé and Cachi. This landscape bewitched me and made me fall madly in love again with South America and it’s amazing diversity.

Best surprises: 1) My birthday present #34 from my husband. 2) Business trips to the States that coincided with seeing my entire family in Chicago, Pennsylvania, and Florida. At times, I miss having everybody so spread out and far away.

Biggest challenge: At the Epcot Food & Wine Festival, among the events, I had to prep and serve food  for 1,000  people at the famous “Party of the Senses.” This was in huge scale not only in food, but in navigating the mammoth industrial kitchen and managing a team of willing interns. I didn’t think too much, I just crushed it.

Favorite new cuisine discovered: Korean food is driving me crazy. I am addicted to it. Kimchi. Bulgogi. Kimbap. Ddeokbukki. Fortunately, Little Korea is only three blocks away in Patronato.

Best new cookbook: Only one? Darn, that’s hard. Ok… Alice Waters, The Art of Simple Food. The queen of the organic/fresh food movement shares her easy techniques to transmute ingredients and respect their noble origin. I love it because Chile has the most amazing produce (like California) which needs little to no doctoring. AND, I just got a huge mortero, mortar-and-pestle made from volcanic rock for Christmas. Forget the food processor, now I can grind it all up in the Stone, which Waters suggests. Yay!

Three words to describe 2011: Growth. Believe. Enjoy.

Three words to describe the culinary scene in Chile: Effervescent. Blossoming. Diversifying.

Three most memorable wines consumed in 2011: This was pure agony…but I did it. Chateau Haut-Bailly 2005; Chateau Cos D’Estournel  2000; Polkura G + i 2008.

Best new discovery in Chilean wine: Miguel Torres Santa Digna Estelado made with the País grape.

Favorite new ingredient: Mapuche pepper from the Canelo, cinnamon, tree.

Tweet

Last night I made my first batch of Cola de Mono, a traditional Chilean Christmas cocktail. After nearly 12 years, I decided it was time to give it another go.

Back as a student here in 1997, I imbibed a little too much of this potent drink, and let me tell you, the hangover was more memorable than any of the Christmas festivities on the following day…

The name of the drink literally means, “monkey’s tail.” While the exact origin of this unusual title is unknown, one theory is that this potent Christmas drink will have you swinging from the rafters …like a monkey! Another story links the name to former Chilean President, Pedro Montt and his pistol (let your imagination wander there).

This creamy creation is very much like the tradition of eggnog during Christmas in North America. As far as texture and taste, though, it’s on par with a White Russian. It’s a milk-based punch made with sugar, spices, coffee, and spiked with a hearty dose of aguardiente (a distilled grape spirit, similar to brandy). Beware. Aguardiente is 50% alcohol and could no doubt be used to clean a wound, replace your lighter fluid, get a barbeque fire under way, and oh, poured into this drink.

However, when combined with the milk, the result is way lighter than eggnog, as it’s served cold.

Perhaps I should repeat this so you do not all have to learn the hard way: Do not underestimate the powers of this drink. It packs a serious punch. In addition to my hazy 1997 Christmas Eve, I am positive many Chilean families have stories about the time that one Tía got a little wasted on the good ole “colemono,” as Chileans often pronounce it.

What to eat with Cola de Mono? Not Christmas cookies! Oh no. Down here, it’s all about pan de Pascua, yep, the ubiquitous fruitcake that gets re-gifted every year. Similar to panettone in Italy, it’s in every supermarket and bakery right now.

Wherever and however you guys choose to celebrate this weekend, I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas. Big hugs from Chile!!! Feliz Navidad.

Liz’s Cola de Mono
4 cups whole milk (for non-dairy, use almond milk)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
5 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick, broken into pieces
1 teaspoon good Madagascar vanilla extract, or ¼ vanilla bean, scrapped
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
3 tablespoons instant coffee (I used decaf)
1 cup Chilean aguardiente, white rum, brandy or vodka

• Combine the milk, water, sugar, cloves, cinnamon stick, vanilla, and nutmeg in medium saucepan.

• Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves.

• Add the instant coffee and stir to dissolve.

• Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature. Remove cloves and cinnamon stick.

• Add brandy. Chill for at least four hours, or ideally overnight. Pour into an empty bottle and serve with Christmas cookies or pan de Pascua

Makes 6-8 portions.

Tweet

Yesterday, I finally broke down and bought a fake, plastic (pine) Christmas tree. Four days before Christmas and fittingly on our summer equinox in the Southern hemisphere. Many of you wrote me that Christmas is not Christmas without a tree. I agree. Between holiday and work overwhelm, I was making a bunch of lame excuses why not, but yesterday there was a divine intervention that settled this once and for all.

Running some errands near Mercado Central, there I saw my little old Charlie Brown tree outside a crowded store filled to the brim with junky Chinese plastic items. The price was right. My presents were looking lonely without a tree. So I brought the tree home on an impulse. Francisco & I decorated it with glowing lights, ribbon, balls, and even some of my nostalgic ornaments from childhood. It looked so cute and Christmas-y.

We plugged it in that evening, and its lights flickered and went out. Noooo…..

We fiddled. Nothing. More fiddling. Nada. Oh, those damned Christmas lights. How is it possible they have not invented a better system in all these years?

After some cursing, and debating, we decided a Christmas tree with no lights makes no point, really! We undressed “him” with the patience of Buddha, and a half a bottle of red wine. You know, I really think that a nice glass of wine is a cure-all for these seemingly frustrating situations that are usually salvageable. Now we have our tree, and everything in the world is alright again!!

Today I want to share with you guys a video of a creative take on one of my all-time favorite dishes from Latin America: ceviche. It comes in so many forms, flavors, and interpretations throughout the region. The inspiration for this recipe came from a wonderful little restaurant gem called Afrigonia in the Chilean Patagonian town of Puerto Natales. Salmon abounds in chilly Southern waters and boasts generous omegas necessary for a healthy body (and fat burning, we can all use that with the x-mas cookies floating around…).

Here I use sashimi-grade fresh salmon that feels super slinky in your mouth. It melts away like butter with no fishy taste whatsoever (the opposite of when you cook it with heat). The addition of silky coconut milk pairs beautifully a classic-style New World Chardonnay like Natura’s smokin’ 2011 vintage, with mineral overtones and notes of tropical fruit. And I will confess, I have a thing for coconut milk–who doesn’t?!! I adore how the exotic flavors fuse together around Salmon’s sexiness, and the lime juice’s acidity just pushes all the taste out so it literally bursts in your mouth.

This dish rocks with a crunchy watercress salad for a light, healthy meal. You can also serve this in Chinese spoons for cocktail “bites” or a delicious appetizer any time of the year.

Tweet

I have been hard at work on holiday season gift for you all (no Santa nor magic elves involved though). In fact, you’ll find a couple goodies in this post.

Let’s start with the one that is most time sensitive

Eat Wine Santiago 2012 is LIVE

That’s right, Eat Wine Santiago’s latest annual edition is now on sale. Woohoo!

It’s been a while in coming but it’s ready to roll. Here are the specs on the update of Santiago’s premier English-language guide to food, drink & travel:

• Dozens of new restaurants: the culinary scene is seeing boom times and we have updated from new Korean barbeque joints to Peruvian Chifa and the hottest bars

• New neighborhoods: There’s a renaissance happening in the barrios of the city and this guide is a low down to navigating these areas like Yungay and Italia

• Primers on where to eat: Only in town a few days? Look at my personal recs on setting up your restaurants, thematically. Dive into a lesson on Chilean colloquial eats, Ethnic haunts, or farm-to-table.

• Expanded wine list: need I say more? Every year I rack my brain and put my liver in danger to taste hundreds of wines. This is my short list of what you should be drinking in Chile.

• New hotels and travel suggestions: Boutique hotels are on everybody lips and tourism is on fire in these latitudes. We’ll keep you plugged into that juice.

• Sync to your device: As an e-book in PDF format, keep it on your iPad, Kindle, iPhone, or smart device to have it with you wherever you go.

For a limited time to celebrate the announcement, you can pre-order Eat Wine Santiago 2012 for 50% off the normal price. Instead of US$27, you pay US$13. The offer expires on December 31, 2011 at 11:59pm. You have read it. No exceptions. So pre-order your copy now or you’ll have to deal with paying full price. Your decision.

To celebrate the arrival of 2012, we’ll be sending out Eat Wine Santiago on New Year’s Day, that is, January 1, 2012 for all those pre-orders.

You can cancel anytime up to the ship date so there is no downside, only locked-in savings—and lots of yummy meals and wines in your very near future.

Why buy the new edition of Eat Wine Santiago? Four reasons:

• You’re sick of getting stuck in mediocre restaurants: For less than one main course or bad bottle of wine, here’s your ticket to foodie bliss.

• You actually want to cook at home: Where to get the goods? Though. Here you’ll find just about anything and everything—that’s not illegal.

• You’re visiting Santiago: Cannot bare the thought of sacrificing a meal to a bad recommendation from a colleague? Now you know where to go. We are your local source.

• You’re a wine buff abroad: You’re so over the big brands dominating everything and think Parker’s ratings are for the birds. Here’s your chance for comprehensive on-the-ground wine recs on the best Chilean juice out there.

So want your free copy of Eat Wine Santiago? We’re having a holiday contest to give away three free copies in honor of the announcement. Here’s what you need to do to be entered:

1)   Get in the Holiday Spirit and Spread the word in next 72 hours: Send people to this blog post and get the word out. Facebook like, Facebook sharing, retweets, Tweets, e-mail everybody you know, e-mail signature. Get creative.

2)   By 5pm EST on December 24th, leave a comment on this post telling me what you did. Please quantify the impact (clicks, page views, tweets, etc.) and follow these rules to be considered:

• Tell me why you want Eat Wine Santiago and how it would be of use to you.
• Entire comment of 200 words or less.

We’ll consider all the submissions and be choosing the folks who did the best job.

Happy Holidays to all!

Tweet

Editor’s Note: I am so honored to have my colleague, Robin Asbell, based in Minneapolis, joining us to share a delectable vegan recipe with y’all “Eat Winers” this week. Robin is a chef, cookbook writer and master of natural foods: grains, vegetarian meals, and now her latest book is Big Vegan, which came out this fall with Chronicle Books and has now made many a top list. 

As many of you know, while I am far from ever being a true vegetarian, I am totally obsessed with vegetables and health food. I try to eat vegan 70% of the day. For me, it’s about kicking up the amount of vegetables, nutrients, and variety in my diet. Don’t look at this book as just a “vegetarian” cookbook. Robin, who is also a culinary instructor giving classes across the US, will share tons of tips on how to utilize whole grains, beans, tofu, and even make delicious cheese out of nuts –delicious as cheese and healthier– with a Global perspective (Asian, Indian, American classic, French, etc.) Honestly, this is a great addition to any cookbook collection, especially if your New Year’s resolution is losing those extra pounds, upping your vitality (eat veggies!), or getting in the best shape of your life in 2012. Big Vegan HAS to be part of that strategy. Thank you Robin for sharing your passion with us!

I’ve been knocking around the whole-foods cooking world for my entire adult life, and have cooked in restaurants and delis where we catered to vegetarians and vegans most of that time. I also cook omnivorous food, and I now work as a private chef, while writing books, and I really believe that it makes me a better vegan chef, as odd as that sounds. People often hire me to cook special diets, which run the gamut from gluten free to Paleo, and I develop recipes for magazines of all sorts. I know how to cook, work with flavors, and make things work. It’s all food.

These quesadillas feature a really fun transformation, and that is a nut-based cheese. For folks avoiding dairy, most of the alternatives are very processed and not all that great. Homemade nut cheese is a far better alternative, made from a nutritious, natural whole food that tastes great. When working without cheese, I look for other ways to get the same qualities-richness, creaminess, tanginess and saltiness, with a touch of umami. Toward that end, raw nuts are a perfect and simple solution.

You can give vegan a try, and you don’t have to commit to anything. Just enjoy some delicious plant-based cuisine, and see how you feel. Every vegan meal is better for you and better for the planet, so if you find something that you like, enjoy it.

Three-Nut “Cheese” Quesadillas with Fresh Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

• Nut “Cheese”:
  1/3 cup/40 g macadamia nuts
  1/3 cup/40 g raw cashews
  1/3 cup/40 g slivered/flaked almonds
  1 acidophilus capsule (make sure it´s dairy free)
  1 tbsp cold-press corn oil
  1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  1/2 tsp salt
• Salsa:
  1 large mango, diced
  1 large jalapeño, chopped
  3 tbsp chopped red onion
  3 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
  2 tbsp chopped fresh mint or cilantro/fresh coriander
  1/4 tsp salt
• Others:
  2 scallions/spring onions, chopped
  1/4 cup/7 g cilantro/fresh coriander
  1/2 tsp chili powder
  Eight 6-in/15-cm whole-wheat/wholemeal tortillas

SERVES 4

1. TO MAKE THE NUT “CHEESE”: Put the nuts in a bowl, cover them with cold water, and refrigerate overnight. The next day, drain the nuts, then puree them with 1/2 cup/120 ml fresh water in a blender or food processor. It may take some scraping down and repeating to get it smooth. Add the contents of the acidophilus capsule and puree to mix. Transfer the mixture to a glass or ceramic bowl, cover loosely with plastic wrap/cling film, and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. It should form some bubbles and smell cheese-like.
2. The next day, stir in the oil, lemon juice, and salt, then refrigerate.
3. TO MAKE THE SALSA: Put the mango in a medium bowl and add the jalapeño, onion, lime juice, mint, and salt. Toss to mix and refrigerate until needed.
4. When the nut “cheese” is cold, mix in the scallions/spring onions, cilantro/fresh coriander, and chili powder. Divide the mixture among four of the tortillas and top them with the remaining tortillas.
5. To cook, preheat a large cast-iron frying pan on high heat. When it is hot, put one quesadilla in the pan, and cook it for about 2 minutes per side, until it is dappled with brown spots and the “cheese” is heated through. Transfer it to a cutting board and slice the quesadilla into six wedges. Repeat with the other quesadillas. Serve hot with the mango salsa.

Tweet

Forget it in the freezer: I know that many a sommelier will cringe to hear this, but it’s the truth, and come on, we all do this in a pinch. Stick a bubbly or white wine in the freezer for 15-30 minutes to get it ice cold. It works like a charm, but only if you don’t forget it. Case in point—hosting clients last month we served espumoso right off the bat and had my assistant put another bottle in the freezer. The night got busy, we were tired at the end, and the next morning, I opened the freezer in search of ice cubes for my smoothie and found a frozen wine mess. I was ticked at myself for sacrificing a great bottle of Cruzat for no good reason and had to defrost the whole freezer to clean. Duh!!

Heat it up: I had never seen this costumbre, habit, until living in Chile. One chilly winter night, my husband’s uncle went to fetch a nice Cab. He pronounced the wine too cold and he wanted to “warm it up” by the roaring fire place. That was like a scratching a record with a needle to my ears. Fingernails on a chalk board. Don’t do that, you’ll ruin the wine and it will taste like wine-flavored scotch. Repeat after me. Thou shalt not heat up red wine with any form of heat.

Omit drinking water after several bottles: We’ve all been there, no? The night gets fun, the buzz is long, and the wine keeps flowing. At some point, you get bleary eyed and can only dream of your pillow. Hit the sack though without some precious, life-quenching H20 and you’ll pay hell the next day. Did we really need to kill 3 bottles among 4 people? Maybe or maybe not, but try to balance out your wine with a big glass of water per glass of wine. Your head will thank you.

Label it after a tasting: This latest mishap happened last night while shooting a new wine video for this blog (coming soon!). After filming some b-roll of pouring and swirling, we had a mélange of glasses whose order I remembered—on the table. I moved them to the kitchen and arranged them next to the corresponding bottles, or so I thought. I started to funnel the undrunken wine back into the bottle. At one point, I realized the Cab was low and then, s-h-i-t, I had done the unthinkable and funneled my Chilean Cab into the Uruguayan Tannat. One whiff and my suspicion was confirmed. In all fairness, the result was passable, although it was far from my intention to start my own international wine blending experiment. Do yourself a favor and use a sticky note to avoid confusion.

Label your wine that’s destined for vinegar: This sounds really obvious but on a couple occasions now, my mother-in-law who was house and cat-sitting for us, had consumed some leftover wine I had designated for homemade vinegar (couple weeks into the process actually). In fact, I was so stumped the last time as to where the heck the vinegar bottle had gone I called her. She confessed to drinking it and that explained why it was so nice and añejado, oxidized (which some people like here in South America).

Drive with a decanter on your front seat: This sounds really obvious but by far, this was the funniest wine mishap I encountered. In Houston back in October, I was invited to a blind tasting among some wine buff clients called “Bad Judgment Night” (everybody pulls a bottle from their cellar that pains them to open). Everybody arrived early at the host’s home to decant their wines and assign a sticky note letter on the decanter for the blind tasting later. One of the participants rings the host’s doorbell and is covered in red wine. He’s flustered and announces, “We’ve had a bad judgment accident”. Apparently he had decanted the wine at home to avoid any evidence of the wine’s origin, strapped the decanter in the front seat and headed out to drop if off at the host’s home. En route, he got cut off in traffic, slammed on the brakes, and the better part of his wine (which we later discovered was a 2002 Chateau Margaux, gasp!) ended up on the console, floor of car, and part of his white shirt. How would you explain that one to your spouse? Oh honey, I stained the car with wine. At least it was “baptized” with a premier grand cru.

So what wine mishaps have you guys had? Feel free to share in the comments some of your tips of what NOT to do with wine. Have a good weekend and see you next week.

Tweet

Oh, Salta. There you go again…showing up in my dreams. As if two trips already this year weren’t enough, as Kylie Minogue sang it, “I just can’t get you out of my head”. Visions of ruby-colored mountains, majestic cardon-covered canyons, ancient adobe towns, and sitting down to a table filled with empanadas salteñas and humitas en chala paired with some crunchy Torrontes. I woke up so enchanted and full of saudade to go back, that Francisco and I decided to share the vision with you guys. Anyways, isn’t Christmas a time of year to dream? If not of all the good things in the upcoming year (and all those yummy trips), then how about of presents, and places far away that aren’t so dang cold. Sweet dreams guys.

Tweet

One of the things I love about Peruvian cuisine is the abundance of sauces for everything. Piquant chili sauces to accompany their aromatic roasted chicken, creamy sauces to pair with boiled potatoes, and even fiery sauces to give anything a serious kick.

In Santiago, Peruvian immigration to Chile is by far the most numerous. As such, there has been an influx of exotic ingredients from their cuisine, which is quickly being integrated to the Chilean palate as many immigrants work in domestic service. Today, there are over 80 Peruvian restaurants in the capital ranging from elegant, sophisticated classics like El Otro Sitio to favorite joints like El Ají Seco.

So where do locals go to load up on all the food staples? La Vega, of course. In fact, there is now an aisle dedicated to all Peruvian ingredients from Andean potatoes to noodles for chifa cuisine; fresh huacatay and yucca to chili pastes and La Gloria evaporated milk (they swear by this!)…and then you have the condiments. I am all about sauces and thankfully, I have a caseros that only specialize in making them to give depth, kick, and zestiness to the food.

Here’s a low down of the common sauces used in Peruvian cuisine. Be adventurous and try them. You will back for more, trust me.

Salsa de ajo: Straight up garlic pureed with a little water. This forms the base of many sofritos, where shallot and garlic are sautéed in oil before adding in the yellow chili paste. Use for everything (even colds!).

Salsa de Ají Panca: This cherry red sauce is made from reconstituted panca chilies, typically dried, and has an earty, flavorful taste that is not spicy and reminds me of the consistency of tomato paste. I use this in chupe de camarones, shrimp chowder and as the marinade base for the famous Peruvian roasted chicken.

Salsa de Cilantro: Shown above, cilantro is pureed and this is added to many rice dishes like arroz con pollo or arroz con pato, or you can drizzle it over ceviche, toss with noodles. Peruvian pesto if you will.

Salsa de Huancaína (shown in picture): Yellow chilies, known as huancaínas, in Peru are the soul of their cuisine. I am in love with these orange-colored gems (even though they’re called “yellow). While they have heat, it is not overwhelming and is incremented with calculated use. In small doses, it has a floral, tongue-dazzling flavor that is the base for many of the recipes like tacu tacu or ají de gallina. Give you a test run for yourself (by the way, you can buy this in jars at Latin Markets). Just sautée a little garlic, shallot in oil and then fold in 1 tablespoon of this stuff. Or do the same in a vinaigrette. Add to rice, fish, beef, and let your creativity run while. In the markets, they often have two versions, one from dried chilies and one fresh. Obviously the fresh chilies pack more potency.

Salsa de Huancaína-Cilantro: This cilantro-chili sauce is used to dip your roasted chicken, or anything, in it. When pressed, my caseros would not reveal the secret ingredients to account for the complexity of this sauce. Let’s say while cilantro and yellow chilies are the base, there’s a lot happening. Reminds me of those glorious “green” chutneys I am obsessed with in Indian cuisine.

Salsa de Rocoto: This is the prettiest sauce of all, pure red flecked with black as captured here. Beware, those are seeds and rocoto is pretty much the scotch bonnet of the Peruvian chili universe. This sauce will tear the tastebuds right off you tongue if you don’t respect it. You’ll be panting, screaming for milk or chocolate to put out the fire. We’ve had many a macho client claiming to have a tongue made of steel be humbled by this petit red pepper. How to use it? With an eye dropper. A little goes a long way.

Crema de Rocoto: My casero is pouring me out a portion of the above-feared chili which he has tamed with the cream into and addictive dipping sauce for plantain or sweet potato chips. This sauce also pairs well with chiparrones, fried squid, and can add a flash of flavor to any dish without a visit to the ER.

Crema de Huancaína: While I am not big into cream anything for caloric reasons, all bets are off with this sauce. Yellow chilies are blended with single cream and ap inch of salt into this smooth, pale yellow sauce called heaven. How they use it? Boil up some potatoes and slice, then cover and top with bitter olives (like Kalamata) and a sliced hard-boiled egg. This classic dish is called papas a la huancaína.

Peru is truly set for 2012 to become the next big world cuisine, just like Spain or Korea. Want to experience it first hand for yourself? Join me and a small group of like-minded foodies in Peru in June & September 2012 on Flavors of Peru to get the insider scoop for yourself on why this cuisine is so intriguing. Email us at info@lizcaskey.com for more information or call +1 904 687 0340.

Tweet