1. food and drink
2. desserts and baking

T H E G LO B E A N D M A I L
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W E D N E S D AY , J U LY 1 3 , 2 0 1 1
GLOBE LIFE
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L3
Traditional Chilean clambake goes modern
Use your barbecue instead of hot stones, for a layered dish with a subtle woodsy flavour
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LUCY WAVERMAN
WEEKEND MENU
lwaverman@globeandmail.com
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A
few months ago, I had the
pleasure of visiting Chile for
the first time. The beauty of the
country, the produce and the
wine were all breathtaking. Much
of the restaurant food featured
local products and Chilean techniques cooked with a modern
skill and finesse.
At the Arrobel Hotel near the
sea in southern Chile I learned a
traditional Chilean method of
cooking seafood and meat. Called
curanto, (which roughly means
hot stones), it’s based on the
Mapuche Indians’ original recipe.
Like a primeval clambake, seafood, sausages, chicken, pork and
vegetables are layered in a pit
filled with hot stones. Each layer
is covered with rhubarb-like nalca leaves to seal in the steam. The
flavours of the seafood and meat
tangle together along with a subtle woodsy flavour.
A home version called pulmay
features the same ingredients but
is cooked in a pot. It’s the perfect
entertaining meal for a crowd; I
have adapted it to the barbecue,
incorporating a little from both
methods. Start the meal with
some store-bought empanadas.
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CHILEAN CURANTO
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Serve with hot sauce and pebre
(see recipe below), along with a
lettuce, tomato and cucumber
salad with peppery vinaigrette.
Traditionally you would serve it
with milcao, a potato pancake.
This can also be cooked on the
stove. After cooking, drain the
juice and serve separately like a
soup.
9 Prep time: 20 minutes
9 Cooking Time: 40 minutes
9 Ready in: 1 hour
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ pounds (750 grams) boneless
skinless chicken thighs
1 ½ pounds (750 grams) mini
Yukon Gold potatoes
1 red pepper, sliced
1 medium Spanish onion, sliced
(about 3 cups)
1 banana pepper or several small
jalapenos, thickly sliced
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
1 large Savoy cabbage, leaves
torn off
4 Spanish chorizo sausages, cut
in thirds (about 14 ounces/400
grams)
2 pounds (1 kilogram) smoked
pork spare ribs or pork chops
3 pounds (1.5 kilograms) clams
2 pounds (1 kilogram) mussels
1 cup white wine
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Method
Heat oil in a large grill-proof wide
pot over high heat on the barbecue. Add chicken and cook for 2
minutes or until lightly brown.
Add potatoes, red pepper, onions, banana peppers and half of
garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook for 4 minutes or
until softened. Cover tightly with
cabbage leaves. Add sausage and
spare ribs and cover with more
cabbage leaves. Add clams, mussels and remaining garlic, pour
wine over top and cover with a
final layer of cabbage leaves. Cover pot tightly with a lid.
Keep barbecue heat at about
325 F and cook for about 40 minutes or until everything is cooked
and steaming hot.
Remove pot from barbecue and
separate clams, mussels, sausage,
chicken and pork on a platter.
Serve cabbage as well. Everyone
helps themselves. Serves 8
................................................................
In this curanto, flavours of clams and mussels mingle with sausages, chicken, pork and vegetables. FRED LUM/THE GLOBE AND MAIL
BEPPI’S WINE PICKS
It’s a safe guess there was no
Chilean carmenere around
when aboriginal Chileans were
huddling around pits of hot
stones. But the gutsy red coincidentally would make a fine
accompaniment to Lucy’s
reinterpretation. I’d also be
tempted to try something
Spanish, such as a simple, earthy tempranillo or a crisp,
slightly chilled Bierzo. If you
prefer white wine, try riesling.
The dessert could work nicely
with a sweet sherry or a muscat-based dessert wine, such
as muscat de beaumes de
venise.
..........................................................
Beppi Crosariol
herbal hot sauce. Heat it up with
more chilies, if desired. It is excellent with simple meats, chicken
or fish. Combined with some
sour cream, it is a great dip for
vegetable chips.
9 Prep time: 10 minutes
9 Ready in 12 minutes
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Ingredients
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1 cup chopped green onions
1 cup loosely packed coriander
1 cup loosely packed Italian parsley leaves
2 tablespoons seeded and
chopped jalapeno pepper
Salt to taste
................................................................
Method
Place all ingredients in a food
processor or mini chop and process until combined but still has
a bit of texture. Season with salt
to taste. Makes about 1 cup
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CHILEAN PEBRE
SOPAIPILLAS IN CHANCACA
WITH BLACKBERRY CREAM
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Pebre is a fresh-tasting Chilean
This recipe is adapted from Chil-
ean chef Christian Correa who
was a source of much information about the cuisine. Sopaipillas are a kind of Chilean
doughnut usually served with
sugar and cinnamon although he
has turned it into an elegant
dessert.
9 Prep time: 10 minutes
9 Cooking Time: 7 minutes
9 Ready in 17 minutes
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Ingredients
2 cups self-raising flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup cooked pumpkin, mashed
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
1 stick cinnamon
Half an orange, cut into 8 pieces
Vegetable oil for frying
1 cup whipping cream
2 cups blackberries, mashed
Whole blackberries for garnish
2 tablespoons icing sugar
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Method
Combine flour and salt in a large
bowl. Set aside. Combine pumpkin and butter in a separate bowl
and stir until uniform. Make a
well in the flour mixture, add
pumpkin mixture and stir and
knead until well combined. Add a
little water if it is too dry.
Roll out dough on a floured surface to about 1/4-inch thick and
cut out 3-inch circles using a pastry cutter.
Combine brown sugar, water,
cinnamon and orange in a pot
over medium heat and bring to
boil. Boil for 4 minutes or until
slightly thickened. Remove from
heat and set aside.
Heat oil to 350 F in a wok or pot
over high heat or until a cube of
bread turns brown in 20 seconds.
Add pastry rounds a few at a time
and fry until puffed and golden,
turning halfway through, about 1
to 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
Working in batches, add fried
sopaipillas to syrup and soak for
about 3 minutes, turning once, or
until they have absorbed some
liquid. Remove sopaipillas to a
plate, reserving syrup separately.
Beat cream until thickened
then fold in mashed blackberries.
To serve, garnish one sopaipilla
with blackberry cream. Top with
another sopaipilla, garnish with a
whole blackberry and icing sugar
and drizzle plate with reserved
syrup. Makes about 20 doughnuts
MARKET WATCH PURSLANE
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WHAT
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Although it’s commonly considered a weed, purslane has deliciously tender, edible leaves. The
fleshy, paddle-shaped leaves look
similar to those of miniature jade
plants. If you can’t find it at your
local farmers’ market, don’t be
dismayed. Purslane could be
growing right outside your door.
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WHEN
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Available from about early July
through September.
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HOW
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We asked Donna Dooher,
Purslane: a deliciously edible weed. NATHALIE DULEX/GETTY IMAGES/HEMERA
executive chef and proprietor of
Mildred’s Temple Kitchen in
Toronto, known for simple, seasonal cuisine, how she likes to
use it:
“I love it. I tend to eat it with
very little done to it, as I believe
most fresh ingredients should be
eaten. It’s great with fish. I quite
often grill a piece of fish or meat
and barbecue a nice, big slice or
half of a lemon, and then pop
some purslane on top once it’s
cooked. Then, I squeeze that
smoky lemon on top of everything.
“Or I just throw a handful of
purslane into a salad and I’m
ready to go. I’ve eaten it wilted,
and, frankly, cooked purslane
doesn’t appeal to my palate. It
wilts pretty fast. It loses some of
its water content and it browns a
little bit too.
“Purslane is a little bit peppery,
but not too much – it’s not like
pepper cress. It adds texture to a
dish and it’s just fresh tasting. It
has great visual appeal too. When
you’re walking through a field
and you see these tender, beautiful, vibrant green leaves coming
up, it really appeals to your
palate. It’s a great thing to eat
with your eyes.”
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This interview has been condensed
and edited.
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Wency Leung