30/30/30 Food Challenge - Day 13: CHILE

    Look at Chile on a map of South America and you will immediately understand why it has the distinction of being the longest country in the world in terms of length-to-width ratio.  Add to this its very long coastline and the gastronome cannot be faulted for expecting his plate to include a tremendous variety of products both from the sea and the land.  

    The Humbolt Current contributes to the abundance of seafood available at any Chilean market; you will easily find eel, squid, sole, albacore, codfish, hake, salmon, tuna, prawns, crabs, shrimp, oysters and of course sea bass.  

    A vast number of crops can be found as a result of the different climatic regions from north to south.  Beef continues to be Chileans’ favorite (and most expensive) meat, though it is now third in consumption at 22.1 Kg (48.6 lbs.) per year behind pork and chicken and is declining. 

     Chile is now the fifth largest exporter of wines in the world, and the ninth largest producer.  The most common grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Carmenère.  

    Josée's menu for tonight:

 

Caldillo de Congrio a la Neruda

 

Pechugas de Pollo al Cilantro

 

Puré Picante de Garbanzos

 

 

    Caldillo de Congrio a la Neruda or Neruda's fish soup is a famous soup that was immortalized by the Chilean poet and Nobel laureate, Pablo Nerruda, well known for his love of good food. In his poem "Oda al Caldillo de Congrio" he sings the praises of this delicious soup. He says that this is the dish that brings together the different essences of Chile.  Congrio is considered to be the king of fish found in Chilean waters. Unfortunately it is not found outside Chile so Josée substituted Chilean sea bass.  I have to say that this dish was outstanding!  A bounty of different flavors including paprika, bay leaf, marjoram, hot pepper sauce combined with onions, garlic, pimento, tomatoes, white wine, milk and cream combine to elevate the taste of the sea bass to a high note.

 

    Pechugas de Pollo al Cilantro - lightly pan fried chicken with a sauce made of chicken broth, cilantro, garlic, oregano and cumin. 

 

     Puré Picante de Garbanzos or spicy mashed chickpeas is a very popular dish in Chile. This is an Old World specialty creolized by the addition of the Indians' favorite condiment, hot peppers; a perfect match for the pollo al cilantro.

 

    Tonight, we broke our no-wine-on-weekdays rule and had a bottle of Chilean red - Purple Angel, Montez, Carmenère/Petit Verdot, 2007. We're pretty good at breaking rules these days.

    You know what?  With 13 down and only 17 to go, we feel good and we're confident we're gonna make it to the very end...one way or the other.

    Joseph Froncioni

Comments

[Alex Gibbons]

We sure do miss coming over lunch each day!