Thingo.

This thingo is pretty cool.

Porotos Granados.

My favorite Chilean food.



Also, the only vegetarian Chilean dish that I know of, besides cheese empanadas and "vegetarian plates" that consist only of chopped cold veggies and queso fresco (fresh cheese). Right, so it's the only warm vegetarian dish I know that can be considered a well rounded meal.

I always order this when it is available in restaurants, and I am usually a little disappointed. It often seems almost perfect but lacking a little in flavor. My recipe adds white wine, an aji (chili pepper) and copious amounts of basil. Just enough flavor to complement the natural yummyness of all the fresh veggies.

Although porotos granados is a dense vegetable and bean stew, it falls under the category of summer food, as that is when the fresh beans are available at the market. Fresh beans, by the way, are fantastic. They are firm, yet creamy, and they have a subtle flavor unlike anything you will ever find in dried or canned beans. Granados are relatively large and white, and they come in delightful pink pods.


Another main ingredient is zapallo (or zapallo camote... anyone know what the difference is?), a large pumpkin like squash bought in chunks at the market or grocery store.

My recipe for porotos granados is an altered version of this recipe, which is in Spanish. For those not in Chile, or those craving this dish out of season, canned or dried beans could probably also be used, although I've never tried. Below I have posted two recipes, one for how I currently make the dish, and another for how I would try to make the dish with ingredients I know are available in the United States.


Porotos Granados de la Allie

Ingredients:

1 kilo porotos granados, shelled
1 chunk of zapallo, skinned and cut into large chunks
1 vegetable stock cube
splash of olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped or crushed
1 large aji (chili) pepper
2-3 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, grated
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1/4 cup or so of cheap white wine
1 small bunch (or half of a large bunch) fresh basil, washed and coarsely chopped


Put the shelled granados, stock cube, and zapallo in a pot with enough water to cover. Start them cooking on a low boil while you prepare the other ingredients.

Saute onion, garlic and aji pepper in olive oil until the onion is translucent. Add the carrot, tomatoes, wine, salt, pepper, keep cooking. Add the zapallo when soft, but continue to cook the beans separately. Mash the zapallo and tomatoes into the mixture by pressing them against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. When the beans are soft and creamy, add them and about a cup and a half of the cooking liquid to the vegetable mixture and continue to cook for about 15 minutes. You can add more cooking liquid if you want a soupier result, less if you want more of a paste. Add basil and cook for a few more minutes.

Toast some pan batido and enjoy! Think of how proud your Chilean grandmother would be!


Porotos Granados, North American Style

Ingredients:

2 cans white beans
1/2 butternut or buttercup squash, or a large chunk of pumpkin, cut into big chunks (... or even a can of pumpkin could work)
1 vegetable stock cube (if using fresh, not canned, squash/pumpkin)
a splash of olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped or crushed
1 mild chili pepper (optional)
1 large carrot, grated
2-3 tomatoes, chopped... or even 3-4 whole canned plum tomatoes without the juice
1/4 cup or so cheap white wine
1 bunch fresh basil (yes, the fresh part is important for this ingredient)
1/2-1 tsp salt (may need less if canned ingredients are used)
pepper to taste


If using fresh squash/pumpkin, cover with water, throw in a stock cube, and boil until soft.

Saute onions, garlic, and optional chili pepper until onions are soft. Add carrot, tomatoes, wine, salt and pepper. Cook until tomatoes start to break down. Add squash/pumpkin and press the tomatoes and squash against the side of the pot until you have a creamy yet still a little chunky consistency. Add the cans of beans and about 1 cup of the squash cooking liquid/vegetable stock, adding more liquid if a soupier result is desired. Cook for about 15 minutes. Add the basil and cook for a few more minutes.

Serve with corn bread, biscuits, or a fresh loaf of crusty seeded whole wheat bread. Enjoy!


(Did anyone else notice that the Chile version of this recipe calls for mostly fresh ingredients while in the North American one, three of the ingredients could be canned? )

Look, it is favorite cat!



Look, it is a beautiful day!



I was just hanging out on the terrace, trying to absorb all the sun I can before it goes away again...

Besos,
Allie

In an interstellar burst, I'm back to save the universe.

Not really. But, I guess I'm back to blogging.

So, yeah, I've been doing a lot of stuff. So much stuff that I couldn't find time to blog about it, which I suppose is a good thing, because I originally started this blog to keep from going bored out of my mind.

I've been in Chile for about a year and two months now, and things seem to be going pretty well. My Spanish isn't as good as I hoped it would be, but after a year of language teaching I have learned that a person's performance in a second language is rarely at their desired level. You know that famous study where people are asked how much money they would need to really feel secure and happy and nearly everyone, regardless of current income or background, responds that they would need 25% more that what they currently have? It's like that. You'll never be satisfied. I won't be at least. That, at least for language learning, is a healthy thing. The most important thing I've learned from teaching English is that there is so much that I don't know. That, and I that I love teaching, and want to continue doing it for a long time.

Today has been a great day. It's only 2:13, and I already feel confident saying that. I woke up early and it wasn't too cold, wasn't too warm. I started a new class at the port management company, only a 15 minute walk from my house. Small class of beginning level students, my favorite. I came home to my fantastic boyfriend cooking us a full English breakfast, complete with meat products illegally smuggled into the country from England. (I never thought that bacon could bring me so much happiness... or be so addictive.) Then, I found to my delight, that I had absolutely nothing to do for the rest of the day. It's been so long since I've had that feeling, and wow, it was spectacular. I got right down to one of my all time favorite activities, baking while listening to This American Life. (I'm probably the oldest 24 year old on earth.) I still have the rest of the day to do whatever I want, so so so so nice. I think I'll read, maybe get some exercise, maybe get some sun....

I'm probably relishing in this to such an excessive degree because last night I finished a semester of on-line classes that had been looming over my head since January. I hate on-line classes, which unfortunately I didn't realize until about 3 days into the courses. Regardless, I'm now a few steps closer to that Advanced Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and the ESL Endorsement needed to teach ESL in Washington State schools. I'm getting there, and it feels quite good. Now all I need are two more classes and that pesky Masters in Education....

I love how summers here slowly fade out. It seems like no one does any work over the summer, except for those who work in tourism. As a teacher, my class schedule basically fell to nothing at the end of December and stayed that way until last week. Summer theoretically ends on the first day of March when all the kids go back to school, but the weather is still nice, and the business culture is pretty strange and disorganized, so business as usual doesn't really get going again until now, the end of April. Things will start to fade out again in September, springtime, leading up to Chile's Independence Day on September 18th. The whole month of September is a great excuse to eat nothing but meat, bread, and pebre, all using only your hands, if you are into that sort of thing. I was for the first few weeks of the celebration, as a show of solidarity, trying to be a true participant in the cultural experience. By the actual day of the holiday, three weeks into September, I couldn't even bare to look at any food besides steamed broccoli. I don't know why I am writing about this. I guess it says something about my experience here. Gringas really are funny to watch. I guess I now understand why everyone thinks it's so cute when I say "mish!," or when I argue in bad Spanish with the colectivo driver for being over charged by 50 pesos (a few cents).

Being away from the United States has made me miss it tremendously. Mostly, I miss blending in. I miss being boring and normal. I miss having the option to leave my home and talk to new people without them asking why I am living in their country, what I am doing, and what I think of it. I miss being able to speak without being concerned about my grammar. I miss being able to make jokes. I miss being able to buy any kind of tea from any place in the world and lots of other silly little things like Chinese food delivery, the “free stuff” section on Craigslist, and the Weather Channel.

Still, my life here is pretty good, and I'm finally not so overcome with desire for cheap, well made socks to realize that. I'm not making very much money, partially because I'm a push over, but I make enough to get by. I absolutely love the Central Market, a grimy produce market with screaming vendors that most people I know can't stand. I love the public transportation system. Buses are incredibly frequent and cheap. They even run from the bus station to Santiago every 15 minutes during peak hours. The fare for local buses, or "micros” also frequently comes with a complementary adrenalin rush, either from a death defying overtake (my god, British English), an elbow in the face, or a near death incident with a pedestrian. They also provide me with my daily dose of reggaeton and an update on the latest pokemon fashion trends. I use them to perfect my disguise. At this point I think I could completely pass for a disenfranchised 16 year old, only if I didn't have to speak, though.

I really do love the micros. They remind me that I am alive. They remind me that I am living someplace very different than where I came from. Although sometimes I miss having a car, I definitely prefer micros as my main mode of transport.

Another thing, I also love that I can eat manjar (dulce de leche) for breakfast if I want to, and it's not even considered excessively decedent. I've only done it a few times, but it is nice to have the option. I love the beaches. I love the view from nearly every spot in Valparaiso. I love Chilean Spanish with all its weird eccentricities, and I love how much Chileans love it too (po).

So yeah. My life here is good.

Chile, I'm not done with you yet.

Besos,
Allicita

These are a few of my favorite things....

My favorite thing in the US. This stuff must contain at least trace amounts of crack. I. CAN'T. STOP.


My favorite thing in Chile. Also, could there be crack in this?


Back to Chile soooooooon....

Besos,
Allie

I'm so glad I've missed this!!!

So, I'm back in the US for a visit that has so far been fantastic. I needed a break. I'm a pretty uhmmm, high pressure person that wants to do her best all the time. When you are living in a foreign country where you are learning the language, as well as how to do literally everything else, you are not going to succeed all the time. The fact that you have tried your hardest might not always show through. Some days you don't know what has happened to you, or why. Moving to Chile on my own was by far the most difficult thing I have ever done. If I had known before what I would have to go through, I don't know if I would have gone through with it, at least not on my own without some sort of sponsoring program. Anyway, it's been tough, but I will be heading back at the end of March for round 2. One more year, kind of a new start. Wish me luck.

One great thing about being out of the US for the past year was missing the introduction of reality shows about child beauty pagents such as Little Beauties and Toddlers & Tiaras. I just spent 30 minutes watching Little Beautities which has single handedly made me want to pack my bags and get on the first flight out of the country. I love how TV has the power to reafirm my life decisions. Yay VH1.

Now, to the dentist. Ack.

Besos,
Allie

Allie is a bad blogger part 67

Here is a blog post about my opinion that Chile wants to be Florida and an experience I had in a cab in Santiago. Since I am obviously too lazy/busy/bad at blogging/inarticulate to write myself, someone else took this stellar blog worthy material and posted it on their own quite spectacular blog. Enjoy a taste of me mixed with a taste of someone else.

Love,
Your laziest blogger friend

ps- Real post soon.... I promise... maybe.

I'm a dork

So I like this type of thing. Not the recension, just the graphic.

More on Chile later. I'm going home for a few weeks. I'll post sometime next week.