Xec + Pebre

Recently, a few fellow gringas in Chile requested that I share more of my Chile friendly recipes. I'm going to try to post at least one per week on the blog. I'll tag all posts containing recipes as "Chile friendly recipe." Of course, these delights can be enjoyed in other countries as well. I'll make note of any changes I would make if cooking in North America when necessary for those of you following in the United States (or elsewhere!).

Right. Let's get to it.

I have one main issue with Chilean food-- lack of creativity. Chile is a country with a variety of abundant, cheap, and fresh ingredients. It's also a country that has some pretty good, yet standard, traditional dishes. There is cazuela (meat and veggie stew), porotos granados, pastel de choclo (shepard's pie like thing), empanadas, and pebre (cilantro and tomato based salsa), just to name a few. What gets to me is that this country has such a fantastic place to start from, yet you still see the same main dishes in every restaurant with the same three identical choices of boring side dishes, rice, mashed potatoes, or french fries. Oh my god after a year and a half of this I am losing my mind!! Tastes buds want to die!! Pleeeasse, could someone give porotos granados a little kick? Maybe occasionally change the veggies in cazuela? Possibly a new side dish every once and awhile?? And don't even get me started on the desserts...

So, that's why I cook at home. I cook a lot.

Today I had some fresh fish on hand from Saturday's feria trip and I wanted to do something light, healthy, and full of flavor with it. I instantly thought of xec, a Mexican citrus salsa I learned about from one of my culinary gurus, Mark Bittman. However, after such a fantastic Chilean market experience yesterday, I felt like using my Chilean ingredients to make a truly Chilean dish. And then it hit me. Xec + pebre = the perfect topping for fish. Flavorful. Light. Salsa-ish. Citrus-ish. All ingredients already in my refrigerator. Yes.

Here is the recipe for my Citrus Pebre. It's wonderful on fish and would probably be quite good on other meats, beans, rice, or with tortilla chips.

1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 lemon, sectioned (like you would do with a grapefruit) with juice
2 clementines, sectioned with juice
1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped
1/2 aji (medium heat chili pepper), finely chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients. Serve over fish. Simple as that.

I have the cutest dog ever.

Don't even try to dispute me on this one.



See. So cute.



Let me bring your attention to what she looked like when we adopted her. After only about a week in our home she has transformed from a scrappy little pile of bones into a REAL DOG. The secret is her ultra high calorie diet which includes lots of cooking oil, hard boiled eggs and Allie's homemade dog food, a.k.a. chicken livers and rice. REAL dog food for a REAL DOG! Believe it or not, down here homemade dog food is actually cheaper than that gross store bought stuff.

Well, we now live in Santa Cruz and I would like to say that so far my life here has been fabulous. Let's take today for example. This morning I got up and put my dog out in the front yard. I watched her run back and forth, throwing her squeezey ball up in the air and then chasing it while I planned an English class. I then taught the English class in MY OWN CLASSROOM that happens to be IN MY OWN HOME and made about the same amount of money in an hour and a half that I had become accustomed to making in an average day in Valparaiso. After that I took the dog for a walk, in which we took our time strolling through a quiet little plaza in my neighborhood. I admired the blooming cherry blossoms. She sniffed stuff. I had lunch, quiche I made last night with fresh free range eggs that I bought at the market only a few blocks from my home. I took a nap on the couch. Then we took the dog for a nice walk on a friend's farm with a fantastic view of the Andes. We came home. I made penne a la vodka from scratch and now I am just hanging out until bedtime. Not too bad, huh?

I'm creating quite a repertoire of "Chile friendly" recipes and I've been striving to add vodka sauce to the list. The catch is that most recipes call for canned tomatoes, which are available here, but so much more expensive than fresh tomatoes that it physically hurts me to use them. I'll post the recipe once it has reached the highest levels of vodka sauce bliss. I'll probably be sick of it by then, but hopefully you will be able to enjoy it.

Much love,
Allie

Allie is back!!

Hi, loyal readers!!!

Sorry I disappeared for awhile. A lot of my posts weren't showing up properly a few months ago. Since I didn't have the time (ok, motivation) to figure it out at the time, I just got around to fixing it a few days ago. Now I am back!!

So, here is the update. I spent the month of July in the United States visiting friends, family and Asian restaurants.

First we went to New York, where we attended my cousin Jeff's wedding to lovely Nicole...



And Matt picked up Lyme disease from a tick in the Hamptons. Behold, tick in a bottle...



Then we went to Seattle where I met up with a lot of my lovely and well missed friends....



And Brenna had a BABY while we were there!! I don't have a picture of the baby because I was too awestruck just looking at the darling little thing to take out a camera. I did dream of him wearing a hot dog costume though. It went kind of like this...



Then we went to California.... and didn't take many pictures...


What a fantastic month!!! Thanks to everyone who met up, helped us out and put us up throughout our travels! Please come visit in Chile so that I can return the favor!

Now I am back in Chile and TOMORROW we move to Santa Cruz. Yayyy! Pretty countryside! Dogs! Garden! Teaching English!!

In our new house we have reserved a room for me to use for classes. I am so excited to have my own classroom! I hope to start teaching next week, as I already have two students lined up and friends tell me that there are many more people who have shown interest in having me as an English teacher. I'm calling this little operation Ingles Santa Cruz. Click on the link to see my website!

Wish me luck on the move!

Besos,
Allie

How I went to Santa Cruz to look for a house and ended up acquiring a dog too.

Well, we actually found the dog first.

We have stayed at the same hotel, Casa de Campo, every time we've visited Santa Cruz. The owners have been fantastic, the rooms are amazingly comfortable, and the breakfast is incredible. We've actually taken to calling the place "home" and have considered how much it would cost if we rented out a room for oh, maybe a year or so.

I digress.

On Friday when we arrived at the hotel, a very skinny black dog came right up to me and placed her head on my stomach so she was looking vertically up at my face as we were both standing. She was very cute. Then she started "hugging" me. You know wrapping her legs around me, but very gentle. Very sweet.

Boyfriend asked the hotel owner who the dog belonged to. He said "to you." We looked at each other, shrugged our heads and said ok, as long as he could care for her until August when we move. He said it wouldn't be a problem.

There is no way to know if the dog will actually be there and/or alive by the time we arrive in August, but if she is, she is totally ours.

So, we went to Santa Cruz to find a house and we found a dog first. Isn't she cute though? I named her Bella.



Ok, in this picture she looks a little scraggly. We have some fattening up and cleaning to do.



Brace yourself. This story has an even happier ending.

We also found a house!!! We would have preferred something more in the country with a little more land and maybe a little more space, but this house is going to be a fantastic place to live. It's in a very cute neighborhood only a few blocks from the center of Santa Cruz. It has a small yard, a parking area, access to Internet, and parquet wood floors! It has a great location for me to teach from as well and a room that I can use as a classroom. The owners are an old couple who are incredibly nice and seemed very happy to have us as renters.

Exhibit A:

Nice old lady: Do you like the house?
Allie: Yes, I like it very much.
Nice old lady: Ohhh! We like you too!!! (said as she squeezed Allie's arm with a big smile on her face)

(This dialog was then repeated about 2 minutes later)

Having chickens there might be a challenge, especially considering that we now have a dog and already had two cats, but if we are creative we may be able to work something out. If not, my long time dream of having a few chickens of my own will have to wait. At least I have a dog!



Besitos,
Allie

When the weather outside is frightful...

What do you do?

That's right. You light a fire in your fantastic wood burning stove and make some soup (and maybe some muffins, a few fruit tarts and a curry too.)

Boyfriend's house has a fantastic wood burning stove which I am infinitely grateful for.

Yesterday I got down to the soup making and had a fantastic result. I tried to take a picture but the camera I have just isn't capable of capturing the soup's true loveliness. New camera, I should work on that...

I decided to post this recipe for three reasons. Primarily, I just made it up and I don't want to forget it. I'm kind of tossing around the idea of writing a cookbook someday, but more on that later. Secondly, cubes of polenta floating around in creamy, spicy soup has proved to be such a fantastic idea that I felt compelled to share it with the world, especially the people I love. And lastly, I've been following the "How Low Can You Go" Family Supper Challenge on NPR in which listeners and chefs are encouraged to share tasty and satisfying recipes that could be made for under $10 and feed a family of four. Well, I think this soup, paired with salad, fits quite nicely into those parameters. I'd submit it, but I don't think they would chose me, as they just featured a recipe from a gringa living in Chile last week.

Creamy Curry Carrot and Polenta Soup

Polenta
2 cups water
1/2 vegetable stock cube
1/2 cup polenta
lots of fresh ground pepper

Soup
1 onion
a splash of white wine (or water, or oil)
3-4 cloves garlic
about 2 cups chopped carrots
1 corsely chopped tomato
1 vegetable stock cube
water to cover
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cardamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste


Polenta:
Boil the water. Mix in the stock cube. Pour the polenta into the boiling water in a thin stream while constantly stirring the mixture with a wisk. Turn down the heat and cook for 5-10 minutes, stiring with a wisk very often. Pour polenta into a baking dish. Use a spoon to spread it into a thin layer. Set aside to set. (Hint 1: Clean the pot and whisk imediately. Polenta is very easy to clean off when hot and soft but when allowed to completely dry it becomes a crusty material that can be very difficult to remove. Hint 2: Make a double batch of polenta and save it to use in other tastey dishes! There are a million things you can do with leftover polenta. If you want ideas, just ask.)

Soup:
Saute the onions in a splash of white wine (or water, or oil) until soft. Add spices, carrots, and tomato. Simmer until the carrots are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Taste the broth and add salt, pepper, or additional spices as needed. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked vegetables into a blender. Add one cup of whole milk and blend until smooth. Pour the blended mixture back into the pot with the broth. Reheat over low heat for a few minutes and taste. Add more seasonings as needed.

To serve, cut polenta into cubes and divide amoung four large soup bowls. Top polenta with spoonfuls of warm creamy soup. Sit by the fire and enjoy with people you love.


I also recently made a Tart Tatin for a little lunch date with friends. Isn't it pretty? This dessert seems to make people very happy, so I like making it. I was just barely able to take some decent photos.



Besos,
Allie

Big! Exciting! Shocking! News!!!! Moving! Santa Cruz!!! Ahhh!!!!

(Warning: This post takes stream of consciousness blog writing to a new level.)


That's right. Boyfriend and I are packing up and moving to Santa Cruz, a small town about two and a half hours south of Santiago.



First, though, we'll be spending July in the United States. Here are the dates of our trip, just in case any of you want to meet up, put us up, or rent us a place to stay or something...... (hint hint help hint hint)

July 4-5 - NYC
July 5-9 - Binghamton, NY
July 10-12 - Seattle, WA
July 13-19 - NYC (and maybe a night or two on Long Island)
July 19-26 - Seattle, WA
July 26-2 - San Francisco/Napa Valley


Right now you might be thinking to yourself, "Wow, those dates are psychotic!" Let me explain..... Oh, never mind. I don't really want to explain. Let's just say we bought some cheap flights without thinking very hard about the dates and had some changes in our plans.

Speaking of "plans" and the "Unites States" and "Santa Cruz" is reminding me of this very long and ulcer provoking list of things I have to do which has been sitting next to me for the past week and has only had one item checked off thus far. Just some of the fun fun activities included are finding a house to rent in Santa Cruz, renewing my visa, applying for grad school, starting up an English teaching business...

Yeah, that's right. I'm going to start up my own little school in Santa Cruz. (Note: Please don't take this blog as a sample of my ability to communicate in the English language. This is what I like to call "mind vomit." I swear that I am capable of preforming better than this... just too lazy to do it when I'm not being paid for it.) Once I make the website, I'll post a link here and you can all be amazed by how difficult I am making my life.

Difficult? Yeah, that's right. I had a perfectly good job in Valpo with which I was able to cover a modest level of living expenses (unless I got sick and had to see a doctor which, yes, predictably has happened). Not only that, but it was a job that I (mostly) liked. Why would I leave that?!?

Urk, uhm. erhm. I don't know. Oh, that's right. I do. I'm ready for something else. Valparaiso has been fantastic, but it has really crushed me into the ground, and I have both the figurative and literal scars to show from it. Also, after living here for over a year, I find myself without really any friends. Acquaintances, yes. I have quite a few of those. However, all of the real friends I have made have left or have plans to leave in the coming months. After living in Seattle for a year, I really felt like it was my home. I had a great social network, a job that I loved, and I had the basic logistics of living in the city pretty much figured out. After a year in Valpo, I felt as though I was still trying to stay afloat, and getting really very tired doing so. Valpo and I, we just don't have long term potential.

I know, moving to a different city in your home country is very different to moving to a new city in a foreign country where you don't speak the language, don't have any contacts and don't know the culture. Still, I thought at least by now I would have a social network I could rely on, and all I really have is the boyfriend. The boyfriend is great, but you know, a girl needs more than that to feel truly fulfilled with her home.

A few months ago when the boyfriend's friends in Santa Cruz suggested that we move to the area, boyfriend and I looked at each other and decided without much hesitation that we should go for it. Why not?

So, Santa Cruz. August. That's the plan.

Why am I excited to move specifically to Santa Cruz, you might ask?

Well, for one, research tells me that my earning potential is a lot higher there. I'll be one of two native English speaking teachers in an area with a budding tourism industry and many wineries that predominantly export their products. Also, I'm excited to live in a small town. In Valpo I feel like I am seen as "just another weirdo gringa who is probably studying abroad." I'm hoping that in a smaller community I'll be seen as "that lovable gringa that I have heard so much about from my gossiping neighbors and her wildly satisfied students." Last but not least, I want to raise chickens for eggs. For years, I've been dreaming of owning my own mini flock of chickens. I think that they are the most fantastic little creatures, but more on that in another post.

Chickens. Yay. :)

Nos vamos.

Besos,
Allie

Comfort Food

I don't know why, but comfort food seems to have some crazy unnatural uplifting effect on me when things just aren't going my way. This is a good thing. It's much better to turn to macaroni and cheese than to the bottle or something. It does lead me to do strange things like accidentally spending whole days in the kitchen and then collapsing from fatigue. I still think it's a healthy thing.

Example 1: Last week's mugging incident. Strangely, at the end of it, all I wanted was homemade chicken soup. I reaaaallllly wanted homemade chicken soup. I settled for an egg sandwich. At least it comes from a chicken. It certainly helped, but honestly, the soup craving lasted for days.

Example 2: Yesterday I was feeling pretty crummy for no reason. I had an ice cream cone and WOW I felt fantastic again. Ice cream was something that I was pretty ambivalent about until I came to Chile. For some reason watching every third person on the street carrying around an ice cream cone made me want to eat it all the time. From exquisite quality gelato to the soft serve at McDonalds, I love it. (Yesterday was a soft serve at McDonalds day.)

Example 3: Today I had a new class scheduled to start at 8:00am. I wanted to be there nice and early so I was rushing, nearly running down the hill to the bus stop. When I say hill, I really mean extremely steep and poorly paved and maintained partially cobblestone street/sidewalk. (On my way down I passed a young man peeing while his friend was laughing at him and two stray dogs copulating.) As I was nearing the bottom, I slowed from my light jog to a fast paced walk and at this point inexplicably fell over and tumbled down the street for a bit. I stood up, assessed the damage and decided that the two inch diameter scrape on my knee and my torn and bloody stockings wouldn't make a good first impression. Crap! And those were my last pair of stockings! Then I noticed the cuts on my hands and determined that I probably couldn't hold a white board marker. Also, even if I did arrive to class, they'd probably make me clean up the dripping blood before stepping into the classroom, meaning that we probably wouldn't start on time and that I might traumatize my student. I decided that going home and postponing the class would be best. Anyway, I went home and woke up the completely confused and disoriented boyfriend. He did a great job of cleaning out my wounds and holding me down as he poured vodka all over them. Yes, vodka is the closest thing to an antiseptic that we have in this house. Ironically, this house has EVERYTHING from mini whisks to an elliptical machine to multiple woks, various sizes of mortar and pestles, a barometer, industrial juice machine, designer pencils, construction equipment, but no. We have nothing to treat minor cuts.

Well, at the end of that debacle I really wanted some comfort food. It was of course, only about 9am, so I didn't really feel able to justify eating anything, let alone junk food. I just had breakfast and we don't really have any ready made comfort food in the house. I started rummaging in the pantry and what did I find? Only the best hot chocolate in the universe. Mom brought this as a holiday present when she came to visit in December. While December is a perfect time for hot chocolate in the Northern Hemisphere, it was pretty summery down south. I was more in the mood for lemonade. I had forgotten about it until today. I made myself a warm steamy mug and I must say, best comfort food ever, and it doesn't even leave you feeling that guilty. My belly is so happy right now. Mommy, I love you.

Buy this:



Now.

By the way. I have the best boyfriend ever. He just returned from the shops with about a million pesos worth of overpriced first aid supplies. Now, he is going to hold me down and pour alcohol all over my gaping wounds, again. Yay?...

Besos,
Allie