Versión en Español Chilean arroz primavera is fluffy long grain rice, first toasted in oil with garlic and then cooked in water, mixed with blanched peas, corn, green beans, and carrot and finished with fresh parsley. It takes 20 minutes of preparation plus 20 minutes of cooking and serves 4 people. It is one of the most popular ways to prepare rice in Chile, an easy, colorful, seasonal side that goes with countless main dishes,…

Versión en Español Chilean puchero seco is a one pot boiled dinner of beef, smoked pork ribs, and chorizo cooked in a pressure cooker with very little water, together with potatoes, squash, corn, zucchini, cabbage, celery, and herbs, then served piece by piece on the plate. It takes 45 minutes of preparation plus 35 minutes of cooking and serves 6 people. It captures the abundance of the Chilean countryside and the Spanish culinary heritage adapted…

Versión en Español Chilean risotto de piures is a creamy arborio rice risotto cooked slowly in a broth made from piures, the red Chilean sea squirt, and finished with the chopped piures, cream, Parmesan, and a touch of lemon zest. It takes 20 minutes of preparation plus 20 minutes of cooking and serves 4 people. It is one of the most innovative dishes of contemporary Chilean seafood cooking, combining the classic technique of northern Italy…

Versión en Español Chilean asado carnicero a la parrilla is a beef shoulder cut, taken from the inner side of the shoulder blade, rubbed with a paste of garlic, merken, oregano, vinegar, and oil and grilled slowly over charcoal. It takes 40 minutes of preparation plus 60 minutes of grilling and serves 4 people. A regular at weekend barbecues at home, the asado carnicero, or butcher’s cut, is tender and full of flavor, ideal for…

Versión en Español Chilean asado de alpaca a la olla is an Andean pot roast in which lean alpaca meat is marinated with chili paste, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, and cumin, seared, and then braised with onion, carrot, and bay leaf until tender. It takes 45 minutes of preparation plus 45 minutes of cooking and serves 4 people. Chilean alpaca meat is considered a natural, organic food, since the animals graze in the high Andes…

Versión en Español Chilean chupe de pulpo is a creamy seafood casserole of tender octopus pieces cooked with onion, red pepper, garlic, and white wine, thickened with bread soaked in cream, and gratinated with cheese in clay dishes. It takes 30 minutes of preparation plus 50 minutes of cooking and serves 4 people. It is a delicious and perhaps less common version of chupe that is well worth trying, since the mix of sea and…

Versión en Español Chilean budin de coliflor is a baked cauliflower and cheese pudding made with a large cooked, mashed cauliflower mixed with egg yolks, beaten egg whites, grated Parmesan, breadcrumbs, and sauteed onion, topped with sliced mozzarella and gratinated at 200 C (392 F) for 25 minutes. It takes 40 minutes of preparation plus 40 minutes of cooking and serves 4 people. For a firm but light budin, the two essentials are removing excess…

Versión en Español Chilean arvejado de rollizo is a gentle fish stew of rollizo, the Chilean sandperch, cooked in white wine over green peas with a sofrito of carrot, red bell pepper, onion, and garlic. It takes 30 minutes of preparation plus 30 minutes of cooking and serves 4 people. The rollizo (Pinguipes chilensis) is a rocky reef fish found along the whole Chilean coast, from Arica to Magallanes. It is medium sized and elongated,…

Versión en Español Chilean guiso de zapallo italiano is a quick home stew of diced zucchini cooked with ground beef, onion, garlic, tomato, and basil, finished with lightly beaten eggs stirred through at the end. It takes 20 minutes of preparation plus 30 minutes of cooking and serves 4 people. It is a classic of everyday Chilean cooking, loved for being cheap, fast, and comforting, and for offering protein, fiber, and vitamins without many calories.…

Versión en Español Chilean charquican de pesca seca is a coastal version of charquican in which mashed potatoes and squash are mixed with shredded salt dried hake sauteed with onion and garlic, and finished with cilantro. It takes 30 minutes of preparation plus 30 minutes of cooking and serves 4 people. Pescada seca, or simply pesca seca, is an old way of preserving fish such as hake, conger eel, corvina, and tope shark by salting…