Fresh Approach Cooking

I went to the Hollywood Farmers market yesterday like I do every Sunday, only this time, I remembered to bring my camera so I could get some pictures to share with you all. With the huge array of fresh fruits and produce available, you would hardly know it’s January. The strawberries were still a little bland, and the tomatoes were just a bit hard, but it was still great to see them in all their vivid glory. I was especially impressed with the purple cauliflower (though, I didn't buy any). What I did get was some beautiful escarole and came home and made this. It was perfect for a chilly night. Enjoy!

1 pound Penne pasta
6 cups escarole leaves, rinsed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil or 2 oz. pancetta bacon, sliced thick, cooked and fat reserved
1/2 cup diced onion
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 can (15.5 ounces) cannellini beans beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water, until al dente.
Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then place the escarole in a strainer in the sink, then drain the pasta over it.Pour drained pasta and escarole back into the pot.
Meanwhile In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil (or bacon fat) over medium heat and sweat the onion and garlic until translucent, about five minutes. Add the pasta water and beans to the sauce and allow to thicken slightly.
Add the beans and the red pepper flakes to the pasta and toss well. (If you used the bacon, add that back in now too) Season with the cheese and serve immediately.
Season with Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

Serves four to six

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"A few years ago, Paul Rozin, a University of Pennsylvania psychologist, and Claude Fischler,
a French sociologist, began collaborating on a series of cross-cultural surveys of food attitudes.
They found that of the four populations surveyed (the U.S., France, Flemish Belgium and Japan),
Americans associated food with health the most and pleasure the least. Asked what comes to
mind upon hearing the phrase ''chocolate cake,'' Americans were more apt to say ''guilt,'' while
the French said ''celebration''; ''heavy cream'' elicited ''unhealthy'' from Americans, ''whipped''
from the French. The researchers found that Americans worry more about food and derive less
pleasure from eating than people in any other nation they surveyed." - NY Times

Hollywood Farmers Market

When I was in cooking school in San Francisco, I went to a lecture given by a prominent (and well respected) food writer. Her enthusiasm for all things culinary was exciting, her outlook on the work, refreshing and her answers to everyone’s questions, charming. Until she called on me. I innocently asked, “How do you become a food writer?” (Something I had always aspired to be) and she replied, “Marry a wealthy man.” A flip answer that stayed with me for many years. Which is why, dear reader, I think food blogs are the greatest thing to happen to our shared passion since MFK Fisher took pen to paper. We can write about anything and everything we want and share it with a community of people who are interested in the same things. So I applaud everyone who takes the time to write the blogs we all read so often, and thank the people who have linked my blog to theirs, making me part of this virtual community. (Kiplog, Food Porn Watch, Accidental Hedonist, etc.) And on that note, here a simple recipe. Enjoy! I am off to brunch.

3 eggs,
1 teaspoon best quality vanilla extract
Zest of one orange
¼ cup milk
8 thick slices of Portuguese sweet bread
4 tablespoons butter


Whisk together the eggs, vanilla, orange zest and milk.
Coat bread slices in egg mixture; set aside.
Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add two bread slices and cook until brown on both sides. Repeat with the remaining bread.

Makes four servings.

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Learn to be a food writer with an online course!

The people of Hong Kong eat on average 103 pounds of poultry per person per year.

Why couldn't the sesame seed leave the casino? Because he was on a roll.

The rain here in Los Angeles must be making me sentimental, because I started to think this morning about a night a few years ago when I showed up at a birthday party long after the first three or four pitchers of margaritas had been consumed. I was getting comfortable at the Siberian end of the table just as another woman showed up, breathless and blaming traffic for her tardiness. (A particularly L.A. trait, if you are keeping score -- not blaming traffic...being late.) Since she was the only other sober person present, we started to chat. And chat, and chat some more. Turns out she was working as a freelance producer for the Food Network and had recently spent the day at a flavor extract plant, learning all about the mysterious world of artificial flavorings. I was by turns fascinated and appalled (the appalled part came when she explained that some flavors are derived from paint. As in the stuff you put on the walls, paint.) but most of all was super excited to be talking to someone who was so into food! Needless to say, she – Julia - is still one of my dearest friends, and I love hearing about her exploits at places like the gumball factory, the used car showroom/restaurant and with Dan the Topping Man. She encourages me and can always wax poetic on meals I made years ago making me blush like mad. In return I try to cook for her as often as possible and cherish her friendship and hopefully encourage her right back. This recipe is for her because she once said she liked it...


1 cup plain (Greek) yogurt
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small thai bird chile, seeds and ribs removed
2 cups fresh cilantro, stems removed
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus zest of one lime
1 cup shelled natural pistachios, toasted and chopped fine

Pour the yogurt into a fine mesh strainer and drain it for about an hour. Meanwhile, in a small saute pan, over high heat, toast the cumin and coriander until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and the pan immediately. (The spices will continue to cook if you leave them in the pan). In a blender or a food processor, add the drained yogurt, olive oil, chile, spices and cilantro and pulse to blend. Stir in lime juice and zest, pistachios. Season to taste and serve. Serve with toast points or melba rounds.

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I may not be healthy or wealthy or wise;
I may not have dreamy, mysterious eyes;
I may not wear clothes from a French fashion book;
But I'm never lonely, for boy, I can cook!
(Anon.)

Due to my love of all things pickle, (including my new Pickle-makin' crush, Rick and his sassy offerings.) and my inability to find those “Gourmet Curry Gurkens” (see below) I fell in love with last month, I had to go ahead and concoct my own recipe. As these are now sitting in a dark cupboard and not being greedily consumed, I cannot actually tell you how well they turned out, but I have faith, as should you. Try and enjoy! (Recipe loosely adapted from The Joy Of Pickling, reprinted without any permission whatsoever.) NOTE: This recipe requires 3, one-pint Mason jars. For information on how to sterilize jars, visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

2 ½ pounds pickling cucumbers (or Persian if you can find them)
1 small white onion, sliced thin
2 tablespoons pickling salt2 cups cider vinegar
½ cup brown sugar6 small dried pequin chiles
1 ½ teaspoons curry powder
½ teaspoon tumeric
½ teaspoon Colemans dry mustard

Combine the pickles, onions and salt in a non-reactive (read, glass, or stoneware) bowl and let sit in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours. After that time, drain, rinse and drain again. In a large pot combine the rest of the ingredients (minus the onions and cucumbers) and bring to a boil. Add the vegetables and bring back to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes, (you want the cucumbers just heated through.) then pack them into 3 pint mason jars leaving ½ of an inch room at the top. Close the jars and process in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes. Store for three weeks in a cool, dark place. Makes three pints.

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Speaking of pickles: Leonard Pickell, Jr. pleaded guilty yesterday to embezzling
more than $50,000 from the James Beard Foundation. He could face up to 15 years in prison.
“He took full responsibility for what happened, and does not want it to reflect badly on
the organization,” says his attorney Stacey Richman.

I bought a few jars of Nowka Curry Gurkens in Chile. (Imported from Germany.) They are amazingly yummy, and of course, I cannot find them anywhere in L.A. And internet searches yield nothing. If you know where to get these, will you let me know? Thanks!

I have been lounging around for the last few days with a miserable cold. (Helpful hint: It’s a bad idea to go get a manicure and your brows done when you contstantly are needing a tissue. Trust me.) And of course, I have been listening to everyone’s advice on what I should and should not be eating or doing. Sadly, the one thing I could not bring myself to do is go to the market, so I have been making things with what I have on hand (ok, and ordering chicken soup, and convincing myself that flat champagne is a good cold remedy.) while trying to incorporate vitamin c and lots of fluids. While I really wanted to take this time to whip up something fabulous and new, but I went with this, it's hearty and easy and delicious. Enjoy!

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 Tablespoon paprika
3 ½ cups beef broth
1 ½ cups red wine
3 bay leaves (optional)
4 sprigs fresh thyme (or 2 teaspoons dried)
2 lbs creamer potatoes, halved
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 parsnips, peeled and chopped



Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large skillet, sauté the onion and garlic in the vegetable oil for 10 minutes, or until soft. Add the tomato paste, and stir well. Then add the beef broth, wine, bay leaves (if using) and thyme. Bring this to a boil and allow to cook for 10 minutes.

Coat the brisket with the paprika and place it in a large roasting pan, fat side up. Pour the sauce over, cover and roast in the oven for 1 hour.

After one hour, remove the brisket from the oven and add the vegetables, cover and return to oven for another 2 ½ hours.

After 2 ½ hours, remove the pan from the oven, allowing it to cool for 20 minutes. Remove the meat to a cutting board, and remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon. Pour the remaining liquid into a large saucepan and heat to a low simmer, for 10 minutes, or until reduced by 1/4 . Season with salt and pepper to taste.

The meat and the vegetables can be made up to two days in advance, but should be stored separately. The meat should be stored with some liquid, the vegetables without. The remaining liquid should be stored as well.




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From today’s L.A. Times: Nancy Silverton — founder of La Brea Bakery, the woman who until
this month, was co-owner of Campanile restaurant — is joining forces with Mario Batali
to create a new Italian restaurant in Los Angeles. As if that weren't enough, on Feb. 15 she'll
start working one night a week (Tuesday) at La Terza on West 3rd Street.

"Grilled Cheese Night"has been so successful that Mark Peel, the chef at Campanile
and her longtime husband andpartner there, intends to continue it, even without her.
(The two are getting divorced, and he bought out her interest in the restaurant.)

Things to do in LA when you are feeling just a little too thin: Go to Campanile for the Thursday Night Grilled Cheese menu. Of course, it’s a rare occasion that I’m feeling too thin, but my favorite boy Andrew and I ended up there last night anyway because the place we meant to be eating (Luna Park) got a C rating from the health board and neither of us could bring ourselves to overlook that. So off to Campanile we went. Despite the popularity of the weekly event, and the fact they don’t take reservations, we were seated immediately and ordered a martini (me) and an extraordinary glass of Barolo (for him). For an appetizer, we split the baked Mozzarella Bagna Cauda, because we just didn’t think we would get enough cheese with our entrees. (ha) It was five pieces of excellent La Brea bakery bread, with thick slices of (I wouldn’t say baked actually. The cheese was just barely warm) mozzarella, all skewered together with a rosemary branch then smothered in a lemony bagna cauda. Negotiating the rosemary was a pain, since it was oily, but once that was dealt with, the rest of it was incredible. Of course, after that I was full, but since we had ordered our sandwiches already we pressed on. Andrew had the Croque Monsieur, ($16) and I had the Classic. (For $14. Onions and mustard were extra.) Both sandwiches were made in a panini press, leaving lovely golden grill marks and perfectly melted cheese. They also came with thin French fries with lots of salt and a little thyme sprinkled over, and a salad of baby arugula in a basic oil and vinegar dressing. My sandwich was perfect, the Fontina cheese was just melted enough and the bread was crispy-chewy. The Croque Monsieur had a slice of Bayonne ham and the perfect amount of a mildly lemony béchamel sauce giving it a little tang to cut through the richness of the cheese. Overall it was a great dinner, and with the addition of running into friends, seeing a B list character actor and then going to see Kirsten perform her hysterically funny monologue on dating, it was a perfect night. Now, for a recipe, I would love to include one of theirs, but since that all is copywrited, you can look them up in her book, Nancy Silverton's Sandwich Book or try this:


4 slices of rustic bread,
¼ pound best quality fontina cheese, sliced thick
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large ripe tomato, sliced thin (optional)
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons coarse mustard

Smear all four slices of bread, on one side, with the butter. On two of the slices, on the other side, spread the mustard and then pile on the cheese and tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and top with another slice of the bread, butter side out.

If you have a panini grill, use that, otherwise, heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat, add one sandwich at a time and cook until golden brown (about 3 minutes) , turn and repeat on the other side. Remove from pan, slice on the diagonal and serve.

Additions: Grilled onions, bacon, roasted peppers, blue cheese, chipotles in adobo sauce or béchamel sauce.

Makes two sandwiches
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In 2001 Nancy Silverton, her husband, Chef Mark Peel, (of Campanile) and partner, Manfred Krankl,
sold an 80 percent stake in the La Brea bakery to the Irish company IAWS Group for $68.5 million
–The Business Review

Why did the man stare at the can of orange juice? Because it said 'concentrate.'

12% of the soda sold in the U.S. is consumed for breakfast

I just found out my sister-in-law Maria is pregnant! Congrats to you both! I love you!

I teach the chic and fabulous people of L.A. to cook, which I love to do, but no matter how much fun I am having, it is still work. So when it comes to relaxing, I get together with my incredible friends and have a few drinks, including my favorite: Cocktail Without A Name. (So named mostly because I refuse to call it a Saketini.) Now, before you go thinking I am the sort of girl who doesn’t know enough to use premium liquor, I will just point out that after many trials, I found Stoli works best because it has the most neutral flavor. Make your non-mixed drinks top shelf, but for this, go with the less expensive stuff. Oh, and I know I mentioned this before, but I will say it again…skip the martini glasses. Use a chilled whiskey glass or a double old fashioned; less spillage, and altogether more sophisticated. Cheers!

FOR THE VODKA:
1 750 ml bottle of Stoli vodka
¾ cup fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thin

Pour yourself a shot or two of the vodka (oh come on, you deserve it!), then add the ginger to the bottle. Let steep in the freezer for about a week and up to three months.

FOR THE COCKTAIL:
2 oz. Ginger Vodka
1 oz. Pear Sake
½ cup ice, crushed
Pickled ginger, for garnish

Pour the vodka, sake and ice into a cocktail shaker and give it a shake, (Quickly. You don't want the ice melting and diluting your drink, do you?) then strain into a glass, garnish with a little pickled ginger on a cocktail pick and serve. Makes one drink. Repeat as needed.

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For more information on Sake, visit True Sake

“The 2005 Dietary Guidelines translate into 2,000 calories for women (age 31 to 50) and 2,400
calories for men (same age group). The guidelines are designed to make sure you get all your
nutrients from food, not supplements. To spread the word, officials will roll out a new symbol
based on the guidelines to replace the Food Guide Pyramid, which despite its popularity was
widely ignored.” SF Chronicle

Queen Elizabeth I of England is credited with the invention of the gingerbread man.
(Of COURSE she did!)

Tiffany posted a comment I made to her on her site Breakfast at Tiffany's (which Colin
thought was a diet blog at first. Tee hee.) What my old friend neglected to mention was
that I think that if that were true it would have triggered the apocalypse.

Labels: Drink of the Week

The weather outside (75 all week) has me wanting to have something light to eat, but the calendar keeps reminding me it's still the dead of winter. Since the produce in the market reflects the date and not the temperature, I have to find things to eat that are a nice balance of the two. Last night (after a harrowing day of not being able to use my car. I managed to leave the lights on the night before. Again. AAA no longer finds this amusing. Luckily my dear friend Steve came to my rescue. My hero.) I found a happy medium in the tried and true quesadilla. I know it’s not the most brilliant recipe ever, but it is simple comfort food and open to interpretation, which I like. Add some leftover chicken or pork if you like. Leave out the beans or add some corn. Change the peppers to Chipotle. It’s all good and all delicious. As always, the most important thing is to use the highest quality ingredients you can find. Queso Blanco, for instance, a fresh Mexican cheese, melts perfectly without becoming too gooey. If you can find it, it in your area, do, you will be a convert. Enjoy!


6 flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Queso Fresco (Available locally at Jons Market and Whole Foods)
1/2 cup cooked black beans (I like Sun-Vista Brand ), drained
½ cup chopped cilantro (optional)
1 roasted red bell pepper, minced
2 pickled jalapeno peppers, minced
1 tablespoon dried epazote or Mexican oregano

Serve with Salsa Fresca

Preheat large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Divide the cheese, beans, cilantro (if using), peppers and a little of the epazote between six of the tortillas, then fold in half. Place a tortilla on the dry skillet and warm until cheese is melted and tortilla is slightly golden, about three minutes. Carefully turn over and cook other side until golden, about one minute. Cut into wedges and serve. Repeat with remaining quesadillas.
Makes six.

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The chairman and chief executive of Krispy Kreme, Scott A. Livengood, retired
as part of a management shakeup as the doughnut maker struggles to avoid
bankruptcy in the face of falling sales and a Federal inquiry into its accounting.
The company also disclosed today that sales at its stores continue to drop sharply,
and that it is considering closing some outlets. For the eight weeks ending Dec. 26,
the average weekly sales per factory store dropped 25 percent over the same weeks
a year before, the company said. –New York Times

I'm super sad to report Earth Friendly Products Ultra Dishmate, Liquid
Dishwashing Cleaner, (Natural Almond scent) just doesn't work. Sorry!

With the made-for-television weather and a holiday on Monday, I managed to see a lot of friends and eat some delicious food over the last four days. I ate Thai food, Mexican food, Ethiopian, Jewish Deli, California Vegetarian (and by that I mean I had the tofu scramble at Rita Flora Kitchen), Japanese and Italian. It made me realize - yet again - how great it is to live in LA and have access to pretty much any and all cuisines there are to sample. There is even great South American food to be had if you are willing to look for it. For my last Chilean recipe entry, I thought I would share Empanadas. A basic turnover, typically filled with cheese or beef it is popular as a street food and in homes and can be baked or fried. As a strange turn of events, I found I liked baked better. Here is a recipe I got from a chef in Santiago who (thankfully) spoke perfect English and knew how to convert. This is normally served as an appetizer with a hot chili sauce. Enjoy!

2 onions, chopped fine
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 ½ cups best quality canned tuna in oil (I know it sounds funky, but it's really tasty)
Salt, dried oregano and pepper to taste
2 eggs, separated

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook the onion in some of the oil from the tuna, until translucent. Lower the heat, then drain the tuna and add it along with the paprika, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper to heat through. Remove from heat and let cool. Drain off any excess liquid. When cool to the touch, add two egg yolks and one white, reserving the other egg white for glazing the dough.

For the dough:

4 1/2 cups sifted white flour
2 teaspoons table salt
1 cup vegetable shortening or butter
2 egga
2/3 cups ice water (seriously, make sure it has ice in it)
2 tablespoons white vinegar

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, water and vinegar.

In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Stir to combine. Add the shortening (or butter) and blend with a fork or pastry blender until it seems like coarse meal (what is commonly called a peas and cornmeal appearance).

Add the egg mixture to the flour and stir to combine.

Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead a few times. Gather into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour.

To use, roll out the dough on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness, cut out 5-inch circles. and fill.

To Compose:

Put about 1-2 tablespoons worth of your filling on the lower half of the circle, wet the upper rim with water, fold over to create a half moon, then using the tines of a fork, crimp the edges shut. Using a small knife, make three small vents in the top to allow steam to release. Place on a parchement paper lined baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes at 375 F or until golden brown.

Makes about 30 empanadas. They can be frozen up to 2 months.

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The picture below (is totally copy writed) was taken by Alan Griffiths, who is a (wonderful man) friend of the family that traveled with us to Chile. I included his shot of the shrimp salad we had at the Manso de Velasco winery not only because it is just so beautiful, but also because, well, I’m just green with envy over how great it came out! (Then again, he IS a professional) I am always in awe of beautiful photography. I hope you will visit his site and see more of his gorgeous work,(and of course buy some, its very reasonably priced!) it is incredible.

Photo By Alan Griffiths

One afternoon while we were staying in the town of Puerto Varas in Southern Chile, we took a ride through the lake dotted country-side, past salmon farms and an active volcano, until we came upon the home of a woman who had agreed to make us a typical rural Chilean lunch. It was incredible. They first served us and chicha, an extremely strong home-made fermented grape drink that looks like apple cider and tastes, honestly, like dirt. (Colin points out that Chicha resembles a British drink called “scrumpy.” Since I’ve never had that, I can’t say, but he thinks it is useful to explain the beverage, and he is sounded so cute saying scrumpy, how can I resist) Then we had the most delicious CAZUELA DE AVE, (chicken soup,) made from her own (free range) chickens, that was fantastically yellow and as heady and delicious as you could hope for on a chilly afternoon. The potatoes in the soup had come from our hostesses own garden, and the final course, a spit roasted lamb, had also come from her land. To roast the lamb, they used no seasoning, just the smoke of the fire. It was tender and succulent and an amazing treat. Here is her recipe for the soup. It is very basic and simple, since the only ingredients were things from her farm. Try it and enjoy.

2 free range Chickens cut into leg, thigh, breast and wing pieces, skin on
2 quarts chicken broth (or, in the case of the original recipe, glacier water)
1 Tablespoon salt
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 Tablespoon cumin
6 medium (Burbank or Idaho) potatoes, peeled and quartered, then boiled in salted water
2 Jalapeno chiles, chopped (they don’t use jalapenos in Chile, but since we cannot get the peppers they do use, this will work)

In a large pot, combine everything but the potatoes and allow to simmer for 2 hours or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat for about 15 minutes to allow the fat to rise to the top, skim it off as best you can. Add the potatoes to the soup and return to the heat to cook until they are heated through. Adjust the salt and pepper to your taste, then serve with hot sauce.

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Some of the amazing places we visited were the Hotel Peulla
in the Perez Rosales National Park

The Kenton Palace Hotel in Bariloche, Argentina

And Del Lagos Cabanas in Porto Varas, Chile.

Each and every one of the places we visited took my breath away.
The people are so kind, the scenery beyond compare, and the dollar
is still strong there. I highly recommend visiting if you ever get a chance.

Labels: Chicken, Soup

CAZUELA DE AVE 

Labels: Chicken, Soup

There is a traditional Chilean dish named pastel de choclo which is a corn and meat pie. While I did not get to sample that in its entirety, I did sample the corn part at our friends Jose and Anita's home, and would love to share the recipe. It was so delicious as a side dish served with roast beef and pork loin. Since the seasons are opposite in South America (it is the middle of summer there…my tan is outrageous.) this dish would be best served in July when corn is fresh, but frozen works just as well.

2 large brown onions, minced
3 tablespoons corn oil
3 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
½ cup whole milk
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
finely minced basil leaves

In sauté pan over medium high heat, cook the onion in the corn oil until soft and slightly browned. In a blender or food processor puree the onion and corn with the milk and cumin until smooth. Add salt and pepper and serve with basil.


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During my trip to Barriloche in the Patagonia region of Argentina, we stayed at
the incredible Llao Llao Hotel, where my grandparents had stayed some 36 years prior.

We had a fantastic luncheon of local foods, including wild boar, venison prosciutto,
locally caught and cured salmon and trout (the area has hundreds of lakes and the
fish is incredible) smoked cheese and smoked trout mousse. The other pictures are a
Mediterranean Salad, Patagonian Lamb on Crispy Mushrooms with Buchon Potato
and Thyme and Bean Sauce (Cordero Patagonica en crocante de champignones a la
Provezal, con papas bouchon en salsa de tomillos y habas) and an delicious mixed
berry mousse.

Lunch at Llao Llao Resort in Barriloche, Argentina

I cannot believe I am already back! My trip to Chile and Argentina was amazing. We traveled for 15 days with friends and family seeing incredible sites (From Santiago, Chile to Barre Loche, Argentina we saw rain forests and glaciers, mountains and valleys, lakes and streams, plus all of my family I rarely see. A fantastic treat.) While the focus for the group I was with was not necessarily food, (they were more into the bird watching) for me, it was. I got a few great recipes while I was there and took some pictures that I will share over the next few days. I will start with Picso sours, as all meals and visits to friends houses in Chile do. Pisco Sour is a mixed drink made with a brandy distilled from white grapes. While the Peruvians claim it is from there, the Chileans heartily disagree. It is very strong and very tasty, try and enjoy!


In a blender combine:
8 ounces Picso
The juice of one lime and one lemon
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 egg whites
2 cups ice

Blend all and serve in champagne flutes.

Makes four drinks

Labels: Drink of the Week

Hello from Lago Llanquihue Chile. This is a small German town on a large lake. It is hard for me to type because this seems to be a German keyboard and the letters are all different. Ha ha ha. Plus I cannot use exclamation points to describe what an amazing country this is. The food here is incredible, lots of fresh fish, including what they call conger eel, but apparently, is not, and the ubiquitous avocado and hearts of palm, a Chilean favourite. Since I hurt my foot yesterday I was unable to go on the rainforest hike with everyone else, instead I am indulging in Cuba Libras by the pool. Ah South America, so civilized. Here is my incredibly silly recipe for Chilean ensalade pep

1 large avocado, sliced and peeled
6 large asparagus, cooked well, then chilled
1 cup sliced hearts of palm
Juice of one large lime

Combine all and enjoy with a pisco sour.

I will be home on the 12th and look forward to posting much more from a more North American friendly computer. Until then, enjoy.