Hummus in Chile made easy (well, easier) and Pho

I make hummus a lot wherever I am because in my book you can't go wrong with lots of olive oil, garbanzos and garlic, but here in Chile it's much more of a process because you have to soak and cook the garbanzo beans before you even start. I'm so used to soaking and cooking beans that that part doesn't doesn't bother me, but not having a food processor for after I cook the beans is a bit frustrating.

I've often gone to town with my pot and "masher" (a.k.a. glass cup) for over an hour trying to turn those darn beans into a smooth paste, but the finished product is never what I'm hoping for. I have a blender, but it can't handle too many solids so it's been useless so far. But on Sunday, I finally did it!

I always buy garbanzos without the skin and this Sunday at la Vega was no different. What was new was that they only had the really small beans without skin which seem to be the answer. I also put them into the blender immediately after they were done so they were really hot. Then, I added all of the other ingredients and was finished in under 10 minutes which beats my previous "making hummus in Chile" record by a ton.

Italo has become a master pita chip maker so we had a delicious Sunday night snack with a bottle of Concha y Toro Riberas Camenere (not as good as the Syrah or the Cabernet Sauvignon in my opinion) and scrabble.

Earlier that day, I made Vietnamese Pho from what I think is the perfect recipe because it's so easy to follow and delicious. It turned out a lot better than my first attempt a few months ago because I bought more beef bones for the stock and did a better job cutting off the fat before I cooked them. What's so wonderful about being in Chile and making pho is that churrasco is a cheaper, easier to find and still yummy alternative to flank steak and the spices and sauces that go in it will last me forever.

All in all, I had a very successful Sunday cooking which is my all time favorite way to spend a day of rest at home with my man. My next cooking adventure will be trying this ridiculously delicious sounding stew recipe my mom gave me that involves soaking a pork shoulder in 2 bottles of red wine and TWENTY cloves of garlic over night.

"Chilean" Craving?

Today for lunch I didn't feel like cooking because I've been sick in bed all day, but I was pretty hungry and craving what is to me a really Chilean lunch even though I'm not sure it qualifies as a plato (dish). When I mentioned it to Italo, his jaw practically fell to the floor since I almost always insist on 1 of 2 things: picking up takeout or going to la vega and cooking some elaborate meal. So when I suggested something easy and inexspensive, it was surprising.

What was it you ask? 20-minute white rice, a tomato, and one of those frozen hamburgers from the grocery store although I would have been happy with any meat. What makes it so Chilean to me is that it was arranged on my plate so that the tomato juice dripped onto my rice making it kind of a soupy concoction and I ate it all with a dollop of MAYONNAISE!

One thing I love about a meal like that is that it's so filling and inexpensive, but what I have always complained about in the past is the fact that a "meal" that is a very common lunch special or menu at countless restaurants here is (to me) something you make in college when you're too broke to go to the grocery store so you throw together whatever's left. Granted, I'll never consider it a culinary treat, I will admit that I overreacted a little bit and that it leaves me totally happy and satisfecha (full)...sometimes.

My question is what are other people's not-so-Chilean Chilean cravings? Rice, tomatoes and meat are certainly not what I think about when I think of Chilean cuisine. Instead, I think of cazuela, pastel de choclo and machas a la parmesana, but perhaps it's the combination and the memories of eating it with my host mom while I was studying abroad here (think the Clos commercials in the metro when he remembers la despedida de su hijo) that instantly remind me of Chile.

New Style

*I'm ignoring the hiatus from the blog world to write this as if that didn't happen

I've decided that I'm only going to write about food and alcohol and any establishment associated with the two. My favorite thing to do in Chile is find a new anything: new pikada, new wine store, new restaurant or my new favorite fruit and veggie stand. Anyone who knows me knows that I love good food and good wine and will go to great lengths to have it.

Unfortunately, I'm so in love with my neighborhood that it's really hard to get me to leave it. There are tons of restaurants I want to try or have tried and loved, but I haven't and won't go to them anymore because it means taking a taxi or the metro. To remedy this problem, last Thursday my boyfriend suggested we just head out on foot and eat at the first place that looked good--such a good idea and an excellent attempt to deal with my being picky since we could stay close to home and walk around my favorite place in Santiago.

So, we headed towards the patronato/bellavista area looking for a hidden gem. I started to lose hope quickly as we passed empty restaurant after empty restaurant. I wanted to head back and just get a pizza and a great bottle of wine, but Italo was determined to find a great new place.

As we got closer to bellavista, we started dreaming of yummy peruvian food which was when we noticed the El Otro Sito sign. We checked out the menu and everything looked as amazing as everyone's described it, but it wasn't a night to shell out 10.000 clp an entree and then worry about the wine so out of starvation we opted for the meat restaurant next door called Vaquita Sabrosa.

Walking up the stairs, I sort of regretted our snap decision to eat there because there were noticeable stains on the floor and all of the chairs. And when I tried the complementary cheese empanada that came in the bread basket, I almost had to spit it out because it had an unidentified gritty substance all over it. Clearly, they had been sitting out for hours because they were cold and stale.

To save the moment, we rushed to order a familiar bottle of Santa Ema Cabernet Savignon and checked out the menu. Granted, a lot of items on the menu were cheaper than at restaurants like Las Vacas Gordass, what we ended up getting was just about the same price--beef medallions wrapped with bacon for 4990 clp a plate. To go with it, two orders of french fries and a house salad (yup, we're chanchos).

Our food came quickly and it looked a lot better than I thought it would after the empanadas. The french fries were delicious! They were nice and crispy which is hard to find I think. The meat was just as good as other more famous meat restaurants, but I wasn't blown away by it. Bacon can mask a lot of things and make anything taste delicious, but I still think it could have been better. And the salad we ordered was a joke. The vegetables looked and tasted like they had been sitting out all day so I was really disappointed since I love a great salad.

We finished up and had those ridiculous bajativos (they were served with kids' straws!!) and paid the 22.000 clp we owed. We had 2 main dishes, 3 sides and a bottle of wine so that's not too bad, but it's a little steep considering it's ust an OK restaurant.

All in all, I'll never go back there. There's another meat restaurant nearby that's really touristy, but has great salads, free and delicious empanadas and a much better wine list (I think it's called Los Socios) so I'd definitely opt for that and take the clean seats as a bonus :)

I love Chile right now...

because a lazy Sunday in bed after waking up before 7am Monday-Saturday is not only acceptable, it's expected of you. And I am living it up in my new sheets, pillows and comforter while I wait for my homemade bacon, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich (thanks to my man). And then I'm going to drag myself out of bed and go for a jog, but it doesn't matter because my classes are all prepared for tomorrow and I have nothing that needs to be done today. Happy Sunday!

Far

I am counting down the days until the new Regina Spektor CD comes out on June 23rd. At least once a day, I watch the 3 new music videos she posted and listen to the 2 other song without videos, but most days I listen to all of the songs way more than once (just ask Italo!). It makes my ears happy and my day that much better. I don't have a favorite song from the new ones, but I do really love the video for Dance Anthem of the 80s. It's a Regina-ized version of an excellent and iconic 80s movie scene (Say Anything, anyone?)

.Dance Anthem of the 80s





Only 17 days left :)

Bad Belmont Lights

So, I´ve been smoking a little bit for the past few weeks and I need to stop. It started with all of the stress of moving and then didn´t stop there.

I´ve never been a heavy smoker, but I smoked for almost a year in high school and quit. Then, I switched to stress and social smoking in college. I´d sit with one of my roommates and smoke one cigarette after another over coffee during exam time. I´d also always smoke a cigarette or two or three or four or five on a night out with friends.

Then, I was never worried about it because I was stupid. But also because it would often be after a long day of hiking or snowboarding or doing something active and it was always isolated to a few days out of the month. I never felt the effects of it. Now, I´m living in smog city and not getting the amount of exercise I used to and it makes me feel disgusting.

Simple solution? STOP SMOKING!!!

But it´s not quite that simple for me because I´m weak under peer pressure. We´re going to my suegra´s house tonight where smoking never hurt anyone and going to the gym doesn´t exist. If there´s alcohol involved in our San Jueves (Saint Thursday--their name for a night of drinking, cards, and smoking) that means double the nicotine inhaled and double the number of times I´ll have to say no because boy are they all generous with their smokes. It´s a constant test of my will power. At least my mom will be here on Tuesday which will give me the perfect excuse to stop again because everyone except Italo pretends they don´t smoke when my mom´s here so they´ll be inhaling cigarettes when she´s not around which means I most likely won´t be around either.

OK, now why am I posting this? Because I´m going to report back here after my weekend and if I have an audience, I think my results will be better. So, I promise to be honest and if I smoke, please feel free to chew me out. Once I´m over this few day hump, I´ll be fine.

no phone, no internet, and no tv....

make Isabel a dull girl.

Don´t worry, I´m not about to chase Italo into the bathroom with a knife or anything, but I am going a little crazy feeling totally disconnected from everything and everyone. And it also explains why I haven´t posted in forever.

Our new building only allows VTR (our previous provider)to install cable and internet, but no phone so we have to use Telefonica. And let me just say that I hate telefonica after this. We called and they said that because of our comuna, it will take 14 days to come and install everything. That is absolutely absurd, but the bastards know we can´t do anything so they CAN take their sweet ass time heading over to install everything. When we called VTR, they were there within a few hours. Then, we called them again to come install cable and they were there first thing the next day. It may be a fluke, but I love VTR.

The no TV thing is fine, but the no internet and phone thing is killing me because I feel totally cut off from my family and since I don´t like talking on skype in internet cafes where everyone is listening, I´m a lonely girl in my new apartment when Italo´s gone.

The good news is that I absolutely love my new place and my new barrio. It makes me happy to walk down my street to run errands and my favorite restaurants are all
within walking distance. Hell, I could shout my order from my apartment to my favorite sushi place.

Also, my mom and her friend are coming next week and I cannot wait. I am so excited to show my mom´s friend around because she´s never been here. This will be my mom´s fourth time in Chile so she feels like a pro, but I have a bunch of new places to take them both. I just wish my father and my sister were coming, too. Maybe they can take a trip together later in the year (hint, hint!!).

Anyway, I´ll keep reading everyone´s posts, but my blog will stay dull for a while. I need the time to sit down and explain my moving fiasco, but I promise thatit´s coming.