Chef Diego Garcia let the tuna speak for itself at the Veramonte Winery in Casablanca, Chile
By: Pat Tanner
Last fall, I toured Chile’s beautiful wine country, during which time I fell in love not only with the wines Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon in particular but with the breathtaking Andes, the food, the people, and the warm hospitality.
Chilean dishes characteristically consist of just a few pristinely fresh ingredients, simply handled. Outdoor barbecues are a way of life and often feature pit-roasted lamb, beef, pork or even whole suckling pig. Ubiquitous accompaniments include pebre (Chile’s version of salsa) and fresh salads, especially Chilean versions of Russian salad with diced carrots, green beans, corn, avocados, tomatoes and other vegetables in a light mayonnaise. Few dishes are spicy hot.
Meals often begin and end with Pisco Sours. Pisco, a kind of grappa or brandy, is the prized liquor of Chile and Peru.
With 1,240 miles of Pacific coastline, Chile is home to some of the best seafood in the world, such as the tuna from the cold waters off Rapa Nui (Easter Island) that I enjoyed as a tartare at Veramonte Winery in Casablanca.
Chef Diego Garcia let the tuna speak for itself, deftly adding only a delicate marinade, the crunch of sesame seeds, and tender baby greens. It so happened that a few days before my departure to Chile, the folks at Mediterra restaurant in Princeton mounted a Chilean wine dinner, which featured the wines of Santa Ema, olive oil from Olave and the poetry of Pablo Neruda.
Among the passed hors d’oeuvres were tasty meatballs in sofrito made with local pasture-raised pork, which I later served as a main course along with white rice to soak up the sauce and a Russian salad to round out the meal, Chilean-style.
TUNA TARTARE
WITH TOMATO-GINGER SALSA
Inspired by Diego Garcia,
Executive Chef, Veramonte Winery
Note: Uncooked seafood is not advised for children, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems. Buy sushi-grade tuna only, from a fishmonger you trust, keep it refrigerated, and serve it within hours of purchase.
For the salsa:
1 large tomato or 2 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (best quality)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound sushi-grade tuna, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
1 cup mache greens
4 thin, oblong sesame crackers, optional
- Make the salsa. Combine the tomato, ginger and vinegar in a bowl. Stir in the olive oil; add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Mix the tuna with the olive oil and shallot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve, divide the salsa among 4 salad plates. Top each with the tuna mixture, and top the tuna with the mache. Place 1 cracker on each plate, if using.
Serves 4 as a first course.
PORK ALBONDIGAS
IN SOFRITO
(Pork Meatballs)
Gabrielle Grigolon & Larry Robinson,
Co-executive chefs, Mediterra restaurant
The base for the saffron-tomato sauce is a typical Chilean sofrito, made with onion, sweet red pepper and garlic.
For the sauce:
1½ tablespoons olive oil
½ medium Spanish onion, chopped
½ medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 saffron threads
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
2/3 cup (about 5 ounces) canned tomatoes, diced
1 cup chicken broth
For the meatballs:
1½ cups 1/2-inch bread cubes, made from day-old bread, crusts removed
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) milk
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 tablespoons grated Grana Padano cheese
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 egg
1½ pounds ground pork, preferably pasture-raised
Flour for dusting
Olive oil for frying
1. Make the sauce: Heat oil in a skillet and sauté the onion, pepper and garlic over medium heat until softened. Add saffron and oregano and cook 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, reduce heat to a low simmer, and cook until the liquid has evaporated. (This can take up to 1 hour.) Add the chicken broth and bring back to a simmer. Simmer until liquid has reduced by half. Set the sauce aside.
2. Make the meatballs: Soak bread cubes in milk for 1 hour, pressing bread down into milk. Combine all the meatball ingredients except ground pork. Mix with hands until ingredients are thoroughly incorporated and mixture is smooth. Add ground pork and mix gently until incorporated. Form meatballs by scooping out ¼ cup of the mixture at a time.
3. Cook meatballs: Heat 1-inch of olive oil in a large skillet until hot but not smoking. Roll meatballs in flour, shaking off excess, and fry, turning once, until browned. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
4. Add meatballs to sauce and return to a low simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, covered, or until meatballs are cooked through.
Makes about 15 meatballs.
Pat Tanner can be heard each Saturday morning on "Dining Today with Pat Tanner" on MoneyTalk AM 1350 and over www.moneytalk1350.com from 9 to 10 a.m.