Flaherty Wines

I’ve always enjoyed cooking (I was the designated salad chef in the family from about 12 on), but I never really had much motivation to pursue it seriously. After graduating from college, I moved to Sonoma County, California—a food lover’s paradise. It was so easy to, say, stop off at the local pasta shop on the way home from work, picking up fresh pasta and a gourmet sauce to throw together for an easy meal. Weekends were frequently dedicated to sampling the local restaurants, ranging from the lowly (but scrumptious) taco truck to the haughtiest of haute cuisine. Why cook?

Moving to Chile changed all that. My biggest initial hurdle was that I was a vegetarian.  On my first outing to a restaurant I ordered a celery and avocado salad, envisioning a bed of greens with a variety of toppings among which were featured celery and avocado. What arrived at the table was a plate of celery strips topped with half an avocado, served with lemon, vegetable oil, and salt on the side for dressing. Not much of a lunch. On my second trip to a restaurant, I ordered an ensalada chilena, thinking the national salad must surely be more elaborate than my previous selection. As it turns out, ensalada chilena is a mix of tomatoes and onions—but that day, my lunch consisted of a plate of onions with a few token chunks of tomato tossed in almost grudgingly. At this rate, I was going to starve.

The second big hurdle was our living arrangements. Our first home was on Concha y Toro’s Fundo Tocornal, located at the juncture of the La Pintana, Puente Alto, and San Bernardo neighborhoods. If you are not familiar with Santiago, suffice it to say that’s a long way from the barrio alto. To complicate things further, we didn’t have a car for the first year, so going out to restaurants was pretty much out of the question. And supermarkets here do not offer the high-quality prepared foods that you find in Sonoma County grocery stores.

What to do? Cook, of course. Chile has incredible fresh produce (and beef and fish, too, but at the time I wasn’t interested in that). So, armed with my trusty copy of The Greens Cookbook, I marched off (well, I took the bus, anyway) to the Sunday street market in San Bernardo. I soon discovered my new favorite pastime.

I have also since learned to appreciate a good ensalada chilena. It makes a wonderful accompaniment to grilled meats, and it’s easy to dress up with a handful of herbs (though traditionally it simply onions and tomatoes). I also prefer red onion, though again, that’s not the norm.

Ensalada Chilena

1 small red onion
2–3 ripe tomatoes
red wine vinegar
olive oil
salt and pepper
chopped basil or cilantro (optional)

Thinly slice the red onion, cover with cold water, and refrigerate for half an hour or more. Roughly slice or chop the tomatoes, add the onions and herbs (if using), and dress with oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper.