It is no surprise to me that Pablo Neruda wrote a beautiful poem to the Caldillo de Congrio. It is comforting, delicious and nutricious. So you all know I am on my Chile kick - having just returned last week...Caldillo de Congrio is an eel soup, don't get grossed out...once you taste it, you will dream of it forever. I tasted it at the Kaleluche Restaurant in Playa el Caleluche. The place was built by hand by its owners. It is super kitchy. There are glass bottles encrusted into the walls like jewels. The ceiling is decorated by hand painted starfish and shells. And the place is lined by windows just as you would be inside a beautiful boat.

If you ever get to go, make sure to ask for a bit of Pebre, it will enhance the deliciousness (is that a word?) of the soup.

Before I post the recipe for this amazing dish, here is the poem that will imortalize the soup.

Pablo Neruda - Ode to the Conger Soup

 In the storm-tossed
Chilean
sea
lives the rosy conger,
giant eel
of snowy flesh.
And in Chilean
stewpots,
along the coast,
was born the chowder,
thick and succulent,
a boon to man.
You bring the Conger, skinned,
to the kitchen
(its mottled skin slips off
like a glove,
leaving the
grape of the sea
exposed to the world),
naked,
the tender eel
glistens,
prepared
to serve our appetites.
Now
you take
garlic,
first, caress
that precious
ivory,
smell
its irate fragrance,
then
blend the minced garlic
with onion
and tomato
until the onion
is the color of gold.
Meanwhile
steam
our regal
ocean prawns,
and when
they are
tender,
when the savor is
set in a sauce
combining the liquors
of the ocean
and the clear water
released from the light of the onion,
then
you add the eel
that it may be immersed in glory,
that it may steep in the oils
of the pot,
shrink and be saturated.
Now all that remains is to
drop a dollop of cream
into the concoction,
a heavy rose,
then slowly
deliver
the treasure to the flame,
until in the chowder
are warmed
the essences of Chile,
and to the table
come, newly wed
the savors
of land and sea,
that in this dish
you may know heaven.

Ok  so I know the poem is a recipe, but just in case you need specs you can try this one:

    2 Tablespoons olive oil
    6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
    2 large onions, peeled and chopped
    1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped finely
    4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped, juices reserved (canned tomatoes are fine)
    1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
    1 pound eel, skinned, or other fish fillets
    1 pound potatoes, diced and cooked til tender in fish stock (optional)
    1 cup seafood stock
    1 cup heavy cream
    salt and pepper to taste

Garnish: finely chopped parsley or scallions or pebre sauce.

Heat the oil in a large pot and stir in garlic, onions, and jalapeno pepper and sauté until soft. Add the tomato pieces and cook down over medium heat, about 8 minutes. Toss in the eel and the shrimp, covering and steaming for about 2 minutes. Remove cover and let stew gently for 5 more minutes, until the eel is just done and a little shrunk. Pour in the reserved tomato juice and stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the cooked potatoes, if you decide to use them, and return to a simmer. Stir in cream. When the chowder is simmering, it is ready to serve. Fork the eel off the bone into the soup, discarding the bone. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with minced parsley or scallion.

Enjoy - of course it is much better if you have it in on the beach in Chile.

So I just got back from Chile, and as mentioned in my previous blog, Chilean food is delicious. Christian, our host at Vina Santa Carolina took us to an amazing Empanada joint at the beach near Vina Del Mar. It is called las Deliciosas, and it is a perfect name for the place. We stuffed ourselves with empanadas and then headed out to Renaca - an amazing beach with sick sick waves.

They make nothing but empanadas, beef & onion, seafood, cheese, shrimp & cheese, mushroom, fruits de mer, and the list goes on.

Here is a recipe for Chilean Beef empanadas that comes out delicious:
 
MEAT FILLING
  2 1/2 lb Round steak or boneless rump roast
      1    Garlic clove
      1    Onion stuck with 3 cloves
      1    Carrot, peeled, cut into pieces
    1/2 c  Sherry
  1 1/2 c  Black raisins
      3 tb Olive oil
      1    Onion, minced
      3 ts Oregano
      3 ts Cumin seed, crushed
      2 tb Ground chile powder
      1 ts Salt
      1 c  Sliced black olives, or
    1/2 c  Sliced stuffed green olives

PASTRY
    1/4 c  Vegetable shortening
      2 tb Butter
      3 c  All-purpose flour
    1/2 c  + 1 tb water
      1 ts Salt
  2 1/2 c  Canola oil for frying
 
 Make the filling a day ahead and chill in refrigerator.
  
Cut meat into 6 pieces, place in a pot and cover with cold  water. Add garlic, onion and carrot. Simmer on low heat for 2 hours.  When the meat is tender, turn off heat and let it cool in the broth until warm to the
touch. Put the broth aside for later.
  
Chop meat finely. I am lazy, so I use a food processor for this.
  
Warm the sherry in a small saucepan; add the raisins and let steep.
  
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet; add the onion and saute until softened. Stir in the oregano and crushed cumin and saute for 1 minute. Stir in the chopped beef, ground chile and salt. Cook for 15 minutes, adding enough of the reserved broth so that it is moist.
  
Remove mixture from the heat, and stir in the plumped raisins and olives. Refrigerate overnight, or up to 3 days (I find that the longer they age, the better the flavor of the empanadas)
  
The pastry: Using a large fork or pastry blender, cut the shortening and butter into the flour until it crumbles. Stir the salt into the water. Drizzle water slowly over the flour mixture, adding just enough to make a soft pliable dough. Knead gently a floured board for 1 minute. Break off a small piece of dough (keeping the remaining dough covered with plastic wrap) and roll into a 6-inch circle. Place 1/2 cup meat mixture on half of the circle. Fold over the top half, pinching over the edges; press with a fork to seal. It is important to seal  the edges well so the filling doesn't leak out during frying.
  
Heat the canola oil in a 2-inch deep skillet. When the oil is hot enough it will ripple. Ease in 1 empanada and spoon hot oil over the surface. After 1 1/2 minutes, turn the empanada. Total cooking time for each empanada is about 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove and drain on several thicknesses.of paper towel, blotting the surface with more paper towels. Sprinkle empanadas lightly with sugar while still warm.
  
If you plan to serve the empanadas later, cool, cover, and refrigerate. To reheat, place on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree F. oven for 10 minutes.
  

Makes about 12 empanadas