Check out these leaves!

Over the many months I told people I was moving to Chile, one of the first comments I’d get was: “Oh, I bet the food is so good!” I thought the same thing, but it’s taken time for Ryan and I to get used to the dishes and delicacies down here (the grocery store has no fewer than 20 varieties of hot dogs). One of my favorites was a tuna appetizer that was served suspiciously in the shape of a can with some cheese cubes pressed in and a drizzling of salsa-esque sauce. I was starving, so I ate it. I regretted it.

Since then, Ryan and I have come up with our stock answer for those enthusiastic foodies we encounter back home: “Have you ever been to a Chilean food restaurant?” Peruvian, yes. Argentine, yes. Brazilian, yes. But Chilean? The answer has been the same one hundred percent of the time. To compensate, we have Pizza Hut on our speed dial and our favorite restaurants in town, Tiramisu and La Mar, are Italian and Peruvian respectively. But I’m determined to unearth the amazing flavors this country has to offer and recent exposure to Chicken Cazuela, a rich stove-top stew comprised of halved chicken breasts, ears of corn, sweet and white potato, white rice, spinach, and a divine broth, has me convinced my mission has already met success. 

But back to the spinach for a second. I may sound like a Bay Area food snob when I say how much I’m already missing (in addition to so many great friends) fresh baby spinach and hummus and Kashi cereals (key ingredients in a large number of my meals back home), but I’m determined to not only get my head around Chilean cuisine, but also benefit form being forced to make some of my old favorites (if only it were that easy to find canned garbanzo beans!). So I went to the store and bought some spinach (above) and I feel like I’ve traveled back in time, at least as far back as pre-pesticide-revolution and perhaps back much farther. To say these leaves look mature is an understatement. They are thick as construction paper with dense, stringy stalks, and I feel like they have stories to tell of their journey from soil to cutting board. But fortunately that thickness (thanks to an inspired recipe from my aunt-in-law) will make them optimal for Spinach Chips! All you have to do is:

• wash and dry
• drizzle with olive oil, salt, and peper
• bake at 400 degrees (that’s 205 degrees Celsius for anyone here in Chile)
• 13-15 minutes or until crispy!

Can’t wait to try these. All Californian and Chilean recipes welcome!