Three talented young Chilean chefs each recommend one of their dishes to pair with Marqués de Casa Concha wines. They also tell us about their most recent projects.
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Consuelo Poblete, Restaurant El Abasto (Rancagua)
Carpaccio de Cordero
Consuelo is a food designer and cook who spends her days shining a spotlight on local producers and their culinary heritage through the interesting El Abasto project. Located in an adobe house in the historic center of the city of Rancagua, El Abasto is a restaurant/platform whose gastronomic proposal is defined as “glocal”—local ingredients worked with global techniques. And because they change with the seasons, El Abasto has no fixed menu, but there are ingredients that have become stars of the house, such as quinoa from Paredones, chacolí from Doñihue and lamb from the dry secano region. “We democratize delicious foods by origin and season, with the understanding that eating and drinking are political acts that can transform and strengthen territories, restore the social fabric, and allow us to rediscover our identity,” she explains. She recommends a Lamb Carpaccio as a delicious pairing for the Marques de Casa Concha Cinsault Rosé. “The dish begins with thin slices of secano-bred lamb cured in lime and chacolí vinegar with olive oil from Paredones, pickled almonds from Nancagua, sea salt from Lo Valdivia, and toasted breads baked over coals from Olivar. Both the lamb and the Cinsault are from the dry-farmed secano zone, and I believe they pair perfectly.”
This dish is available as one of El Abasto’s pairing dinners. For more information, see: www.rutadelosabastos.cl
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Antonio Moreno, Forá Bar & Bistro (Santiago)
Sea Bass, Sea Urchin, and Truffle Tartare
Ph: Carolina Vargas para @lt_finde
Antonio was born in La Serena, in northern Chile, but his career as a chef has led him to the far corners of the world. He learned the classic and modern techniques of European cooking in southern France and Spain. In Peru he learned from seasoned chefs with vast experience, and in Chile, among other things, he has commanded the kitchen of the renowned Casa Higueras Restaurant in Valparaíso before opening his own restaurant, Puerto Claro. “I try to maintain a super-simple cuisine, basically starting with good, seasonal products and then trying to bring out an intensity of flavors,” Antonio explains. He is currently in charge of the kitchen at the new cocktail bar and bistro Forà, in Santiago, adding that he offers “Immigrant dishes while maintaining my line of work, adding little tweaks to familiar flavors.” Antonio suggests pairing the Marques de Casa Concha Chardonnay Edición Limitada with a Sea Bass, Sea Urchin, and Truffle Tartare. “Slices of fresh sea bass with notes of citrus (lemon, grapefruit, and orange), green chili, and cilantro over each layer of fish with a strip of raw sea urchin to intensify the flavors of the sea. We finish it with candied lemon zest for a slight sweetness, algae dust, and some olive oil, and optionally, we can add a bit of truffles from Truferos Grau to lend an earthy touch. This is an intense yet simple dish, perfect for pairing with a wine with tremendous structure and richness, elegance and fatty notes combined with the long and vibrant finish in this Chardonnay.”
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Sofía Halabi, Cocina Palestina
7-Spice Lamb Cutlets with Baba Ganoush and Cherry Tomatoes
Sofia is a celebrated Palestinian-Chilean chef who loves to prepare traditional dishes, sharing all of her knowledge and history of her roots. And that’s what she did in the “Craving Palestine” cookbook (2020) in which she was invited to participate and again last year when she was the first Palestinian representative to participate in the Bahía Inglesa International Food Festival. Furthermore, her “Cocina Palestina” web site created in 2019 aims to re-educate the language of Palestinian cuisine (inappropriately referred to as Arabian food) and has led to various projects such as clandestine dinners that she occasionally hosts. On this occasion, she recommends pairing the Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon with 7-Spice Lamb Cutlets with Baba Ganoush and Cherry Tomatoes. “Ideally made with Magallanic lamb marinated for 30 minutes with minced garlic, olive oil, and baharat (7-spice powder made with cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, coriander seeds, cumin, black pepper, and paprika) prior to cooking. Meanwhile, eggplants are roasted over fire and then mixed with tahine (sesame paste), lemon juice, cumin, and salt to make baba ganoush. Finally, the cherry tomatoes are sauteed or grilled with a little olive oil and pomegranate syrup. This is a very well-seasoned dish with sweet, sour, smoky, and fresh notes and designed for the grill—perfect for pairing with this wine, which has a tremendous presence of smoke, firm tannins, and a silky texture.
