Santiago Times

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" A TASTE OF CHILE’S TRADITION

Friday, 19 August 2005

An Empanada Special (August 19, 2005) Juicy and rich, Chilean empanadas are absolutely scrumptious. Their delightful taste and great value make them the most common traditional Chilean food. Just about everyone in Chile enjoys a good empanada as a meal or snack at any time of day.
Empanadas are wheat-flour-based pastries (baked or fried), stuffed with a variety of fillings. The name originates from the verb “empanar” (to wrap) and the adjective “empanada,” which means “wrapped with bread.” They were originally served as a filling meal for working people, often made with leftovers. The original and most commonly eaten empanada remains the oven-baked empanada de pino. The “pino” filling is made with ground beef spiced with cumin, onions, a boiled egg, olives and raisins. Nowadays there are many different and more adventurous flavors to suit all tastes, including fried empanadas with cheese or prawns, and baked chicken or
shellfish empanadas. There is also an increasing selection of baked vegetarian delights, such as the spinach empanada.
With September 18 (Chile’s Independence Day and also the day with the most empanada feasts) fast approaching, this empanada special will prepare you with a guide to some great empanada places to check out over the next month. It includes reviews of three different empanada restaurants in Santiago and a traditional recipe to try at home that will make your mouth water.

“EL PEPERONE”

Dining in El Peperone is like watching the French film “Amelie” with Johnny Depp (or your own choice of yummy individual) on a cozy winter’s night. Hidden amongst the Chinese restaurants of the Barrio Brasil, this cute empanada café can be found on Huérfanos, just off Plaza Brasil.
Sitting at one of its unique little tables (the tables and chairs are a variety of old sewing-machine tables and antique stools), you’re surrounded by odd ornaments and charming trinkets hanging from the ceilings. With jazz or French chansons playing in the background, atmospheric candlelight, and an impressive collection of old photos and cutouts of artists and writers on the walls, it’s like being in a very creative friend’s living room. Everything is specifically designed and placed, up to the hand-painted and collaged menus.
Its relaxed and intimate mood makes El Peperone a great place to take that special date, although it’s also the kind of place where you wouldn’t feel inappropriate sitting in a dim corner munching and reading a novel.
The food is fabulous, and just as imaginative as the décor. With a great selection of savory and sweet delights, you can keep going back to try something new. There is choice of seven or eight different empanadas in each group – meat, vegetables and seafood. All have succulent fillings, and are made fresh with handmade pastry.
Being a shellfish fanatic, I suggest “La Pescaron Verde” (salmon, spinach, cheese) the Jaivona” (crab), or the “Parmesana” (razor clams and cheese) But there are tons of other meat and veggie choices, including the “Vegetariana,” packed with a variety of greens and beef and chicken empanadas combined with a wide choice of vegetables. They also have a good selection of bottled beers and fresh juices to accompany your meal.
At a minimum charge of $2,000 (US$3.70) pesos per person and $1,200 (US$2.20) pesos for an empanada, it’s a little pricier than your usual empanada place, but El Peperone is no usual empanada place. The fusion of classical and contemporary ambience and the delicious culinary delights make a visit to El Peperone a thoroughly lovely and enjoyable experience.

“El Peperone”
Barrio Brasil
Mon. – Sat. 6pm – midnight"