Curanto comes from the island of Chiloé in southern Chile, where it is cooked in a pit: stones are heated in a wood fire until they glow, then covered with layers of shellfish, meats, potatoes and potato breads, sealed under giant nalca leaves and sacking, and left to steam for an hour or more. The word comes from Mapudungun and refers to the hot stones. On the islands it is a communal feast, and the method is thousands of years old. Curanto en olla, sometimes called pulmay, is the version made in a large pot on the stove, and it is how most Chilean homes cook it.

The shellfish open and release their juices, which steam the meat and potatoes above them, and the broth that collects at the bottom, the caldo, is served in cups. Ours keeps the essential layers and the little potato cakes called milcaos, simplified for a home kitchen. It is the most generous dish in this chapter, built for a long afternoon and a big table.

Milcaos

Ingredients

• 1 lb (450 g) russet potatoes
• 1 lb (450 g) russet potatoes
• 1/3 cup (40 g) all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons (30 g) lard or vegetable shortening
• 1 teaspoon fine salt

The curanto

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
• 1 large yellow onion
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 lb (900 g) fresh clams
• 2 lb (900 g) fresh mussels
• 6 bone in chicken thighs
• 1 lb (450 g) smoked pork sausage (longaniza)
• 1 lb (450 g) boneless pork shoulder or thick pork chops
• 1 1/2 lb (680 g) small potatoes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fine salt
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 cup (240 ml) dry white wine
• 1 cup (240 ml) water
• 6 to 8 large outer cabbage leaves

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