Chilean Curanto (Curanto) — Chiloé Seafood and Meat Feast

• 1.5 kghard-shell clams
• 1.5 kgmussels
• 2 lcold water
• 60 gfine sea salt (for purging clams, not all consumed)
• 8chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
• 700 gsmoked pork ribs (cut into serving portions)
• 4Chilean longaniza sausages (pricked twice with a skewer)
• 8small waxy potatoes (scrubbed but unpeeled)
• 12large cabbage leaves (home-kitchen substitute for nalca or pangue leaves)
• 2large yellow onions (sliced 1 cm thick)
• 6 clovegarlic (lightly crushed)
• 500 mldry Chilean white wine
• 500 mlwater
• 2 leafbay leaves
• 2 tspdried oregano
• 1 tspChilean merken
• 1 tspblack pepper (freshly ground)
• 500 gcooked mashed potato
• 250 gall-purpose flour
• 40 gpork lard (softened)
• 120 mlwarm water
• 2ripe tomatoes (seeded and finely diced)
• 1small white onion (finely diced)
• 1 bunchcilantro (leaves and tender stems chopped)
• 1ají verde (seeded and minced)
• 30 mlred wine vinegar
• 30 mlsunflower oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Purge the clams in 2 l cold water mixed with 60 g fine sea salt for 30 minutes, then lift them out rather than pouring the grit back over them. Scrub the mussels and clams under cold running water, discard any shellfish that remain open after a firm tap, and pull the beards from the mussels.

2. 2

   Make the chapaleles by mixing 500 g cooked mashed potato, 250 g all-purpose flour, 40 g pork lard, 5 g fine sea salt, and 120 ml warm water into a soft, slightly tacky dough. Divide the dough into 8 oval dumplings about 1 cm thick, cover them with a towel, and keep them at room temperature while you build the curanto.

3. 3

   Choose a very large heavy stockpot or canning pot with a tight lid, ideally 12 l capacity or larger. Spread the sliced onions, crushed garlic, bay leaves, oregano, merken, 12 g fine sea salt, and black pepper across the bottom, then pour in the white wine and 500 ml water.

4. 4

   Line the pot with half of the cabbage leaves so they rise slightly up the sides, imitating the leaf-covered steaming chamber of traditional curanto en hoyo. Add the potatoes first, then layer in the smoked pork ribs, chicken thighs, longaniza sausages, clams, mussels, and chapaleles without packing them so tightly that steam cannot circulate.

5. 5

   Cover the top with the remaining cabbage leaves, press the lid on tightly, and bring the liquid to a strong simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and steam for 55 to 60 minutes without stirring, shaking the pot gently after 30 minutes if the bottom aromatics begin to catch.

6. 6

   While the curanto cooks, prepare the pebre by combining tomatoes, onion, cilantro, ají verde, red wine vinegar, sunflower oil, and 5 g fine sea salt in a bowl. Let it stand for at least 20 minutes so the onion softens and the sauce becomes juicy enough to spoon over potatoes, meats, and chapaleles.

7. 7

   Check doneness by confirming that the potatoes are tender, the chicken reaches 74°C at the thickest part, and all mussels and clams have opened. Discard any shellfish that stay closed, then transfer the curanto to a wide platter or serve directly from the pot with plenty of steaming broth spooned over each portion.