Leading up to the launch of its annual “Flavors of the World” Series, Omni Hotels & Resorts sent 60 chefs to the Culinary Institute of America in San Antonio, Texas to learn the art of Chilean cuisine.
This October, in partnership with Wines of Chile, Omni will introduce ¡Destinación Chile!, a three-month-long, brand-wide culinary experience, complete with recipes, ingredients and wine sourced straight from Chile. The training, led by renowned Wines of Chile Chef Rocío Alvarado Díaz, taught the chefs about Chilean culture, indigenous flavor profiles and ingredients, and how to effectively pair wines with each dish to enhance the flavor, reported Culture Map Austin.
“It is important to us that our chefs receive continuous training and education in order to stay at the cusp of innovation. In this case, to experience hands-on training and a cultural immersion led by our Wines of Chile partner chef,” said David Morgan, Omni’s vice president of food and beverage.
Training was kicked off by learning how to make empanadas—“the epitome of Chilean cuisine,” according to Díaz—as well as the flavor base of most Chilean cooking, the sofrito—a powerful combination of sautéed garlic and onion, seasoned with cumin, paprika, oregano and black pepper, Culture Map Austin reported.
The chefs then turned loose to try their hand at creating the Chilean staple and other dishes as an experiment for what to include on their Flavors of the World menu. Upon completion, chefs sampled dishes while facing critique from Diaz, who provided direct and constructive feedback, Culture Map Austin reported.
“A lot of [the training] revolves around connecting with the soul of food,” said Regional Executive Chef Daven Wardynski, who helps drive Omni’s culinary agenda and has 17 years of experience in the industry. “At the end of the day, that’s what all of us as chefs are looking to do—to build a connection with the food.”
When the promotion launches this fall, Omni guests can expect to receive a truly authentic experience as they taste their way through the menu and are transported to South America through bold seasoning and unique Chilean recipes, reported Culture Map Austin. Brisket and prawn empanadas are the standouts of the menu, which features a variety of appetizers, entrees and desserts. The chacarerito sliders and milcaos con pebre de palto (fried potato cakes) will also be crowd favorites. Each of these dishes prepared by the Omni chefs came with high praise from Díaz during the CIA training
During the trip, chefs also took a deep dive into Chilean wines. Led by Wines of Chile, the session acted as a tutorial for the diverse Chilean climate and how it relates not only to the food but also the distinctly varied varietals of Chilean wines. To that end, in September, Omni’s food and beverage directors will travel to Chile to gain a deeper, and more intimate, understanding of the culture, wine and food. The group will also meet with some of the Chilean winemakers who have helped craft a sophisticated wine list to perfectly complement this year’s menu, Culture Map Austin reported.
Omni selected these soon-to-be featured Chilean wines at a grand wine tasting at Omni Fort Worth Hotel in April. Through Wines of Chile, numerous Chilean wineries shared a variety of wines that were sampled and then selected by Omni’s culinary teams. Each participating hotel will offer eight unique Chilean wines in 6- and 9-ounce pours.
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Want to making your own empanadas? This easy-to-use recipe, courtesy of chef Rocío Alvarado Díaz and Omni Hotels & Resorts, calls for a beef filling, but the beauty of empanadas is that they can be stuffed with anything. Try a dessert empanada with cinnamon apples or peaches, or breakfast empanadas with eggs, cheese and sausage.
Beef Empanadas
Yields: 48 empanadas, or 16 servings
Serving suggestion: 3 empanadas per person
Dough ingredients:
2 pounds flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
10 ounces warm milk
3 ounces vegetable oil
3 egg yolks
½ ounce baking powder
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a mixer with a dough hook. Knead on lowest speed for five to seven minutes or until fully developed. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (working with cold dough is essential for empanadas) before rolling and cutting.
Filling ingredients:
2 pounds beef brisket, braised and chopped
1 pound onion, diced
2 tablespoons lard, melted
8 ounces beef stock
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
5 hard cooked eggs, quartered
1 ounce raisins
20 black olives, quartered
Directions:
Sauté onions in melted lard until lightly caramelized. Add chopped beef and beef stock and bring to boil. Season with paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Chill and reserve.
To assemble:
Lightly flour a work surface and roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out 4 ½ inch dough rounds. For each empanada use 1 ounce beef, ¼ boiled egg, 3 raisins and 3 olive quarters. Add 1.25 oz of filling to one half of each dough round and brush the other half of the dough with egg yolk. (This is so the dough sticks together.) Use a fork to press and seal the edges closed.
You can either bake or deep fry empanadas. To bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Arrange empanadas on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Turn empanadas and bake for five minutes, until lightly browned on both sides.
To fry, heat oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees. Fry empanadas until golden brown, six to seven minutes.
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