In 2011 a young Argentine man went viral in a 6-second video when he laughed about the cost of a burger at a soccer stadium. His exact words were: Con quince peso me hago alto guiso.pum For 15 pesos I could make quite the stew. To put this young man’s remarks in perspective, 15 Argentine pesos is just under $2 USD. It seems as though, relatively speaking, overpriced stadium food is a shared phenomenon – as common as rainy days and sunny dispositions. What is remarkable – and what made the young man’s comment go viral – is the assumption that good, homemade stew can be made for the cost of an overpriced burger. I looked into his logic: here in the USA an overpriced stadium burger in Silicon Valley goes for $12. Surely, I could make a soup for less than $12, even shopping at costly American grocery stores. Testing the theory… Curious (and inspired), I began looking into Argentine stews – sending me down a delicious rabbit hole of beef and root veggie based bowls. I finally emerged …
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When I flip open my grill it’s rarely to flip burgers; My vegetarian 5-year old inspires me to think beyond hamburgers and hot dogs in the summer. Argentina is known for her amazing meats, but beyond that she’s earned a special place in my heart for this acorn squash salad. The charred gourd stuffed with peppery arugula and aged goat cheese first entered my awareness through the campfire cooking of Francis Mallmann. His recipe entails roasting an entire pumpkin buried under the embers of a campfire. My recipe is simplified for the home chef – an acorn squash is easier to manage and cooks twice as fast. Ever since we first made it on this blog, some version of the salad has been in our regular rotation. We even made it on our recent camping trip to Sedona, the Grand Canyon, and the Petrified Forest. Tips Don’t restrict yourself to making a meal that’s 100% foreign to you and your family – too much work can dampen motivation for international eating. Also: some people are more likely to try …
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An Easter Tradition Easter Eggs are a thing in our house. We dye them. We decorate them. We gobble them up in two’s (it’s funny how a purple or green shell can make an ordinary egg taste eggstraordinary). When I was little Mom hid these boiled treats in the yard and, after we found them we ate them, still-warm from the sun. Today plastic eggs have taken over – probably because of one too many tummy aches after an overly hot Easter. But the kids don’t seem to notice; they scramble to collect these plastic shells, cracking them open to reveal stickers, coins, and candy. Each year the plastic eggs become more elaborate. Now they aren’t simply eggs, they’re monkeys or giraffes, baseballs or footballs. It’s fun, yes, but also starting to feel a bit… gimmicky. In the spirit of getting back to basics – to those real Easter Eggs of my childhood, I considered safe ways I could “hide” eggs for my daughter to find. Since it was 84F last week I knew the back yard …
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Makes 14 oz Ingredients: 1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk Method: Remove label from can of sweetened condensed milk and pierce with two holes on the top. Note that my label is still on the can. This becomes a mess later and I wouldn’t recommend it. Place can in a small pot and fill with water. Bring to a gentle simmer and maintain water level about 1″ below top of the can at all times. Simmer for about 3 hours. Let cool before handling, eating, or touching. Here is a light dulce de leche (I had my heat very, very low – otherwise the can rattles around in the pot. The longer you cook it, the thicker and darker it becomes): Here’s a thicker, darker dulce de leche. Cooked for the same amount of time, but the heat was up slightly higher. NOTE: This picture is from Argentina…. wow, our photography has improved! Shout out to Keith 🙂 P.S. To make it thick enough to spread on Alfajores, simmer for about 5 hours. Serve with ice …
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This is meal #7 in my personal challenge to eat one meal from every country in the world. This week I used my Great Aunt’s dishes for the first time. Her name was Caterina, but we called her Lulla Rina. Lulla Rina made two of my favorite childhood treats: spaghetti tossed with boiled potatoes and marinara, and braided challah with whole eggs baked inside. She’s been gone a long time now but I still smile when I think of those unusual treats. The day of our Argentine feast, I carefully unpacked the dishes. Many were missing or chipped, but I pulled out what I could and rinsed them under hot, soapy water. My fingers traced along the hundreds of harmless fractures that spidered across the old china, telltale signs of decades of use. She must have served thousands of meals on those beautiful dishes. I drank Yerba Mate tea from a teacup she’d once drank from and my heart was with her. Roasted Seasonal Pumpkin Salad with Arugula and Chevre [Recipe] What I like most about this dish: Imagine, if you will… aged goat cheese melts like butter into steaming roasted squash. Baby arugula …
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Serves 4 Chimichurri sauce is traditionally served with Beef Empanadas in Argentina. The bold garlic flavor also goes well with any grilled beef. Ingredients: 3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano 1/2 cup olive oil 1/4 cup chopped red onion 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 2 Tbsp water 5 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 1/4 tsp pepper Method: 1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process until a loose salsa consistency is achieved. 2. Let stand at room temperature for flavors to meld, at least 30 minutes. Chimichurri can be refrigerated for a day or two. Serve at room temperature. Chimichurri Sauce Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe! Print Recipe Chimichurri sauce is traditionally served with Beef Empanadas in Argentina. The bold garlic flavor also goes well with any grilled beef. CourseAppetizers & Snacks LifestyleGluten-Free, Potluck Friendly, Vegan, Vegetarian Food TypeSauces & Dressings Servings Prep Time 4 people 10 minutes Passive Time 30 minutes Servings Prep Time 4 people 10 minutes Passive Time 30 minutes …
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Makes one 8×8 casserole Even the pickiest eater will enjoy this simple casserole. What’s better than mashed potatoes and corn? NOTE: Recipe updated November 2011 to make it richer and more epic. Depending on the size of your potatoes, you may need more or less milk/butter. Ingredients: 5 russet potatoes (3 lbs), peeled and boiled 1- 1 1/2 cups whole milk (or as needed to make potatoes fluffy) 3/4 cup melted butter 2 tsp garlic salt pepper salt 2 cups frozen corn, thawed 2 Tbsp minced parsley Method: 1. Preheat oven to 425F. In the hot pot you cooked the potatoes, add the drained potatoes. Let steam dry a few minutes (this allows even more milky goodness to get into them). Then add 1/2 cup melted butter (reserve the rest for the corn topping), garlic powder, pepper, and salt. Mash together, adding milk in small amounts until fluffy. 2. Put potato mixture in a buttered casserole dish. 3. Puree thawed corn with remaining melted butter until creamy. If your blender has trouble, add a bit of milk …
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Serves 4 I first heard of making a salad inside a hot, roasted pumpkin from the Argentine chef, Francis Mallmann. My version of this unusual salad is streamlined for the home cook. Enjoy this wonderful comfort food on a cold day. Makes enough for a light meal, or use it as an impressive starter in a larger feast. Ingredients: 2 acorn squash (or pumpkin – whatever is in season) olive oil salt pepper For the vinaigrette: 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 cup olive oil 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper bunch baby arugula 8 ounces Bucheron goat cheese (this is aged goat cheese – regular goat cheese is a fine substitute) Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 400F. 2. Cut pumpkins in half and remove seeds and strings. Brush cut ends liberally with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 3. Roast for 45 min-1 hour, or until a fork pierces the flesh with no resistance. 4. Meanwhile, whisk together ingredients for the vinaigrette in a small bowl. …
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Serves 4-8 Spicy and hearty, beef empanadas are great party food. Serve with Chimichurri dipping sauce for a garlicky kick. Ingredients: 2 batches empanada dough For the Filling: 1 Tbsp butter 1 onion, minced 1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1 tsp cumin 1/4 tsp cayenne 1/2 lb ground hamburger, 85% lean 3/4 cup low sodium beef broth 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack 1 hard-boiled egg, chopped 1-2 green onions chopped salt pepper Method: First, prepare the empanada dough. For the empanada filling: 1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add butter and melt. Add onion and cook until softened and translucent. Add tomato paste, garlic, cumin, oregano, and cayenne. Stir thoroughly to combine and cook for about 2 minutes. 2. Add ground beef and cook until the seasonings mix in and meat is just cooked through. Add beef broth and simmer over low until most of the moisture evaporates and meat just looks wet. 3. Turn off heat. Stir in cheese, egg, and green onion. Cool filling …
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Have you ever seen an Argentine Tango? Be prepared for a boost of energy! Speaking of energy – consider trying Yerba Mate Tea. This video will tell you all about it! (I found some at Whole Foods made by Traditional Medicinals):
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Uggg. Empanadas are hard to make. Well, to be specific, they’re hard to “repulgue.” Watching the videos in yesterday’s post made me think “Wow, this is going to be a breeze.” So naive. So VERY naive. The videos made it look easy breezy because those people had probably repulgued (can you say that?) thousands of empanadas. When you have made zero, repulging (probably can’t say that) is not easy at all. So, I hope you’ll cut me some slack when you see what I made for this weekend. At least I didn’t resort to the fork (although I thought about it). Although the empanadas look like the product of a kindergarten craft project, lots of love and effort went into their making. My friend and I spent the better part of the day making dough, cooking the filling, cooling the filling, filling the filling into the filling… huh? what? Sorry, I had some sangria in there somewhere, too. Now that you’ve been updated, let’s talk dulce de leche. Dulce de leche is made by cooking sweetened condensed milk for several hours until …
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