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Posts from the ‘Argentina’ Category

Oct 29

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Ñoquis del 29

A few weeks ago, I read about Argentina’s ñoquis del 29, the day of the month to prepare and eat gnocchi and wanted to try it.  Unfortunately, I would invariably remember this on the 30th of each month.  I was determined not to forget this time and with all the fall vegetables weighing down the markets, I was looking for something in a pumpkin-squash-sweet potato to start a new monthly tradition.  I found a recipe for sweet potato gnocchi in October’s Gourmet (still can’t believe it’s gone) issue that was exactly what I wanted.  I’d only made gnocchi once before and while they were okay, I had that nagging feeling when you first try a recipe that you just didn’t do it right.  To avoid this, I read the recipe a few times, cross referenced similar ones for tips and techniques, gathered up the few necessary ingredients and got ready to make a mess. Read more

Sep 25

Disappearing Gauchos

I have to admit that like most people, I’ve always had a romantic view of the gaucho’s life in the Argentinian plains.  Naturally, I was very interested in this article by Juan Forero, “Day of the Gaucho Waning in Argentina”, for the Washington Post, about how traditional grass fed beef was giving way to U.S.-style feedlots.  I was surprised at how pragmatic the people interviewed were about the changes: Read more

Sep 16

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Autumn Stewing

Buried in a cookbook from the 1960s, I first read about the Argentinian carbonada earlier this summer.  Made to celebrate Argentinian Independence Day on July 9, during their winter season, stew weather seemed a long way off then.  A mixture of beef, corn, peaches and pears, it seemed perfect for early fall, when the heartier fruits and vegetables come in just as the sweeter fruits of summer are fading out.  Wishing I’d taken pictures of the market’s golds, purples, and reds, I felt like bit of a witch at her cauldron when they reappeared in the pot.  Traditionally, the carbonada is served in a large pumpkin-like gourd called a zapallo.  Hollowed out, baked, then filled with the stew, each serving includes a spoonful of pumpkin.  With no fairy godmother to turn my northeastern squash into an Andean zapallo, I turned the small acorn and colorful delicata squashes into soup bowls instead. Read more

Aug 8

An Argentine Affair

When I found about An Argentine Affair to be presented by Trapiche and Michel Torino Wines on August 19th at Water Taxi Beach, I had mixed feelings.  With the summer winding down, I’ve become skeptical of open air events that either become a bittersweet reason to fall in love with New York all over again or sand and paper plate push and shove events.  With the promise of wine and Argentinian grilling, tangos, and soccer, this one seems worth the risk, especially with a portion of ticket proceeds benefit to Action Against Hunger,

Jul 25

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Last Minute

I was in the final stretch of making Sunday lunch for my uncle and favorite cooking aunt, debating where I should buy a jar of dulce de leche to add to the polovorones or shortbread cookies I’d made earlier.  The gourmet shops nearby carry the good but expensive La Salamandra while the Colombian stores have a wider selection but seemed too far away in Queens.  I decided to make my own instead.  Though I knew it was easily done at home, I’d always avoided it in the past.  Worried about exploding cans, we’d take them off heat too early and end up with milky mustard instead of a deep caramel (though it was still happily eaten).  I found these recipes on From Argentina With Love for making dulce de leche at home that skipped the treacherous can boiling.  Unwilling to face yet another grocery store run to buy whole milk, I tried the second version where a can of condensed milk is cooked in the top of a double boiler over a pan half filled with water.  Though it takes 2 to 2 1/2 hours, it only needs to be checked and stirred about every 45 minutes freeing me up to work on other things.  Because I’d rolled the polvorones thinner than usual, I watched the cookies closely and shortened the baking time to 10 minutes.  I let the dulce de leche cook the entire time for a thicker consistency.  Too rich to spread, it was the right consistency for holding together the crumbly cookies.  A painless last minute (+two hour) solution. Read more

Jul 13

Argentinian Spotlight

It seems I’m not the only one pre-occupied with Argentina these days…by far.  After posting about my weekend stab at  matambra, I saw this New York Times article, “Buenos Aires Spotlights Its Cafes” in yesterday’s travel section.  A brief sampling, it highlights interesting cafes throughout the city from the famous ones like Las Violetas to a small bistro operating out of a building where they’d made coffins named Café Nostalgia.  Here’s a clip of Carlos Gardel to test the saying that he “every day sings a little better”:

Jul 12

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Hunger Killer

I came across this recipe for an Argentinian matambre or “hunger killer” when I was reading about guachos in Savuer and had to try it.  I was a little apprehensive about cooking it for three hours and so were the guys at Staubitz who butterflied the flank steak, but it worked well.  There was another version on the site where the steak is seared first then cooked in the oven for a shorter time which I plan on trying soon.  I choose this one first mostly because it was attributed to Rosa Angelita Castro de Flores from El Bordo de las Lanzas.  I love a recipe with a landscape and with no immediate plans to go away this summer, it temporarily quieted my travel pangs.

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Jul 2

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Cooking Cowboys

In anticipation of the barbecues to come this weekend, I thought I’d post Connie McCabe’s Saveur piece, The Capital of Beef about the Argentine Pampa.  Watching guachos Vicente Monte and José María Gallardo prepare a roast, she writes:

When the fire is nothing but glowing ash, Monte retrieves his saddlebag and pulls out a plastic bag of salt and three loosely wrapped pieces of beef. Placing one thick steak and two narrow strips of meaty ribs on the burnished leather, he seasons the flesh with salt, threads it all onto the skewer,and perches it on the supports near the heat. Read more

Jun 18

Ballet Break

You’ll have to excuse me for not writing about food.  Yesterday, a ticket to see the American Ballet Theatre’s performance of La Sylphide at The Metropolitan Opera House fell from the sky unexpectedly, and I’m feeling a little ethereal today.  There was a magical Sylph, a Scottish reel, and a poisoned gossamer veil, but it was still not as dramatic as the Edith Wharton story I cast myself in when I realized I’d be sitting in the romantic IMG_2723boxes ringing the theater.  Watching principal Herman Cornejo dance the part of James, I thought of a Today segment I’d seen earlier that day about the recent emergence of Latin American artists and performers in film and television.  This has long been true at ABT.  In addition to the Argentinians Cornejo and Paloma Herrera, there is the Brazilian Marcelo Gomes, and Read more

Jun 7

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A Sweet Finish to the Weekend

I have a very dysfunctional relationship with my KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker attachment.  I’ve tried a million recipes but the results have been inconsistent.  It will give me my dreamed of  ice cream for a few hours after it’s just made, but it develops an icy, fuzzy, rock hard taste by the next day.  It’s the memories of my few successes that keep me going (there was a green tea ice cream once and a yogurt sorbet that were just right…).  That’s why I like Mariana Crespo’s recipe for dulce de leche ice cream so much.  It’s straightforward and simple and it gives you a creamy, decadent result every time, that you can take into the week with you.

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