Week 3: Argentina

Mira Vos!

Beef is always what comes to mind when thinking of Argentine cuisine. "Argentina has the world's second highest consumption rate of beef, at 55 kg (133 lbs) a year per capita. In 2006, livestock farmers kept between 50 and 55 million head of cattle, mostly in the fertile pastures of the Pampas. The country is currently the third largest beef exporter in the world." The Pampas are a humid, lush, green, cattle paradise resulting in healthier cows with no need for growth hormones. Argentine beef has less saturated fat and is higher in omega-3 fatty acids.


Since there is an automatic 15% export tax on Argentine beef and I wasn't about to shell out hundreds of dollars for this meal, I settled from a sirloin from Harmon's. It was great to have my sister and her family over, but I did do this one on the cheap. Luckily I was able to easily find all the ingredients I needed.

The food turned out great and I'm sad that I couldn't explore the wonderful tastes of Argentina in greater depth. As noted on wikipedia, there is a great Mediterranean influence on the foods of Argentina. This was very evident as I explored a lot of the local recipes. My impression of Argentine cuisine is that it is refined and traditional, and focused on good flavor. Here are some excellent websites that I got recipes from:


http://fromargentinawithlove.typepad.com/from_argentina_with_love/
http://www.popular-traditional-argentina-food.com/index.html
http://www.asadoargentina.com/
.
And on to the menu:

• Asado - Sirloin roast cut into stakes - I still don't trust my grilling skills, so I preheated my stakes to 130 degrees before throwing them over the flames - they turned out medium-well.

• Chimichurri - A delicious salsa that can be eaten with anything - based on red wine vinegar and olive oil with a fresh blend of diced greens and vegetables and spices. Absolutely delicious

• Empanadas de jamon y queso - ham and cheese hot-pockets - these were a dissapointment, not because of the recipe, but because I didn't put any effort into them and they turned out very dry. I still ate them for three days.

Making Empanadas

Mmm, Empanadas

Inside an Empanada

• Dulce de Leche - A rich caramel sauce that you can eat with fruit or bread. Thanks Tyler.

• Mate - a traditional drink made from an herb of the same name. It is very bitter, even after adding plenty of sugar. This is an acquired taste that also takes skill in preparation to keep it from being too strong.

Kids love the delicious grassy taste of Mate.