Comenzaremos hablando de la masa, o sea el envoltorio del relleno de la empanada. Su ingrediente principal es la grasa de cerdo, que derretida, se incorpora a la harina.

En E.E.U.U. la grasa de cerdo se vende bajo el nombre de manteca de cerdo. La harina utilizada es la cuatro ceros porque es la mas refinada. En el pais del norte se la utiliza para hacer tortas. La cantidad utilizada de sal muera es a gusto, hasta que el agua sepa a mar.

En cuanto al relleno o recado nos detendremos primero en la carne picada. Debe ser la de menor contenido graso, mi madre la prefiere de nalga. La carne, debe ser picada solo una sola ves en la trituradora del comercio elegido.

aceitunas

En cuanto a las aceitunas, es conveniente comprarlas con carozo para mantener su sabor hasta el momento  de utilizarlas en el relleno.

pasas de uva

Los condimentos pueden comprarse en el barrio Boliviano, a nosotros nos parece una buena opción, puesto que los Bolivianos tienen una larga tradición en la venta de estos ingredientes.  Allí  no corremos el riesgo de comprar un condimento  amargo, que es el sabor que toman si tienen más de un ano de antigüedad.

especias

Si bien una receta es útil y necesaria para la preparación de cualquier plato, no tenemos que olvidar que la cocina es un arte, una actividad que si bien esta guiada por ciertas instrucciones básicas, no deja de tener en cuenta la creatividad y la imaginación de quien los prepara. En razón de ello, les informaremos  en el próximo post  los secretos que tiene mi madre para hacer empanadas, haremos referencia a aquellos detalles que las convierten en una alternativa ineludible para cualquier paladar.

Además haremos referencia a los vinos recomendados para acompañar las empanadas.

Si bien la comida por la cual somos conocidos en el mundo entero es el asado, del cual nos ocuparemos mas adelante, las empanadas no se quedan atrás en la preferencia gastronómica de los Argentinos.

Si usted cree que las empanadas son una invención argentina esta equivocado, mal que nos pese a nosotros, que creemos haber inventado todo. No es así. La leyenda cuenta que   algún tipo empanadas eran preparadas por los  Persas siglos antes de Cristo, desde allí puede imaginarse su viaje hasta el pueblo Árabe con sus clásicos fatay, con carne de cordero y trigo burgol, ya muy similar a nuestra empanada. La ocupación durante siglos de España por los moros seguramente las traslado hasta allí y los conquistadores y colonizadores la trajeron a América.

Al igual que en los distintos países de Latinoamérica, en las diversas  provincias argentinas las empanadas se realizan de diversa manera. Cada provincia impone sus gustos particulares, sus preferencias acerca de su preparación.

Si bien hoy nos ocuparemos de las empanadas que suelen hacerse  en la Provincia de Buenos Aires, no olvidaremos entregarles información detallada de los tipos de empanadas que se realizan en otras provincias argentinas.

Creme Caramel or Flan de Leche (Flan)

In Argentina there are a variety of typical desserts to order when eating out.

Some of the most common options at Argentine restaurants are: (we will eventually post all of them)

1. panqueque de manzana
2. panqueque de dulce de leche
3. ensalada de frutas (fruit salad) con helado de crema
4. arroz con leche
5. isla flotante
6. flan casero con crema y dulce de leche
7. queso y dulce (batata o membrillo)
8. mousse de chocolate

One of my all time favorite Argentine desserts and the topic and recipe of this post is the “Flan casero con Dulce de Leche y Crema”.

Flan, or most commonly known everywhere as Creme Caramel or Flan de Leche, has taken on different shapes and styles in different regions in the world and South America. In the case of Argentina, it is cooked au-bain-marie, with sugar caramel, and served with dulce de leche and fresh cream on the side.

Flan is a spin-off of a the standard global custard – where in this case some caramel is poured into the mold before adding the mixture…then its cooked in the oven and when done is turned over with the caramel melted on top!

Today, I made a flan at home and below is the easiest home made recipe to enjoy with your loved ones!

How to make a flan from scratch:

Ingredients

250 grs. of sugar for the caramel

1L milk (whole or semi skimmed)

9 eggs

250 grs. of sugar

1 vanilla pod (or 1 tbs vanilla extract)

Fresh cream

Procedure

Preheat your oven at 350deg F, prepare a pan to au bain-marie the flan by pouring in some hot water.

In a small heavy saucepan, heat the sugar on medium heat until it melts & turns in a beautiful golden colour. Be careful not to let it burn. Don’t use any ustensil to stir the caramel. When it’s done, quickly pour it in your baking recipient.

Heat your milk on medium heat but don’t let it boil. Split your vanilla pod in half & scrape off the seeds inside the milk. Turn off the heat & let the pod infuse in the milk.

Beat your eggs with 4tbs sugar.

Sieve the milk & the eggs & add both together. Stir in the fresh cream.

Pour into your baking recipient. Bake au bain marie until the mixture is set.

Aca va la receta

Se transparenta una cebolla en una mezcla de manteca y aceite en partes iguales, se le agregan los granos de 6 choclos frescos pasados apenas por la licuadora y 1 taza de leche. Se cocina hasta que los granos estén tiernos. Se deja enfriar un poco a temperatura ambiente  antes de agregar 5 huevos ligeramente batidos y pedacitos de queso paraguay , seria mejor el que hacen los menonitas del Chaco paraguayo, pero en su defecto queso mantecoso. Agregamos sal y pimienta y lo volcamos en una fuente de horno. Lo llevamos a un horno moderado por 30 o 40 minutos, lo dejamos reposar unos minutos y nos podemos sentar a la mesa acompañandolo con una ensalada de lechuga y una copa o dos de Chardonnay para brindar por Tia Sarita.

The most well known four sizes of coffee:

Pocillo: is the smallest sipping-cup

Jarrito: half the size of a mug

Americano: the same capacity of a mug

Desayuno: that means breakfast size-bigger one, but still smaller than a tall cup.

The first size is especially for coffee usually taken at any time of the day and for the varieties of “cortado” (3 parts of coffee and one of milk), or lágrima (hot milk with just a trickle of coffee). These options can also be served in “jarritos”, and also further options like cappuccino and espresso. But the remaining sizes are strictly for the most common breakfast in Argentina: “café con leche”. Though the literal translation of this beverage would be coffee with milk, the taste of an Argentinean “café con leche” is completely different. First of fall, in most cafés, this infusion is served with warm milk, but with no froth at all. It is also possible to request the beverage with hot coffee and cold milk. Usually a cup of “café con leche” costs around ARS 10 (around USD 2.5), and the morning special includes café con leche and two pieces of pastry for $12 (around USD 4). The strength and scent of coffee in Argentina is strong, and is made with whole milk, therefore, the café con leche can be a really plentiful way to start your day.

Repulgue - Empanada Folding Technique Covered at Teresita's Cooking Class

One of the specialties of the Argentina cuisine is the empanadas. There are many varieties of this simple to make turnovers to satisfy all kind of preferences. In addition to “locro” and “tamales”, the empanadas take part on the typical and most traditional dishes of the northwestern part of the country. The filling, seasoning and condiments could change according to the different provinces where empanadas are made. The classic type of empanada is the one made of meat (chopped or ground beef, mild or hot, salty or sweet, with or without vegetables depending on the origin).

In Buenos Aires, the empanada offer is huge. It is possible to find more than twenty varieties of fillings. Therefore, there is a peculiar well to identify the same: the “repulgue” (type of folds).

Typical Beed empanada folding

The usual types besides the meat ones are: ham and cheese, and chicken, and each of them have a particular “repulgue” in order to identify it.  The common braided fold is used for the beef ones, and additional marks such as little holes on top or bended tips are to distinguish different meat options; the small baskets are used for the ham & cheese ones, and other types derived from this that also contain cheese (caprese, blue cheese, onion & cheese, and sweet corn, among others); while the ones pinched on top are typically the chicken ones. Sometimes, it is possible to order not only Argentinean empanadas but also Arabian ones, called Fatai, and this one in particular, has a triangle fold with a small hole in the middle so you can add lemon or hot sauce.

Together with the pizza, this is one of the most requested foods for delivery. For this purpose, the restaurants would send together with order a list of all the types with small drawings of the folds to identify each empanada. The particular “repulgue” used usually varies from one restaurant to another. Besides, since it is possible to order oven-baked or fried empanadas, some special folds are preferred to resist the heat of boiling oil and not open when the filling starts melting.

The “repulgues” can be made manually or with a special appliance, but for homemade empanadas there is a useful trick: after folding over the circle with contents, you can achieve a neat fold by crimping down the edges with a fork. Another important tip, is to stick the edges is to wet your finger with water and rub it along the inside edge of the dough.

A Lechon is a young pig between the ages of two and six weeks of life. This lechon is traditionally cooked whole in its entirety, often roasted either in a “grill” or an mud oven. It is usually prepared as a treat for special occasions, gatherings, birthdays, graduations, Christmas and on national festivals in various cuisines through South America and Central America.

Usually when someone chooses to cook a lechon they will buy an organic fed pig that was naturally fed on grass and corn and not from an industrial animal farm. Not only this is healthier but helps the local farm economy.

An average lechon weighs 8 to 10 kilos (or 18 to 22 Lbs.) and is cooked in a parrilla (Argentine barbecue) for a total of 4 to 5 hours.

Some people prefer to marinate the lechon the previous night with a lot of lemon juice, garlics, parsley and cayenne pepper. By noon the next day it’s ready to be cooked! Contrary to what is done with Chivitos or Lamb, the lechon is located on the grill with it’s leather facing the fire coals. Also a very important tip is that the lechon should be flat and shouldn’t start to “curve” throughout those hours – therefore the front and back legs should be snapped out and then down.

The parrilla should be pulled up and furthest from the heat and the cooking time should be slow and constant. It is said that you should be able to put your hand in the heat for about 10 seconds to know that it the right temperature. The skin of the lechon should be golden and crispy when it’s well cooked and ready to be served.

The calculated cooking time is two hours and a half per side – but it’s usually turned around at the two hour mark to then be turned back for the last half-hour. Then the meat should be so tender that it should be easily torn off the bone!

This traditional dish is usually served with “Ensalada Rusa” which is a potato salad, with peas, chopped boiled carrots and mayonaise or “Ensalada Mixta” which is lettuce, tomato, onions and lemon with olive oil.

El Barrio Chino is a good place if you are not able to find Asian ingredients, sauces, and snacks. For example, I get these amazing mushrooms (pine mushrooms) that are much more flavorful than Pocini and way less costly. In fact, pine mushrooms (dried) from el Barrio Chino is the main reason I go there.

If you go visit, some interesting observations can be made of places selling your favorite Japanese/Chinesse foods. For example, Casa China sells all sorts of worldly goods, you can pick up a 12 peso (USD 2) sushi roll and dumplings to go.

Salmon and Avocado Rolls from el Barrio Chino

Last time we were there we got salmon and avocado rolls- when I got home and sliced the pink salmon and avocado roll, I was dismayed to find that the fish was not raw but cooked, and overcooked at that!  Some of the pieces were a bit too chewy, as if the sushi chef forgot he had something on the stove while downing a few shots of sake =)  – But wrapped up with fresh avocado, toasted sesame seeds, sticky rice, and seaweed, the roll did the job (especially with extra soy sauce).

Vegetables Dumplings from el Barrio Chino

We also bought some vegetarian dumplings which the Chinese people kindly relabeled as “empanadas vegetales” sort of to making sure I would understand the concept… I thought it was hilarious.  These were bought frozen and can be either steamed or pan fried.  I chose to steam them, and was pleasantly surprised when I bit into the doughy dumpling.  Inside the fluffy white pillow was tofu, scallions, cabbage, carrots, egg, and sesame seeds slightly seasoned with Asian spices.  I dipped these in soy sauce as well, to give them some extra flavor.

How to prepare Ceviche

Ceviche, a citrus marinated seafood dish that originated in Peru but has become popular in many other Latin American countries.

Ingredients for the Ceviche (Ceviche Recipe)
1 lb fresh fish—any white fish or even salmon
7 lemons
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped into small pieces
½ mild green chili, chopped into small pieces
1 cup cooked choclo (Peruvian corn, you can use regular corn if you can’t find it)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions for making the Ceviche
Soak onions and cilantro in separate bowls of cold water.  Cut the fish into bite size pieces and place into a large bowl. Juice the lemons so that there is enough to cover the fish completely.  Drain the onions and add them to the bowl of fish and lemon juice, allowing to sit for 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, or when the fish is no longer transparent, pour most of the lemon juice out (but not all).  Add the red pepper, green pepper, choclo, olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Add the cilantro last so that it does not wilt.  Serve with bread, crackers, or alone for an appetizer or light meal.

Mate can be served in two ways primarily, either in the shell with a straw or as a tea in a cup called Mate Cocido (cooked mate), which was the popular drink for all social classes. The middle class would have breakfast if alone in its tea form with milk or if with company then in its straw like form with crackers or bread. In the higher class, mate would reunite the ladies for the daily gossip in mid-morning and commercial owners with their businesses too. The same would happen in mid-afternoon at 5.

The tacuara straw was later replaced by a metal straw with a replaceable filter that lasts a very long time.

The tradition of the mate is that of sharing a moment, a conversation or an intimate exchange between a group of people.