From Argentina With Love

Linzer Torte (Pasta Frola) with Almonds--Pasta Frola con Almendras

Back in 2008, when this blog was a baby idea of sharing recipes from our life in the U.S. and Argentina, I wrote about Pasta Frola.  Many of the recipes I made came from my mother-in-law, Florencia's, kitchen as I settled into life as a newlywed.

Pasta Frola is a classic not-too-sweet dessert.  At my in-laws' house, it's always around, cut into small rectangles and neatly packed between layers of waxed paper in a tin; ready to be taken on the road for noshing alongside a late-day matecito, eaten for breakfast or even as a midnight snack.

While every family has their own adaptation, the classic version found in homes and bakeries in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay has a filling made from membrillo, or quince jelly, but it can also be made with sweet potato--dulce de batata, or even with dulce de leche.  Some dough recipes call for a little lemon zest, cinnamon, and Pasta Frola's famous cousin, Linzer Torte, calls for walnuts and plum or raspberry jam.  Written versions of Linzer Torte date from the 1650s, and somewhere along the centuries, what with all the cross pollinations and royal intermarrying of the day, the Linzer Torte likely found its way to Italy, where it was further adapted and dubbed Pasta Frolla.  The version enjoyed in Argentina today was no doubt another of the culinary treasures brought along from the old country, as immigrants settled into their new lives in a far-away land.

In my last post about the iconic pastry, I referenced the quote "La vida no es una Pasta Frola," immortalized by the artist known as Quino in his famed comic strip, Mafalda.  Loosely translated, it means "Life is not a piece of cake".  Truly, life is not easy for anyone--we all have our ups, our downs, and our in-betweens, where we just slog through, busy and tired.   Most of the time, many of us forget to be present.  We forget to enjoy life, appreciate what we have, and especially to take time to love and embrace the people around us in our families and community.

Another way of saying this comes from another quote: "Life is uncertain, eat dessert first!"  With all the slings and arrows life hurls at us every day, not to mention the unexpected life-changing things we all face at some point--it's so important to just pause.  Enjoy something and someone every day.  Let those you love know you love them.  And sit down and break bread together--share and foster culture and community.  Repeat. Make something simple and homemade--like this Pasta Frola.  Life may not be a piece of cake, but it certainly can be delicious!

Pasta Frola with Almonds--Pasta Frola con Almendras

I used almond flour alongside regular flour in this recipe.  While I used Bob's Mill brand, you can easily make your own almond flour by grinding blanched almonds in a clean coffee grinder or  food processor.  The advantage to this would be having a lovely, coarser texture to the nuts to give it a nuttier flavor.  You can also vary the type of nut to include hazelnut or walnut.  If quince jelly is not available, quince paste may be used--simply slice the paste thinly and lay it in a single layer across the bottom crust.

1 cup almond flour

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

about 1 1/2 cups Quince Jelly

 

In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk to combine.  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment,  beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the egg yolk and beat for one minute more. 

On low speed, add the flour mixture in all at once and beat until combined.  Divide the dough in half.  Press the first half of the dough into an even layer into a 9-inch tart ring or springform pan.  Press the edges up about 3/4 of an inch. Roll out the other half on a lightly floured baking sheet lined with parchment paper, into a 13-inch round.  Place both in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes. 

Spread the quince jelly evenly on the chilled dough in the tart ring.  Then, using a fluted pastry wheel (if you don't have one, use a knife--you won't have the zig-zag edges, but that's ok) cut the chilled round of dough into strips about 1-inch wide.  Arrange the strips across the round tart in a criss-cross (lattice) pattern.  Freeze for 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Bake for 40 minutes, rotating halfway through to brown the edges evenly.  Let cool completely before removing the tart ring, and serve in wedges.  The Pasta Frola can keep for three days covered in plastic wrap, but it probably won't last that long!

 

 

Tarta de Ricota--Ricotta Tart

  

I first discovered tarta de ricota at Dün Ken, one of our favorite bakeries in Mendoza.  Since then, I've been working on perfecting my own version at home, and I think I've just about got it down.  

Tarta de Ricota is just what it sounds like--a tart made from ricotta cheese.  It's the Italian cousin of our beloved cheesecake, only without the cream cheese tang.  Like so many recipes, the original has morphed into something unique--different but still delicious, developed by homesick Italian women missing the flavors of the old country.  But that old home fell away with the diaspora--a new home was being built in Argentina.

Argentina's version of the ricotta tart is delicately sweet and mild, smooth and creamy with just a hint of lemon.  (See the recipe notes for possible flavor variations.) It can be served any time of year, but is most often seen on the Easter table.  Ricotta, made from they whey used in cheese-making, was traditionally made in the spring, hence the springtime connection. (At least in the northern hemisphere.)

The origins of this simple pie are ancient--it's been made since pre-Christian times in Italy, during the reign of Constantine the Great. It's rumored that priestesses of Roman goddess Ceres, goddess of fertility and motherhood, mixed ricotta with eggs to celebrate Spring. Swedes enjoy a treat called Ostkaka, an almond-y egg and cheese cake--perhaps a recipe exchange during the time of the Visgoth invasion?  Nuns in a convent in Naples infused their springtime version of ricotta pie with orange blossoms from their garden, and the recipe was later adapted by local bakeries.

From pagan offering to a convent confection symbolizing the Resurrection, from the Easter tables of Naples' rich and famous to modern-day bakeries on the other side of the planet, Tarta de Ricota has had quite a journey, wouldn't you say? Take a bite of history when you make this pie, which is sure to become a tradition of your own!

You may also enjoy Ricotta Pie recipes from Cooking Lessons (a wonderful step-by-step tutorial), Serious Eats, and Foodblogga

 

Tarta de Ricota

 Ricotta Tart 

This is a basic recipe for ricotta tart that can easily be adapted.  It can be flavored with rum or another liqueur, like Grand Marnier, or you can stir in 1/2 cup of golden raisins or golden raisins soaked in liqueur--especially delicious during the holiday season. There are also versions that include finely chopped preserved peaches in syrup, and it would be simple to swap out the lemon zest and juice for orange, or the vanilla for almond extract.  That version would be delicious covered in confectioner's sugar and sliced almonds for a fancy afternoon tea. I've chosen a traditional short-pastry type crust here, the shortbread-style crunch adds a nice texture to the pie.

For the tart shell:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt (or more to taste)

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1 stick unsalted butter

1 egg, separated

2 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Generously butter and flour a tart pan with a removeable bottom.  

In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt, lemon zest, and butter and process until well combined and the mix resembles a coarse sand.  Add in the egg yolk, reserving the white.  Add in the vanilla and the milk, and process until combined and there is a coarse dough.  To make the dough by hand, combine the ingredients as described below using a hand-held pastry blender.

Dump the dough into the prepared pan, and using your fingers, press around the edges and bottom of the pan.  Then using the bottom of a cup, press the bottom into an even layer.  Bake for 15 minutes. Remove, and then brush with the reserved egg white.  Return to the oven for another 15 minutes.  

Meanwhile, prepare the filling.

For the filling:

1 1/2 cups fresh whole milk ricotta cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon rum

1/2 teaspooon vanilla

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon lemon juice

zest from 1 lemon

confectioner's sugar, as needed, to decorate the top

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and using a hand-held mixer, blend at medium speed until smooth.

Remove the crust from the oven.  Pour the ricotta mixture into the tart pan until 2/3 of the way full, and then carefully place in the oven.  Bake for  45-60 minutes, or until the center is set and the filling is light golden, but not brown.

Let cool completely, then refrigerate until cold. Sift confectioner's sugar over the top, using a stencil design if desired.

Transfer to a cake plate and serve, cut in wedges.

 

Celebrating Día del Niño--Dulce de Leche Donuts

The second Sunday in August is a special day in Argentina--it's Día del Niño, or Children's Day.  (This year it was postponed for elections, and was on Sunday the 21st.)

Día del Niño is a day celebrating the fleeting and wonder-filled years of childhood.  I suppose adults on this day may reflect on their own fond memories of youth, but really the day is to celebrate the children in our lives--our own or even someone else's.  On this day of honoring children, kids get a small gift and are told 'Feliz Día!'--they feel important, special and loved just for being themselves!

Esteban woke up to balloons on his chair at breakfast, a little metal lunch box from the Cars 2 movie with a t-shirt inside, and these dulce de leche-filled donuts to eat.  A special boy on this special day deserves a treat for breakfast, don't you think?  (Although in all truth, Papí ate many more of these donuts than Esteban did!)  

These would be wonderful for breakfast not only Día del Niño, but on any day when a little celebration is in order--the first day of school, or a birthday, or to celebrate any kind of pint-sized accomplishment--the winning goal, memorizing that challenging piano piece, or making the grade.  

I adapted the recipe from one for filled donuts I found on my friend Jen's blog, Use Real Butter. Since we live near each other at high altitude I knew this recipe would be a good one for making at a mile high, and it worked out perfectly--thanks Jen!  They were delicious! 

The rest of the day was spent playing--something we all need to slow down and do--young or old.  Even if for a day, we got to celebrate our son and be kids again, ourselves.

 
Dulce de Leche-Filled Donuts

Donas Rellenas de  Dulce de Leche (Rosquillas Rellenas de Dulce de Leche)

 These donuts are wonderful served with coffee for grownups or warm milk for little ones.  They are best when fresh, but will last a day or so in an air-tight container--at least long enought to enjoy as a midnight snack!  They can also be filled with jelly, custard or frosting.

makes a baker's dozen

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1/8 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit)

3/4 cup warm milk (scalded and then cooled) 

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg

heaping 1/4 cup shortening 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 

cooking spray (or butter or vegetable oil, for greasing bowl)

vegetable oil (about 2 cups, for frying)

1 cup dulce de leche

confectioner's sugar, for dusting

 

In a small saucepan, heat the milk just until the boiling point and then remove from heat.  Let the milk cool to lukewarm. Rinse the metal bowl of your stand mixer with warm water (so that when you add in the warm water for the recipe, it doesn't cool the water down).  Add the 1/8 cup warm water to the mixer bowl and dissolve the yeast into the warm water.  Add in the milk, sugar, salt, egg, shortening and 1 cup of the  flour, and then beat on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go, for about 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining flour.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until a smooth dough forms, about two minutes.  Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, and let rise for about an hour, covered, in a warm place, until the dough has doubled in size.

Flour 2 baking sheets.  (Rub with butter or spray with cooking spray, dust with flour and discard the extra flour.) Turn the risen dough out onto a floured surface and roll it out to 1/2 inch thickness. Using a round cookie cutter or the rim of a sturdy juice glass, cut the dough.  Place the cut dough onto the cookie sheets, and repeat the process with the remaining dough.  Let the donuts rise on the floured cookie sheets, covered, until doubled in size, about a half hour or so.

Heat the oil in a fryer, dutch oven or frying pan (if using a frying pan, use about 3/4 cup to start) and prepare a plate lined with paper towels.  Heat the oil to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Slide the donuts a few at a time (I did batches of 4) into the hot oil, and fry until golden on one side (about one minute) before turning over with a spatula.  Fry for about one minute more, and then carefully remove the donuts to the plate to drain.

Once the donuts are fried and cooled, fill a pastry bag with a wider tip with dulce de leche.  Make a small hole in each donut with a sharp, narrow knife, and then use the knife to make a cavity inside the donut to fill with dulce de leche.  Fill the cavity with the dulce de leche, and then dust with confectioner's sugar before serving.  

Rosca de Pascua--Easter Bread Ring--From the Archives

 

With Easter just a few days away, I thought I'd repost my original recipe for Rosca de Pascua, the traditional ring-shaped bread-like cake served in Argentina at this time of year.  Easter marks the end of the Lenten season-- the beginning of which we marked by celebrating the Tres Reyes and eating its signature cake--the Rosca de Reyes--the Rosca de Pascua's cousin.

Next year I'd like to make Rosca de Pascua and finally get around to baking it with the hard-boiled eggs nestled in the top of the ring.  After baking, the real eggs are removed and replaced with life-sized chocolate eggs.

But not this year--my suitcase is laid out on the bedroom floor, steadily being filled with things I'll need to take on my trip to Argentina.  This Easter, we'll be eating Rosca de Pascua at my in-laws' house in Mendoza!  I can't wait to see what homemade treats my suegra Florencia is cooking up for us.

I'm  excited to see how they interpret the holiday in Argentina--what delicious, traditional foods are served, and whether they, like us, dye eggs, hunt for them, and eat truckloads of chocolate.  I'm bringing along some chocolate bunnies from home for the kiddos just in case!

And of course I'll be sharing all my adventures in Argentina with you along the way--stay tuned!

Facebook:Rebecca Caro or the From Argentina With Love group page, and twitter @RebeccaCaro.

 

Rosca de Pascua

Easter Bread Ring

For the Bread:

3 tablespoons yeast

3/4 cup warm water

pinch of sugar

1 lemon, zested

1/2 stick butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 can sweetened condensed milk

1 egg

4 cups flour

1 egg, beaten, to paint the top of the bread

 

For the pastry cream:

2 egg yolks

1 cup warm water

1/2 can sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons corn starch

a dash of vanilla

 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, swish around some warm water to warm the bowl.  Dump the water, then add in the 3/4 cup water, the yeast and the sugar and dissolve.  Let sit for about 15 minutes, until the yeast is risen and bubbling.  Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix the lemon zest, butter, vanilla, 1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk, egg, and beat together.  Add to the bowl of the stand mixer and beat on low speed for 5 minutes.  Add in the flour a cup at a time, mixing to incorporate, until you have added all 4 cups.  You will be left with a sticky, dense dough.  Remove the bowl from the stand mixer, set in a warm place covered with a towel, and let rise for 1 hour.

After the hour is up, punch down the dough and remove it from the bowl.  Put it on a floured and oiled counter top and roll in to a long, even cylinder.  I found it easier to do two smaller cylinders and connect them at either end to make the ring, but you can do it either way.  You can use a buttered and floured ring pan, a bundt pan, or (as we did) a rimmed round pizza pan with an empty 28 oz. can in the center.  (Empty the contents of the can first, clean out, remove both ends and the label.  Butter and flour the part of the can that will touch the dough)  Lay the cylinders of dough out on the pan to form a ring.  Cover with a towel, set in a warm place, and let rise 2 hours more.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Start the pastry cream--heat the egg yolks, water, sweetened condensed milk and corn starch in a small sauce pan over medium heat, stirring constantly.  As the mixture gets hotter and comes to a boiling point, stir more rapidly.  As it starts to thicken, remove it from heat.  The consistency should be like a pudding, not thick enough to stand on its own.  Stir in the vanilla.

Spoon the pastry cream onto the top of the ring of bread.  It will ooze over the edges, that's ok.  Paint the remaining space of the bread with the beaten egg.  Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until the bread is a nice golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let cool.  Decorate with confectioner's sugar and sliced Maraschino cherries.

Turrón de Avena--Chocolate Oatmeal Wafer Bars

 

 As I've mentioned in previous posts, one of the best things about this blog is the emails I get from readers requesting recipes--I hope that From Argentina With Love is a reference point for those folks who have married into it (as I have), who have traveled to Argentina and fallen in love with it,  for those readers who are the descendants of immigrants from Argentina, and even those who are expats, themselves! 

Not long ago I got just such an email from Alex, requesting a recipe "I used to have as a child when I went to my grandmother's house, but she has passed away and my father (and his family) have no trace of a recipe for it. "