From Argentina With Love

Fried Cheese Empanadas--Empanadas de Queso Fritas

As the old adage goes, "patience is a virtue".  Why is a patient person more virtuous than the average person?  Because no one has any patience, or at least patience is something that has to be cultivated, not a natural-born trait.

So often, part of our human nature leaves us with a nagging question in the back of our minds: "What else?" Like, is this...it?  As an American, it seems even more present in my mind--we're focused on success, the perfect house that is always tidy and pretty, the coolest car, the next vacation...and we forget to be happy with all that we already have.  We are doing instead of being.

I often find myself wanting to be in the opposite place of where I am.  If I'm working too many hours, I miss my kids.  We start remodeling, I want it done yesterday.  I seem to want it all, all of the time.  But really, it would be much better if I could enjoy where I am at any given time. We really do have so many choices, attitude being the most important one.

The exception to my impatience is cooking.  It grounds me, makes me slow down and be present in the moment.  I know that each step is an important part of the process.  Each step affects the outcome, which is true with everything--care and patience is required in all things, from painting a wall to writing an article to child-rearing.

Can I claim that cooking makes me a more patient mother?  Maybe not.  But I know that when I'm grounded and centered, I can stop and enjoy little Nora's smile, and Esteban's all-boy busy energy.  The mess and chaos don't seem that important, and neither does the car/house/vacation. 

This empanada recipe is one I featured in my last empanada workshop. What I like best about it, besides the fact that it is amazingly delicious, filled with gooey cheese and fried, is that it comes together rather quickly.  So something that usually seems daunting when you're a little pressed for time, like making empanadas, suddenly seems doable and satisfying.  Perfect for someone who's a little impatient, you might say.

Fried Cheese Empanadas

Empanadas Fritos de Queso

makes 16 empanadas

2 1/2 cups flour

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, softened

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 cup milk

< ¼ cup water

16 oz.  jack cheese (or other, like mozzarella)

About 2 cups vegetable oil for frying

In a food processor, combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and sugar. Add the vegetable shortening into the flour and process until fine. Heat the milk and water in the microwave in separate containers and heat until very hot, about 1 and a half minutes. Pour the hot milk into the flour mixture and process. Add half of the water and process. Add more water (1 tablespoon at a time) if mixture seems too dry/crumbly, or add in more flour if mixture is too wet. When the mixture is combined, remove it from the food processor and turn out on to a floured work surface.  Knead until a smooth, silky and maleable dough is made.

Divide the dough into 16 pieces, and roll each piece into a ball. Let dough rest for 5 minutes, covered with a linen towel so it doesn’t dry out .  Chop the cheese into ½ to 1-inch cubes. Roll each ball of dough into a 4-inch diameter circle. Place 3-4 cubes of cheese in the center of each dough circle.  Fold dough in half over the cheese to form a semicircle. Press down firmly along the edges to seal. Using the twisting repulgue technique, press along the edges to seal.

Heat the vegetable oil to 350 degrees in a deep skillet, pot, or deep fryer. Fry empanadas in batches, turning until golden brown all over. Drain empanadas on a paper-towel lined plate. Optional: dust in sugar before serving. Empanadas can be kept warm in a 200 degree oven for up to 1 hour before serving. Serve warm.

Tip: If your frying oil is too hot, it will cause the dough to open and the cheese to ooze out. Lower temp also ensures nice, melty cheese inside.

 

Tomato Jam--Dulce de Tomate

 

What do you do when your sweet Argentine husband confesses that he's homesick? If you're like me, you find that food--while never being quite like the real thing--brings you pretty close to home. And having that comforting flavor of home in your mouth soothes the homesick beast (even ten years, two kids and a mortgage later) for a little while.

And also if you're like me (sometimes a little loca when I get going on a recipe) you hit the farmer's market on Saturday morning and come home with 25 pounds of tomatoes.  Most of those tomatoes became Dulce de Tomate, and our funky old kitchen became a virtual factory of blanching, peeling, seeding, chopping, boiling and canning. 

Dulce de Tomate was one of the first recipes I posted here when I started out, and I'm embarrassed to admit that since then, I haven't made it even once. As far as the flavors of Argentina go, classics like the alfajor and chimichurri tend to get all the attention, while equally interesting and delicious treats like Dulce de Tomate are the wallflower in the corner.

So with my mother-in-law, Florencia, coaching me via Skype, those piles of tomatoes shrank into candied tomato jam, which found its way into jars and onto our pantry shelves. If you have an abundance of tomatoes this season, Dulce de Tomate is a delicious way to explore one of Argentina's unsung heroes of taste, one that will bring you--or your sweetheart--right back home.

Below is the orginal recipe I posted for Dulce de Tomate with some additional updated notes. 

Dulce de Tomate

Tomato Jam 

This recipe is my mother-in-law, Florencia's. She has lived on a farm almost her entire life, and in her years as a farmer's wife, has canned literally thousands of pounds of tomatoes in one form or other.  Serve the tomato jam on toast or crackers.  It would make a great companion to a cheese course or picadito plate with a dry sparkling white wine.

6-7  lbs.  fresh tomatoes (about 2 dozen)

6 cups sugar

2 cups water

Wash the tomatoes and bring a large pot of water to a boil.  When the water is boiling, submerge the tomatoes for about 20 seconds to blanch them. Remove to a bowl of cold water to stop the tomatoes from cooking.  Peel them, cut in half and remove seeds.  I found that the easiest way to do this is to use a serrated knife to remove the top, then squeeze the skin off from the bottom.  Then cut them in half and squeeze the seeds out or used your finger to pull them out. Chop the tomatoes into large dice.

Weigh them--for every 6 pounds of tomato pulp, you'll need 6 cups sugar and 2 cups water. If you don't have a scale, you can guesstimate--a bag of flour weighs five pounds, so it will be slightly heavier than that. Also, a good rule of thumb for making jam is to do just one batch at a time and avoid the temptation to double the recipe--it doesn't cook as well.

Why removing the seeds is important: Florencia says this is just for looks, since sometimes the seeds turn dark and in general the jam looks prettier without seeds.  However, it's fine, flavor-wise, if the seeds remain, so it's up to you.

Put the 2 cups water and 6 cups sugar in a pot on the stove top.  Stir over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved in the water, making a simple syrup.  When the syrup is at a boil, add the 6 lbs. tomatoes, and cook for 15-20 minutes, lowering the heat to a simmer. Be sure to watch the pot so that it doesn't boil over and it does foam!  The foam can be skimmed off the top.  After 20 minutes, turn the stove off and let the mixture sit for a few hours. Florencia says this is also aesthetic; the dulce de tomate takes on a shinier, more brilliant look if it goes through a cooling and re-cooking process.

After a few hours, re-heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, taking care that it doesn't stick or burn.  Bring it to a boil,  then lower the heat and let cook for 1-2 hours, stirring periodically.  After this time, the tomatoes should have a shininess and transparent look. 

Let cool and then put it into jars.  It can keep for a couple of weeks refrigerated, or can according to the manufacturer's instructions of your canning kit.

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!

 

 

Pionono de Crema con Palmitos--Hearts of Palm and Crème Fraîche Pionono

Americans are masters of 'small talk'.  The weather, the game, politics...quipped to both strangers and friends alike in grocery store aisles or pre-school pick-up.  This superficial conversation allows us to connect with our fellow man and yet remain uncommitted.  In the U.S., 'What do you do?' is a conversation starter, whereas in Argentina, it is considered rude. What to talk about, then, when such topics as work and politics are verboten?

In Argentina, small talk is all about food.

At a family gathering of a close Argentinean friend, I found myself engaged in a conversation about edibles with another guest.  A wonderful topic of chit-chat if there ever was one--avoiding serious topics of conversation to savor something central to everyday life.  Argentineans could talk for hours on the subject of  their favorite foods. Best to save those heavy topics of conversation for when you know someone better!

I had brought with me a tuna and red pepper filled pionono, and the topic turned to pionono and what could be put inside.  The hostess' mother was especially passionate about hearts of palm.  Her favorite recipe called for mayonnaise and chives to be added into the mix.  I thought that sounded delicious, and soon after, started to experiment.

Straight mayo seemed old-fashioned to me--this filling begged to be modernized a little. Something more flavorful than mayonnaise was needed, but sour cream would have overpowered the delicate flavor of the hearts of palm.  Crème Fraîche was the perfect ingredient to add in--fresh yet tangy, but not too strong, alongside a little mayo to make it spread easier.  Homemade mayo is best used here, the lemon juice in it adds a welcome tang.  If you are using store-bought, simply stir in a little lemon juice. 

The perfected version of this pionono was a hit--a neighbor said it reminded her of her mom's artichoke dip served in a bread bowl (remember those!?) and my mom devoured hers.  Guillermo couldn't say anything--not even chat about the weather--his mouth was too full.

Pionono

Pionono (Jelly Roll)

makes one Pionono, serves 8-10 when sliced

The basic recipe for pionono is a classic--the filling can be altered as desired--savory or sweet.

5 eggs

5 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon honey

5 tablespoons flour

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. In a stand mixer, put the eggs, sugar, and honey, and beat on high speed for 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper and grease with butter or spray generously with cooking spray.

After 8 minutes, you should have a fluffy batter. Add the flour in all at once and beat for one minute more, until incorporated. Pour the batter onto the cookie sheet and spread gently with a spatula (you don't want to de-fluff the batter!) Make an even layer covering the cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for 6 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare your filling.

Lay a linen (not terry-cloth) towel on the counter. Sprinkle it lightly with sugar. Lift the parchment paper off of the cookie sheet, and lay the pionono face down on the towel, paper-side up. Carefully peel the corner of the paper off, and continue, careful not to rip the pionono, until the paper has been removed. Carefully spread the filling on the pionono in an even layer covering the entire pionono.  (Fill as below or as desired.)  Roll carefully from right to left (the short side of the rectangle) creating a roulade type roll and slice. Remove the end pieces. Arrange on a plate to serve.

Relleno de Palmitos

Hearts of Palm Filling

one 14 oz. can of hearts of palm (I used Reese brand)

7.5 oz. Crème Fraîche, (about one cup) store-bought or homemade (I used Bellwether Farms brand)

3 tablespoons mayonnaise (homemade or with a squeeze of lemon juice if store-bought)

1/4 cup fresh chives

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

Drain the can of hearts of palm and chop into fine pieces.  Wash the chives and chop them into fine pieces.  In a medium bowl, combine the hearts of palm, mayonnaise, chives, and salt.  Stir well to combine.  If needed, add in a couple tablespoons of milk to thin the mixture to make it more spreadable.  

Spread the mixture across the pionono as directed above, roll, slice and serve.

5 Make-Ahead (and Freeze) Argentinean Favorites

So many of my favorite Argentinean recipes, however delicious, can be rather...time and labor intensive.  Meaning, there is no way they are making it to the dinner table on a weeknight if I'm making it that same day from scratch.  However, making a double batch of something on a weekend and freezing half makes eating our favorites possible, anytime. A little planning makes pulling something from the freezer a great way to eat something delicious and homemade, even on the nights when you can't cook. Below, some of our favorite dishes that are freeze-friendly (any how to freeze them).