Just in time for the 29th--a video with a gnocchi recipe so simple, even a five-year-old can make it! I recently shot a series of technique videos, and in this one, my son Esteban teaches ME how to make Ñoquis del 29. We had a blast shooting this one--I hope you enjoy!
Aren't these emapnadas just mouth-watering? They came from a pizzeria in Buenos Aires on our last trip there, and we ate them in one sitting, while admiring the 'repulgue' code indicating what different fillings awaited us inside. Pretty clever if you ask me. No mysteries, just different seals, along with a small flyer of hand-drawn models to classify each empanada.
Last month, The Oregonian ran a great article by Susan G. Hauser about her empanada obsession. In it, she describes how her love for the stuffed pastry pocket began on a trip to Argentina and returned with her to Portland, where she sought out the best empanada joints in the Northwest and had a lovely chat with Laura Catena. Pretty interesting stuff!
The article includes recipes for several types of empanadas (including my Humita--corn and roasted red pepper empanada), plus information on dough (store-bought or homemade) and even a link to the original 'replugue' video by yours truly. Nice!
The article is a great introduction to one of Argentina's national foods. If you happen to be in Denver, you can check my schedule page and book a private empanada-making workshop with me or attend one of my classes at the Seasoned Chef (Empanada Workshop is next Tuesday, Oct. 16th!) or at Colorado Free University.
In 2009, when I met Peter Perez of Chronicle Books at the IACP conference he told me that Laura Catena was writing a guidebook to Argentinean wines and wine regions, to be published by Chronicle in 2010. Guidebook is an understatement--Bible of Argentine Wine is a more accurate description--and the wait is finally over!
If you're not familiar with Laura Catena, you'll get a good idea with the video above. It's a lovely introduction to not just Ms. Catena, but also to her book, Vino Argentino. Catena herself inspires me and leaves me in awe. Daughter of Nicolas Catena, owner of the Catena wine empire, Laura herself was educated at Harvard and Stanford and later became an ER doctor in San Francisco. She's also the mother of three, and when she decided to direct her attentions to wine, she started Luca, her own winery, the fruit of her labor for her life's passion--wine. (A side note--Nicolas Catena is to Argentina what Robert Mondavi is to wine-making in the US--he's credited for pioneering high-quality, exportable, and regulated wines.)
Last week I had the chance to pose a few questions to Argentinean director Fabián Hofman, who's poignant film, Te Extraño, will screen at the 2010 Starz Denver Film Festival. The film follows two brothers, adolescent Javier and his older, politically involved brother, Adrian. Based on Hofman's real life story during Argentina's military dictatorship of the 1970s, the plot takes a turn when Adrian, like 30,000 others during the 'Dirty War', disappears.
A special thanks to Sr. Hofman for agreeing to this interview. (Follows in Spanish)
Perhaps as you read this you may be wondering what the three Argentinean films (plus one American film about soccer) have to do with a blog about Argentinean recipes.
I mentioned in my previous post that I did some work for the Starz Denver Film Festival this year, screening films and writing program notes. But beyond that, I find that watching films are a wonderful way to learn about culture, language and even the thoughts and mannerisms of a country's people. I was lucky enough to get to watch a number of wonderful independent films this fall, so I urge you, even if you don't reside in Denver, to check out the lineup on the SDFF's website. (And that goes for films from any culture--the festival's featured country this year is Iran, which has produced some unforgettable entries that are included in this year's festival!)
