From Argentina With Love

Departure Time Radio Show!

 

 

We have a lovely local AM radio station here in Denver that I listen to all the time called Studio 1430.  Their music hearkens back to the era of my grandparents--all their standards are, well, the standards.  It's great background music while I'm in the kitchen--the perfect tunes to croon to as I'm concocting something new.

On Saturdays, the station does a show called Departure Time, where featured guests talk about their travel experiences, tips, and recomendations--and on April 23rd, at 1pm Mountain time, I'll be a guest on the show!  Previous guests have included travel gurus Rick Steves and Rudy Maxa.

Please join me while I talk about Argentina with host Rick Crandall. I'll be dishing up my favorite things about the Southern cone, from wineries to recipes to must-see stops on your own vacation!

You can stream the audio live from the AM Studio 1430 Denver website.  I'll be adding a recorded version of the show to my media page sometime soon.  Thanks for tuning in!

Tarta Pascualina--Easter Spinach Ricotta Pie

 
A couple of years ago, I posted a great recipe for Tarta Pascualina with roasted red peppers that was sent to me by a reader in Washington.  Since this dish is popular in Argentina during this season, I'd share another variation of the recipe.  Pascua is the Spanish word for Easter, so Tarta Pascualina literally means 'Eastertime Tart'.

What makes this dish extra-special is that under the crust, little wells have been made in the filling, and eggs are cracked into each well.  The average Tarta Pascualina has between 6 to 8 eggs per pie, which get cooked inside the filling as the tarta bakes.  When the Pascualina is served, each slice has a cross-sectioned hard-cooked egg in it.

Since Easter is right around the corner, we're eating all the traditional Lent and Easter season foods at our house.  One of the most typical for this time of year is this tart--a Spinach and Ricotta pie--great for observing Lent since it's meatless.  The eggs in the dish make it an obvious choice for Easter, but really, it's delicious with or without the eggs, at any time of year.  Served as a main dish, it can be accompanied by baked sweet potatoes or corn on the cob, served as a side, it can accompany a family barbecue spread as a vegetarian option.

According to Katie of Seashells and Sunflowers, the recipe for Tarta Pascualina dates back to the 16th century, and was brought to Argentina by Italian immigrants from the Liguria region.  Chef Francis Mallmann says that the traditional recipe calls for 33 layers of pastry, representing the number of years Christ lived on earth. 

Today, though, we take a shortcut to make the much faster version of the dish, using pre-made tarta shells and frozen spinach--though of course, these can be done the slow way, too!  As Spring springs, enjoy this eggcentric dish--and save it for another time of year, too.

 

Tarta Pascualina

Eastertime Tart

Serves 6-8

Chard is also used frequently in Tarta Pascualina.  Feel free to use chard or a combination of chard and spinach.

2 tarta shells or pie crusts--store bought or homemade (one package contains 2 shells, available at Latin markets.  Pillsbury pie crusts also work well, and a homemade pie crust is excellent)

2 packages (9 oz.) frozen spinach

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons milk

6-8 eggs

butter, for greasing pan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Defrost the spinach by heating in the microwave or in a pot on the stove top over medium heat.  Heat the spinach to defrost, but do not heat it up too hot.  Let cool before handling. Place the spinach in a linen towel, and squeeze out to drain the moisture from the spinach.  Not until it's totally dry, leave alittle moisture.  In a medium bowl, mix together the spinach, crushed garlic, ricotta, and the mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.  Season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper, and mix well to combine.  Dissolve the cornstarch in the milk, and add the milk mixture to the spinach and cheese mixture and stir well until incorporated.

Traditionally, Tarta Pascualina  is made using a spring-form pan.  However, a regular pie plate also works fine.  Grease the bottom of your pie pan or spring form pan with butter.  Line the bottom of your pie plate or spring-form pan with one of the tarta shells.  Put the filling into the shell.  Make 6-8 indentations in the filling (about one inch apart, and one inch from the edge of the pan) and crack an egg into each indentation.

Cover the pie with the other tarta crust.  Seal the edges by pinching together the two shells with your thumb and forefinger making an indentation, as you would seal an emapanada.  Slice a few vents in the top of the pie.  Optional: brush the top of the crust with beaten egg to give it shine.

Bake for 45 minutes, until the crust has turned a golden brown on top.  Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

De Norte A Sur Article

Earlier this month, Monica Zlotogorski featured me in an article in the Spanish-language newspaper, De Norte A Sur.   Here it is!  Thank you, Monica for featuring me in the article--mil gracias, I am so flattered! If you'd like to read the article, you can download here Download Denorteasurarticle in PDF.

  
 

Empanadas de Vigilia--Camaron Y Espinaca--Lenten Empanadas--Shrimp and Spinach

 

Empanadas de Vigilia are popular in Argentina around Easter--the time when those who observe Lent 'keep vigil' and abstain from the things they enjoy eating and drinking  the rest of the year.  Believers omit these things as a sacrifice, a nod to Christ's sacrifice of his life by crucifixion for our mortal sins--albiet a much smaller one.

Many people take part in the traditional Friday night 'fish-fry' meals held at their local churches here in the US, while in Argentina, cuaresma is a time to lighten up from the usual beef-heavy fare with more vegetarian and seafood oriented dishes.  Personally, I don't mind having an alternative to the meat--I prefer all the variety and flavor that goes along with being vegetarian, or close to it. 

Meatless or almost meatless varieties of empanadas are a delight--in the past I've published versions of my recipes for homemade Tuna and Red Pepper empanadas, Roquefort and Walnut empanadas, empanadas Margaritas (tomato, basil, mozzerella), and Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese empanadas.  Today's version is no exception to my favorite rule of Argentinean cooking:  simple, and made with the things you already have on hand.  Seriously, if you can think of it, you can stuff an empanada with it.  How's that as a cooking rule?

Today I used La Salteña's  'Redonditas' for these empanadas.   The label also reads 'Tapas para Copetin', in case you want to find them them near you.  They're just like the large (4-inch) version of the hojaldre (puff pastry) tapas I usually use, only these are tiny, appetizer-sized (3-inch) tapas.  They come in packs of 24 instead of 12--and since they're bite-sized, these would make the perfect snack, bite before a meal, or canape at an Argentinean-themed party.  I'm guessing you wouldn't even make it all the way around the room with a tray of these!  But then again, maybe it will be like the miraculous loaves and fishes, and you won't run out.  Springtime is a season of miracles, after all!

So whether you celebrate Lent,  are just opting for less meat and more variety in your diet, or need a little something to bring along to your next party--give these delicious seafood and veg empanadas a try!  I promise, you won't even know you're sacrificing a thing!

Facebook: Rebecca Caro or the From  Argentina With Love Group page.  Twitter: RebeccaCaro Email: rebeccatcaro@hotmail.com

 

Empanadas de Vigilia--Camaron Y Espinaca

Lenten Empanadas--Shrimp and Spinach

These would be great with chopped tomato or roasted red pepper added in, too.

Makes one dozen regular-sized empanadas, or 24 copetin-sized ones

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion, diced very small

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup cooked, deveined shrimp, tails removed

3 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1 egg, separated

1 egg, hard-boiled and peeled

1 tablespoon flour

2 tablespoons milk

1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

12 pre-made or homemade tapas or discos for empanadas, or 24 little ones--redonditas

1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Flour, for dusting.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease a baking sheet, or use a non-stick spray.  Hard-boil one egg, if you haven't already.

Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the chopped onion and the garlic to the skillet, and let cook until translucent, about 4 minutes.  Meanwhile, chop the shrimp into small pieces and add to the skillet.  Add the 3 cups of spinach leaves, and cook until wilted, stirring to incorporate.  Add in 1 egg yolk (reserve the white for brushing over the empanadas before baking), the milk, and the flour, and stir together.  Stir in the shredded mozzarella cheese.  You will have a melty cheese, shrimp and spinach mixture.

Peel the hard-boiled egg if you haven't already.  Lay out the tapas six at a time on a clean counter-top, lightly dusted with flour.  Put out a small glass of water for sealing the empanadas.  Place a heaping teaspoon (more if you're using the larger tapas) of the spinach and shrimp filling in the center of the empanada shell.  Add in a small slice of hard-boiled egg on top of the spinach mixture.

Moisten the edge on the top half of the shell with a little water on your finger. Fold the bottom half of the dough up until the edges meet and seal with your fingers by pressing down or pressing together. The empanada should have a half-moon shape.

Use the palms of the hands to pack the filling firmly in the center.  Next, fold the edges with the Repulgue: (Video clip) using your fingertip, fold one corner of the empanada over, pressing down firmly.  Go to the edge again and repeat, pressing firmly each time. Move around the edge of the empanada and you'll get a spiral pattern. You can also use a fork-seal, instead. 

Paint the top of each sealed empanada with the beaten egg so that when they bake, they have a shiny, golden shell. Place the finished empanadas on the baking sheets. Put the empanadas in to bake for 12 to 15 minutes-they should be golden brown on top. Take out and let cool slightly before serving, and eat very carefully while hot!

Buñuelos de Manzana --Apple Fritters

 

My appetite for books is as voracious as the one I have for food--there's nothing I love more than getting into a really good book.  My favorite stories are rich in sensory details--they bring me in with the sights, smells and tastes of the story.

Monica, friend and Uruguayan transplant, recommended The Invisible Mountain, by Carolina de Robertis(also an expat from Uruguay). De Robertis' first novel tells the story of three generations of women living in Montevideo at the turn of the twentieth century.  For me, the book has shades of Chilean author Isabelle Allende's work--a lyrical and engaging writing style, wrapping the highs and lows of the country's political and economic upheaval of the time around the characters' lives.

I couldn't put it down.  And the description of the ordinary, day-to-day things the characters did--eating and drinking--brought the story to life for me.  Two lovers meeting on a park bench and sharing a gourd of yerba mate, or eating fancy bizcocho pastry in an elegant salon gives so much presence to the story that I felt like I was in the room listening in on the conversation.

Likewise, in the humble barrio where most of the story takes place, there is a lot of buñuelo eating going on.  Buñuelos are fritters--fried dough balls with something added in; a sweet like apple or quince paste, or a savory--chard or seafood.  Fritters have a long history in the American South, as well as in South America--but the recipes do vary slightly.  It's likely that the snack has its origins in Spain, but fried dough is on the menu of almost every cuisine in the world, and each culture adds its own flavor variation.

Buñuelos are the type of snack shared with family or intimate friends over a coffee or a mate--good problem-solving food.  It's not fancy company food, and it's not expensive.  It's simple, homemade fare--total comfort food--that can be made, as so many recipes I adore--with the ingredients you already have on hand.  LIkewise, they can be adapted, a little of this and a little of that--no need to run out for a single ingredient; just change it up.  (Don't have apple?  Use banana instead.)

With these apple buñuelos, the apple is shredded, though I found recipes using apples sliced in rounds and battered, or cut in small pieces and mixed in.  The shredded version is light, airy, and only vaguely sweet and appley--though I bet the other versions are just as tasty. 

Invite a friend over, share a mate and some buñuelos and enjoy some good conversation.  Ina book club?  Make The Invisible Mountain one of your selections, and bring a plate of buñuelos to share while you talk about it.  Both the book and the fritters are something you'll enjoy sinking your teeth into. 

 

Buñuelos de Manzana

Apple Fritters

This is a very basic recipe.  It can be adapted as needed for savory (take out one tablespoon of the sugar) or sweet--you can also add more sugar to taste.  Add in whichever filling you like--from banana to quince, some are even filled with pastry cream--the basic batter is very versatile.

Serves four to six (depending on how many disappear into each belly!)

2 cups flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 eggs

3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons oil

2 Granny Smith apples (or any variety you like) peeled, cored and grated

2-3 cups neutral oil (like canola or vegetable) for frying

confectioner's sugar, for dusting

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and two tablespoons oil.  Mix together well, there should be no lumps in the batter.  Stir in the shredded apple until well incorporated.

Meanwhile, heat the 2 cups oil over medium heat.  During the course of the frying, I had to replenish the oil twice during the frying process, reheating the oil each time.  When the oil is hot enough for frying--you can test the heat by dropping a little of the batter into the oil--it should sizzle.

Using a tablespoon or small scoop or ladle, drop some of the batter into the oil, about three or four fritters at a time.  Fry until golden on one side, about two minutes or so.  Flip the fritters and fry on the other side until that side is also golden brown.  The oil needs to eb hot enough for frying, but not so hot that the outside of the fritter gets too brown or fried without the center being cooked.

Remove the cooked fritters with a slotted spoon or spatula to a paper-towel lined plate.  Let cool, then dust with confectioner's sugar before serving.  Serve with coffee or yerba mate.