From Argentina With Love

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.  

Fresh Herb Gnocchi--Ñoquis de Hierbas Frescas

Today in Argentina people from coast to coast are meeting friends and family over plates of gnocchi (or ñoquis, if you're in Argentina) to celebrate one of my most favorite time-honored Argentinean food traditions--the habit of eating gnocchi on the 29th day of each month.

I recently got an email from reader Socorro in Miami, who reminded me that it's been a long while since I wrote about the traditions of this holiday.

While gnocchi came to Argentina along with the influx of Italians who immigrated to their new home in the early 20th century, the tradition of eating this dish is distinctly Argentinean.  Newly arrived Italians ate gnocchi on the 29th of each month to honor the saint day of San Pantaleon, a Venetian patron saint who healed the ailing and would only take a simple meal (such as gnocchi) for payment.  

Asian Dumplings Book Giveaway! (And Empanada Recipe)

 
 
Andrea Nguyen's family fled Vietnam in the early 1970s with little more than a tattered orange notebook full of family recipes that her mom rescued from their home. The notebook later became the inspiration for Nguyen's James Beard Award-nominated tour de force, Into the Vietnamese Kitchen--the first Vietnamese cookbook published in English.

She followed with the book I'm giving away here today--Asian Dumplings, and has since become a contributing editor at the venerable Saveur magazine, launched the amazing Asian Market Shopper app (which assists shoppers in learning about and preparing Asian ingredients) and authored another book--about tofu--that will be published next year.

But what, you may ask, does this have to do with the food of Argentina? In a word, EMPANADAS.

While I was reading through Asian Dumplings (which is full of all types of delicious filled pockets, dumplings, gyoza, and samosas from all across Asia), I came across Andrea's recipe for Beef, Sweet Potato, and Raisin Turnovers--Empanadas from the Philippines!

The Spanish, with their ever-reaching colonial scope, influenced not just the lands of South and Central America, but the islands of Asia, too, where recipes like this one are popular. This delectable treat would be right at home in Argentina. It's another example of the fusion that happens when people immigrate to a new place and bring their traditions with them. In the case of cooking, it's usually the best recipes that survive and get adopted as local favorites.

Another thing I love about Andrea's work is that she is dedicated to sharing the emotional connection between food and the people eating it, which I hope is one of the most significant elements of From Argentina With Love. So many of my eating experiences in Argentina have been special--and different from those at home--because of that heartfelt connection from kibble to kisser. It's what I think is the thing most worth celebrating, whatever cuisine.

Andrea was kind enough to send me a copy of Asian Dumplings book to share with my readers, and to the winner of today's giveaway, she'll be including a personal message along with the book. Just enter your comment in the comments section below, the winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday, July 13th at 12:00om EST. Us residents only. Good luck!

A note about these wonderful empanadas--the short pastry used here is divine and well worth the effort! It is flakier than the baking pastry used in Mendoza and other regions for baked empanadas, and of course different from the pastry used in fried empanadas.

The fine print: Cover image and recipe from Asian Dumplings by Andrea Nguyen copyright 2009 used with permission, thanks from Ten Speed Press. Thanks also to Andrea Nguyen and Kristen Casemore.

 

Beef, Sweet Potato and Raisin Turnovers

Empanadas

Dough: (You can also use pre-made dough or cut rounds from pie crust if you are short on time)

8 3/4 ounces (1 3/4 cups) bleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon sugar (use 1 tablespoon for a stronger savory-sweet contrast)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons shortening

1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces

one large egg yolk combined with 5 tablespoons water

Filling:

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped yellow onion

1 clove garlic, minced

3 ounces ground beef (preferably chuck)

1/3 cup diced sweet potato (orange-flesh variety preferred)

1/4 cup water 2 teaspoons light (regular) soy sauce

1 pinch of salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons raisins

 

1 large egg, separated

All-purpose flour, for dusting

1. To make the dough in a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt in a the work bowl and pulse 2 or 3 times to combine. Add the shortening and process for 10 seconds to combine. Sprinkle in the butter pieces and pulse 10 to 15 times, until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse crumbs. Break apart pieces larger than a pea. Transfer to a bowl. (Alternatively, put the ingredients in a bowl and use a pastry blender or your fingers in a quick rubbing motion to combine the ingredients.)

Work in the egg mixture, one-third at a time, using a rubber spatula to fold, mash, and press the ingredients together after each addition. When all the liquid has been incorporated, you should be able to press the dough into a ragged mass with the spatula. If not, work in additional ice water by the teaspoon. Transfer the dough to a work surface (no flouring is needed) and very gently knead the dough into a ball. Pat the dough ball into a 5-inch disc. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

2. Meanwhile, to make the filling, heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the onion is translucent and sweet smelling and the garlic begins to turn blond. Add the beef, and use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir and mash the meat into small pieces. Cook for 30 to 60 seconds, until most of it has begun to brown. Add the sweet potato, water, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Stir, lower the heat slightly, and cover. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until the potato is nearly tender; there should still be some liquid remaining.

Uncover, add the raisins, and continue cooking, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute, or until the potato is tender and there is very little liquid left. Remove from the heat and use the spoon or spatula to mash half of the potato and make the mixture cohere a bit. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside to cool completely before using. You should have about 3/4 cup. (The filling can be prepared up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated. Return it to room temperature before using.)

3. If the dough was refrigerated for longer than 1 hour, let it sit at room temperature until malleable. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly beat the egg white and keep it nearby.

4. Unwrap the dough and put it on a lightly floured work surface. Gently squeeze on the dough to elongate it. Roll it into a 12-inch log. Use a knife to cut the log into 12 pieces. (Halve the log first to easily cut even-size pieces. The tapered end pieces should be cut a little longer than the rest.) Loosely cover the dough pieces with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel to prevent drying.

5. Work with half of the dough pieces at a time, keeping the others loosely covered. Use an Asian-style wooden rolling pin to roll each piece of dough into a circle 3 1/2 inches in diameter and just a bit thicker in the center than at the rim. Use a minimum amount of flour to dust your work surface and rotate the circle. Roll from the center outward as you would a basic dumpling wrapper.

Holding a wrapper in one hand, use a spoon to position about 1 tablespoon of filling slightly off-center on the wrapper, pressing down very gently and keeping about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of wrapper clear on all sides. Brush egg white on half of the rim and then bring up the other half to meet it and close. Press with your fingers to create a half-moon, sealing the rim well and creating a half-inch brim. For extra security, use your thumb and index fingers to form a rope edge or press with the tines of a fork. Place the turnover, pretty rope edge facing up, on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining wrappers, spacing them about 2 inches apart, before working on the second half of the dough. Assembled empanadas can be frozen on the baking sheet until hard (about 2 hours), transferred to a zip-top freezer bag, and kept frozen for up to 1 month; partially thaw before brushing with egg and baking.

6. Lightly beat the egg yolk and brush it on the turnovers, taking care to cover the spine. Bake 1 baking sheet at a time for 20 to 22 minutes, until golden brown. Put the baking sheet on a rack and cool for about 10 minutes before eating. Empanadas are great at room temperature, too.

Ñoquis del 29--Gnocchi for the 29th

 

This is why we pinch pennies all year long, spend our limited vacation time from work to visit family on the other side of the planet instead of go to Disney World, and travel from Denver to Dallas to Santiago to Mendoza and then drive three hours to Bowen; transit time: about 24 hours each way.

It's so Esteban can make gnocchi with his abuela, and it's totally worth every sacrifice we make the other 364 days of the year.  Those moments are priceless to us.

On our last visit, we happened to be at my in-laws' house on the 29th--which Argentinaphiles will recognize as 'Ñoqui Day'--the day each month in Argentina that everyone eats gnocchi. 

Florencia, my mother-in-law, cooks in a humble kitchen--no high-tech gadgets (not even a microwave), the same pots and pans and dishes--featuring a ring of interlocking pink roses around the rim--they've always used.  It's not fancy or glamorous, (in fact, I'm always reminded of how well we can live while 'doing without') but the best tasting food is created in that kitchen.  Is love the secret ingredient? 

Maybe.  And a good measure of simplicity--wholesome ingredients, food mixed and made by hand, the recipes made from memory--from years of cooking every day.  But the essence of what makes the meals we eat at my inlaws' house taste so different--tastier--is conviviality--that spirit of sharing a meal--that we miss when we eat a breakfast burrito behind the wheel of our car.  What makes the meals we eat together so special is the time taken, with hands weathered alongside hands small, to make that meal.

And to sit down around the table--Ñoquis, a carafe of table wine, a siphon of seltzer, and literally break bread. 

There's a proverb in Argentina that goes "Panza llena, corazón contento." Or, 'a full belly makes a happy heart'--which to me encompasses just what it is to see my son rolling out gnocchi dough with his grandma, and then sit down, family style--to enjoy the delicious results.  My heart sings, and my belly is full.

 

Make some gnocchi on Sunday the 29th!  Following is the recipe I posted some time ago (at the link above) and here is a link to a recipe for both tomato and pesto sauce.  This recipe makes a plenty of gnocchi--enough for a group (we served 3 hungry men, plus myself last week and still had leftovers) or to freeze.  The freezing process will change the texture of the gnocchi slightly, it's a bit mushier.  The dough can also be frozen, defrosted and rolled out; if you do this, err on the side of less flour in the dough so you can add some more to firm up the texture when you are rolling it out.

(And I'm still working on the facebook icon to go with the twitter one above.  If you haven't already, please join our group From Argentina With Love--get updates, events, and giveaways. Thanks as always for your support!)

Ñoquis del 29

Gnocchi for the 29th

2 lbs. baking potatoes (about 6)

salt

2 eggs

1 cup fresh, good quality ricotta cheese

2-3 cups flour, plus more for dusting

Peel and quarter the potatoes, putting them in a medium stock pot with enough water to cover the potatoes with one inch of water.  Add a scant handful of salt.  Put the potatoes to boil until they are tender when pierced with a fork , but not mushy. Drain the potatoes.

Put the potatoes through a food mill or potato ricer.  In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, eggs, and ricotta, and mix well using your hands or a fork until a consistent dough is formed.  Be careful not to overmix. 

Add the flour a half cup at a time, mixing each time by hand until there is a soft, pliable dough.  The dough should not be sticky, and it should not be hard.  If it's too sticky or soft, the gnocchi will be mushy, but if there's too much flour, the gnocchi will be chewy and tough.  (This is the challenging part!)

Knead the dough a few times until uniform, and divide the dough in half .  Flour a work area, and roll the dough out into a long thin roll about 3/4 inch thick.  Cut these tubes of dough into sections about 1 inch long.  Meanwhile, bring a stock pot of water to a boil. 

There are a variety of ways to 'mark' the gnocchi-all just a style choice, since at this point, they are more or less done.  Here are some suggestions:  Mark an indentation in the center of each gnocchi with your index finger; or roll over the side of a cheese grater to make patterned indentations; or roll over the backside of a fork, or roll over the center of a wooden gnocchi tool.

At this point, the gnocchi can be frozen laid out on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.  After they are frozen, they can be stored in a freezer bag.   Frozen gnocchi are just put into the boiling water like the unfrozen ones.

Drop the gnocchi one at a time into the boiling water. They are cooked when they rise to the top.  Collect with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate.  Serve with the sauce of your choice.  (Some nice choices are walnut Gorgonzola, tomato or white sauce.)

Almacen, Bowen--Bowen Corner Store

On our recent trip to Argentina, we spent several days in Bowen, my husband's tiny hometown in rural Mendoza.  A new corner store opened a couple of weeks ago, offering all kinds of meat for an asado, of course...

 

 ...several types of yerba, pasta, and basics like eggs, flour and boxed wine (for cooking things like pollo con papas)...

 

 ...The store has a really cool 'vintage' refrigerator that's still ticking after all this time.  These 'vintage' things are used out of necessity in Bowen, and not because it's hip.  I love that, because it's a blast into another era; things haven't changed there at all.  There's no need to reclaim these items, because they're still in use....

 

 And here are crates of fruits and vegetables from local producers, packed just as they came off the farms.... 

 
 

This little store has all the essentials--bread and beer.  The other side of the sign was advertising mondongo...Check out the old cars behind the sign!

Hope you've enjoyed your little journey into rural Argentina, and a typical little corner store...