From Argentina With Love

Empanadas de Zapallo y Queso de Cabra--Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Empanadas

 

For the last week or so, like most Americans, I've been talking turkey. (gobble, gobble) It's because of Thanksgiving, of course!  Whether you like to cook or just like to eat, food is at the center of the day.  It's either a day one looks forward to (those who are eating) or dreads (those who are hosting).

Now that our son, Esteban, is three, one of my concerns is also trying to incorporate my husband's Argentinean culture into our family celebrations alongside my American one.  It's important to both of us  that both of our backgrounds are honored and that Esteban feels at home in both places. We want him not just to be proud of his lineage, but also to understand the different cultures he comes from--and hopefully he'll have 'the best of both worlds'. 

Martini de Yerba Mate--Yerba Mate Martini

 
Sometimes life throws you lemons.  And if you're an optimist, you make lemonade.  Or, you use the rind of said lemon and use it to make a twist in an awesome martini and wait for things to get better.

One of my favorite haunts when I was in my early 20s is the time-honored Cruise Room at Denver's Oxford Hotel.  It opened the day after Prohibition ended in 1933, and has been open ever since.  A quintessential example of Art Deco design, the Cruise Room was modelled after a bar on the ocean liner the Queen Mary.  Carved panels of cultures around the world saying 'Cheers!' line the walls, basking in dim pink light.

Milhojas de Dulce de Leche--Dulce de Leche Napoleons

 

If you had a dream pantry, what would be in it?  Would you have a few staples in a drawer, or maybe an infinite walk-in closet full of every food product imaginable?  The Perfect Pantry, hosted by the lovely Lydia, is a blog about all the items that would be in that ultimate pantry.  Lydia chooses a product, writes an amazing history of it (I always learn something!) and then makes a recipe with it.  On Saturdays, she does OPP (that's Other People's Pantries, BTW) and gives us a peek into how other folks stock their larders.

Ñoquis de Batata y Albahaca--Sweet Potato and Basil Gnocchi

It's nearing the the end of the month again, and you know what that means in Argentina--time to turn your kitchen into a ñoqui-making factory!  If you haven't yet been charmed by Argentineans way of eating gnocchi every month, this might be your chance to embrace the 'Ñoquis del 29' tradition, because the gnocchi are out of this world--sweet potato and ricotta gnocchi with chopped fresh basil. 

Empanadas de Bufalo--Bison Empanadas

 

You know what they say about variety being the spice of life, and we eat more than our share of empanadas around here, with a variety of fillings. I usually make some variation once a week, whether it's an old standby like Empanadas Mendocinas, or something more atypical. I stock up on pre-made tapas, which makes empanadas an easy week-night meal.