From Argentina With Love

Heart-shaped Alfajores for Valentine's Day--Alfajores en forma de Corazon por el Dia de San Valentin

Valentine's Day--you can love it or hate it.  We've all gone through Valentine's Days alone or heart-broken, Valentine's Day days head-over-heels, Valentine's Days spent with girlfriends on the couch watching a weeper or out to dinner ignoring the holiday.  Even earlier, most of us suffered the unforgettable heady yet awkward exchange of Valentines in class. (The one when you're hoping that your crush returns your feelings as you slip your Strawberry Shortcake/StarWars card into the paper bag decorated in class).

In our household, Valentine's Day is always a mixed bag.  One year it was celebrated with a heart-shaped diamond necklace (before marriage and kids), the next it was forgotten altogether.  It's been quasi-celebrated with a quick dinner out while leaving the (then) baby with a sitter, and spent apart while one of us was on a business trip.  And it has also been celebrated with kids--not an over-done, romantic dinner, mind you, but a fun, family celebration, demonstrating as we do in a thousand small ways daily, our love for each other.  We light candles and use little Valentine's napkins, and eat these for dessert.  Esteban loves any occasion to celebrate!

This heart-shaped alfajor is just perfect for that type of casual dinner, whether your sweetheart is 4 or 40 (or 4 months old, as it were).  

I made these to share this weekend with friends for dinner (actually, in a romantic and uncharacteristic moment, the men did the assembly.  It was made with a jar of homemade dulce de leche from our hosts, another American/Argentinean couple, the van Halls.) Esteban's pre-school teachers are also getting a couple, in a decorative bag tied with a red bow.  

So whether you are celebrating the day of 'Amor y Amistad' in grand style, or at home with the family, we wish you the best the day can bring!

Alfajores

This recipe for alfajores is adapted from the book, Argentina Cooks! by Shirley Lomax Brooks

1 3/4 cups flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 pound butter (1 stick) at room temperature

1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)

4 egg yolks, lightly beaten

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 recipe for dulce de leche (or one jar of it)

1 cup grated and sweetened coconut (optional)

Combine flour, salt, sugar and baking soda in a bowl. Cut the butter in with two knives, then mix by hand until well incorporated. Work in the lemon zest and then mix in the egg yolks, egg and vanilla. (Alternatively, you can do this in a food processor, fitted with the dough blade.) The dough will be soft and slightly sticky.  Shape the dough into 2 balls, wrap in plastic, and chill for 2 hours. 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. On a floured work surface, roll out each ball of dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch.  ( I used lots of extra flour to get the dough to be pliable, not too sticky, and easy to cut.) Cut into 2-inch rounds (or use a heart-shaped cutter) and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until done. The cookies will be dry but not brown. 

When the cookies are cool, spread a generous spoonful of dulce de leche in one cookie and top it with another. Press together gently and smooth any squished-out dulce de leche with a pastry knife, or add a bit of extra so the  coconut will have a good smooth surface to adhere to. Roll the seam of each sandwiched cookie in shredded coconut. (I used Bob's Red Mill shredded unsweetened coconut, purchased from Whole Foods.)

 

Candied Squash--Zapallo en Almíbar

A couple of weeks ago, there was a recipe request from Amy for Zapallo en Almíbar that sparked some interesting conversation on the From Argentina With Love facebook page. Katie of the wonderful blog Seashells and Sunflowers provided lots of great information.

Zapallo en Almíbar is a typical Argentinean treat--cubed firm squash jarred in sweet syrup.  It has a crunchy texture outside and a soft texture inside.  Traditionally, Katie explained, Zapallo en Almíbar is prepared using cal viva, or calcium oxide, which gives it that crunchy/smooth texture.  

I did some research on calcium oxide, the caustic solution more commonly known as quicklime. It's combustible and is used in producing cement and whitewash.  It can be used as a weapon and has a phosphorus glow when reacting.  That illumination was used in theatrical productions prior to electricity, hence the term 'limelight'. I decided against ingestion.  

Its cousin, calcium hydroxide (aka slaked lime), is used in tortilla-making during the process called 'nixtamalization'.  Dried corn kernels are soaked in a mixture of slaked lime and water, softening the kernels so that the hulls can be removed and used to make the masa for corn tortillas, tamales, etc. Slaked lime is available at Home Depot, and is used in making plaster, in hair-removal products like Nair (cue 'Who Wears Short Shorts' music now) and in petroleum refining. This could be an alternative to cal viva, but still, I thought I'd skip it.

Katie suggested another alternative, that of using 190-proof alcohol, known as Everclear here in the U.S., to give the squash the desired crunchy texture. She also posted a recipe, which in its wonderful Argentinean fashion, lacks measurements and very specific instructions.

Here's what we ended up doing:  We used Rum.  We didn't get that crunchy texture, but the results were nonetheless delicious. But the crunchy texture is kind of the point of this treat, so I'd still like to try a version using slaked lime and one using Everclear, just to see the difference. I'm on the case, then.  

For now, enjoy this homespun version of Zapallo en Almíbar.  Another little side note: We taste-tested two versions against eachother.  One was a jar of Zapallo en Almíbar we transported back from a roadside vendor in Bowen, and the other our homemade version.  The Bowen version was made by Marta Zacchigna de Molina, but the label provides no ingredient information, so I'm not sure of the type of squash she used, or whether she used cal viva or alcohol.  See the photos below.  I am amazed at the color difference, though I'm not sure the type of squash or the process used in the Bowense version.

Zapallo en Almíbar

Candied Squash

Serve with a tray of meats, cheeses and olives in the late afternoon as a snack, as part of a pre-dinner appetizer, or as a dessert course with fruit, nuts and cheeses.

3 cups firm squash, such as butternut (you can also use kabocha, acorn or hubbard)

600 ML (about 3 cups) light rum

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups water 

4 cups sugar

Peel and seed the squash.  Cut into medium-large cubes, about 1 1/2 inch in size.  In a medium bowl, combine the squash and the rum.  Let soak for 24 hours, stirring occasionally to make sure all the cubes are covered.

Drain the squash, discarding the rum (unless you want to make squashtinis, hee hee).  In a medium non-reactive stock pot, heat the water and the sugar over medium-high heat.  Stir frequntly, and when the sugar is completely dissolved, add in the squash and the vanilla.  Heat to a boil, and then reduce heat but maintain the mixture at a simmer until the squash becomes translucent, about an hour.

Remove the mixture from the heat and let cool completely.  Place the squash in a jar and cover with the syrup and a lid.  Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, or alternatively, can for storage following the instructions with your canning kit.

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.  

Alfajores Mendocinos--Mendoza Style Alfajores

I've eaten my fair share of alfajores, I'll confess that now. Two buttery cookies sandwiched with gooey dulce de leche, then rolled in coconut along the edges, dipped in a bath of white or dark chocolate, or simply dusted in a blanket confectioner's sugar--who among us can resist such a sweet?

But I thought all alfajores were pretty much the same--with more or less the aforementioned combination. That is, until Katie at Seashells and Sunflowers invited a group of bloggers (myself included) to participate in a round up of Regional Alfajores.

As it turns out, every region has its own twist on the traditional alfajor--there are Alfajores Marplatenses from the coastal Buenos Aires province and the area around Mar del Plata--represented by Katie, who followed her sweetheart from the U.S. to Necochea. Aledys, who followed her sweetheart to the Netherlands and writes her blog, From Argentina to the Netherlands, For Love! writes about Alfajores Cordobeses, hailing from her home province of Cordoba. Meag at A Domestic Disturbance is writing about the alfajor from the province of Santa Fe, Alfajores Santafesinos, while Ana from Ana Travels writes about Alfajores de Maicena, and Paula from Bee My Chef (she's also a contributor at Buenos Aires Foodies) made Alfajores Salteños from the province of Salta. Please visit my fellow contributor's blogs to see their delicious riffs on the regional alfajor!

As for the Alfajor Mendocino, in digging around I found a number of unique takes on 'traditional' alfajores. Some were made in a rectangular shape, filled with strawberry jam, some with arrope, a honey syrup, and some dipped in white chocolate--very different from the usual idea of alfajores.

The most typical alfajor from the province of Mendoza is infused with just a hint of anise, filled with sticky dulce de leche, and coated with a sugary meringue called baño blanco. I love the adaptations of this cookie whose origins go as far back as the Moorish occupation of Spain, and I hope you enjoy this version, as well as the regional alfajores of my fellow bloggers!

Alfajores Mendocinos

Mendoza-Style Alfajores

This recipe makes about 2 dozen small (2-inch) or 1 dozen large (3-inch) alfajores. The dough can easily be doubled, and the baño blanco makes enough to cover 4 dozen small alfajores. I made these bite-sized alfajores using the rim of an egg cup, you can use a juice glass or any size round cookie cutter. The dough freezes well for up to 2 months, and the prepared alfajores can be stored in an air-tight container for about a week.

For the cookies:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

a pinch of salt

3 eggs

3 eggs, separated (reserve 2 of the whites for making the baño blanco)

2 tablespoons anisette (anise liqueur)

2 tablespoons of butter, melted and cooled

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup dulce de leche (homemade or storebought)

cooking spray or additional butter for cookie sheets

For the baño blanco:

1/2 cup water

2 cups sugar

2 eggs, whites only

In a medium mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt together. In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, yolks, butter, anisette and sugar. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry, and stir until a uniform dough has been made. Form the dough into a ball (it will be sticky), wrap in saran wrap, and refrigerate for at least a half hour or up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Using cooking spray or butter, grease a cookie sheet. Generously flour a countertop or work surface and roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick. If the dough is sticking to the counter, remove the dough, put down more flour, and roll out the dough again.

Using a round cutter, (egg cup or juice glass also work) cut the cookie rounds out of the dough and put them on the baking sheet. Ball up the remaining dough and repeat the rolling and cutting process until the dough has been used up. If you fill a cookie sheet and put it in to bake and have dough leftover, replace the dough into the refrigerator until you roll it out and bake it. (This keeps the dough from rising too much). Put the cookies in the oven and bake for 10 minutes (maybe 12 minutes if you are making the larger sized cookies.) They should not brown on the bottom or edges, but they should be dry on top when you tap them. Remove to a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Fill a pastry bag with the dulce de leche (or just smear about a teaspoon or more onto a cookie) and pipe a heaping teaspoon of dulce de leche onto one cookie. Place another cookie on top, making sandwiching the two cookies with the dulce de leche in between.

To make the baño blanco, combine the sugar and the water in a small sauce pan and heat over medium-high heat until it reaches a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar in the water, and continue to boil until the sugar syrup thickens slightly, about ten minutes. When spooned, it should be thick enough to create a 'thread' of syrup drizzling back into the pan, but not thick enough to be caramelized.

Meanwhile, beat the reserved egg whites with a beater on medium high speed until they stiffen slightly and are white and fluffy, about three to five minutes. When the sugar syrup is to the right consistency, slowly drizzle it into the bowl with the egg whites, beating continuously. You will have a glossy creamy meringue. It shouldn't be stiff, rather, able to be painted on to the alfajores. Using a pastry brush, paint the outside of the alfajores with the meringue. Set on a cookie sheet or work surface lined with wax paper and let dry for several hours.or overnight. The baño blanco will eventually be a dry crust on the outside of the alfajores.

From the Archives: Pastelitos del 25 de Mayo

 

A couple of years back, I wrote about the tradition of serving pastelitos on the 25th of May.  In that post, I wrote about how my husband, Guillermo, went door-to-door in his little town, selling the puffy little pastries in a sort of rural-Argentina version of the Girl Scouts.   He was trying to raise money to go on a class trip.

Today I bring you the recipe (slightly updated) from the archives for pastelitos, along with a photo from the family archives of Guillermo (the blondie on the left) with his brother Marcos in these rockin' matching applique doggie pantsuits.  I estimate Guillermo to be around seven in this picture--would you have said 'no' if this adorable kid came to your door selling pastries? 

I would have bought two dozen--especially if he had been wearing this outfit!

Today, though the pantsuit is long gone, the tradition of eating pastelitos lives on.  They are simple to make, but they won't last long--the proof being that Guillermo stood around while I was making them asking "Which one is ugly?"

These 'ugly' ones being the rejects that would be styled out of the photo.  He knows he has to wait until 'the blog stuff' is done before he digs in.  Ugly or not--quince filled fried pastry?  Yes, please!

Here, in the photo below, are all the 'pretty' pastelitos.  The not so pretty (though just as tasty) ones are--like the pantsuits and the days of selling pastelitos--are but  a memory.

Next week, in honor of the Argentineans declaring independence (though it took a number of years to achieve it), why not whip up a dozen pastelitos and take your own trip down memory lane?

 

Pastelitos del 25 de mayo

Pastries For May 25th

These pastries are served on May 25, the Constitution Day in Argentina, though they are a popular treat at other times of the year, as well.  Serve as a snack or dessert, or for breakfast with cafe con leche.

1 package La Salteña tapas for Pastelitos, or 24 small squares of puff pastry (the size of square won-ton wrappers) or 24 won-ton wrappers (which don't have the same yummy puff-pastry effect, but get the job done!)

6 0z. quince paste (available at Whole Foods or at most Latin Markets, also called Dulce de Membrillo)

vegetable oil, for frying

small cup of water, for sealing the edges

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

sprinkles for cake decorating

Lay out several  tapas on the counter.  Cut the quince paste into small cubes, about 1/2 inch dice.  Place a square of quince paste in the center of each tapa.  Moisten the area around  the quince paste and also the edges around the square with water using your fingertip.  Take a second pastry square and place it over the first one, press lightly around the quince to create a seal and then around the edges of the square, sealing again.  Take the two diagonal corners over the index finger of each hand and meet them in the center, making a boat shape.  Repeat with the other two corners.  The result is all four corners neatly meeting in the center, much like a wonton.

Heat 3/4 inch of canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Place four of the pastelitos  in, letting the oil bubble, for a couple of minutes each side, until the shell has turned golden brown.  Using tongs, turn the pastries until each side is equally golden.  Remove to a paper-towel lined plate.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the sugar and the water until the sugar has dissolved.  Raise the heat to high and bring the 'almibar' to a boil.  Let thicken slightly, but not brown.  Remove from heat.  Using a spoon, drizzle the syrup over the top of the pastelitos and then sprinkle with colored sprinkles.