The Old Country...

As my dossier says, I was born in Argentina. (That's in South America, for you geography-impaired types.) Below is a little about my native land and some classic recipes that will give my visitors something to try out in their kitchens.

For those of you who might be interested in learning more about Argentina, there is a wealth of information about the country, its people and culture, available out on the Internet, including many travel guides and tips. (For instance, the Buenos Aires Herald has some great info). Have fun!

I'm American through and through, yet there's still a warm fuzzy place in my heart for the old homeland. Argentina is a beautiful country, rich in resources, with a wide variety of climates and landscapes, and a large diversity of ethnicities. This wry little "recipe" sums up the country's culture fairly well:

Recipe for Making an Argentine

Add in the following order:
- one Indian woman
- two Spanish horsemen
- three Mestizo gauchos
- one English traveler
- half a Basque worker
- and a pinch of black slave

Allow to cook for 3 centuries at low temperature. Before serving, quickly add five Italians, a Russian Jew, a German, a Galician, three-fourths of a Lebanese, and finally a whole Frenchman. Allow to sit for 50 years, then serve. (Source: Argentine website at http://www.middlebury.edu/)

When these diverse cultures brought their cuisines to the country, the mixture created a hodgepodge of European and native dishes. Moreover, because a large part of central Argentina is comprised of huge grazing ranges called pampas, the raising of beef is one of the country's principal industries and beef is a staple of the typical Argentine's diet.

Some say that Argentina is second only to the US as the largest consumer of beef in the world. That's a lot of beef, considering that Argentina only has a population of about 34 million people, compared to the 230 million or so people in the United States! (Source: Argentine website at http://www.middlebury.edu/)

Argentines dine late and there's always a lot of conversation. In fact, the evening meal typically occurs much later than 9:00 PM, even during the week, and can take quite a while to finish. Argentines are big on conversation.

If you ever visit Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, you should visit the area known as La Boca. This is a section of the city near the seaport, where Italians from Liguria first settled. It's a very picturesque district that contains Bohemian studios and warehouses now, but it also offers many pasta houses and pizzzerias. Pastas and Italian food are found on virtually every menu in Argentina. For example, Matambre, a dish that literally means "to kill hunger", is based an Italian recipe of rolled, stuffed flank steak, though wide variations of this dish can be found.

Since beef is such an essential element of Argentina cuisine, churrascorias are also abundant. These are restaurants that serve mainly grilled meat dishes. If you really want to sample a typical Argentine grilled dish, order a parrillada. You'd better be hungry, though, because this is a multi-course meal that typically includes grilled ribs, a variety of succulent steak cuts, sausages, kidneys, and other portions of the steer, as well as salads to balance the meal and cleanse the palate. In some churrascorias, you can even point out spit roasted pork, goat, lamb and beef, to create samplers to suit your tastes. (Source: The Global Gourmet © 1997, electronic Gourmet Guide, Inc.)

Here are some classic recipes from the old country. Variations of these dishes exist from region to region in Argentina, even city to city and household to household. These are the generic versions (Source: The Global Gourmet © 1997, electronic Gourmet Guide, Inc.).

Carbonada Criolla
Serves 8

An Argentine stew with meats and vegetables.

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds stewing beef, in 1-inch chunks
4 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 green pepper, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon oregano, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup white wine
3 baking potatoes, 1 inch dice
3 sweet potatoes, 1 inch dice
2 ears corn, cut into 1 inch widths
2 zucchini or yellow squash, in 1/2 inch dice

Heat oil in heavy pot. Brown beef in batches. Remove from pan and set aside. Cook tomatoes, pepper, onion and garlic until soft. Add seasonings, stock and wine. Bring to boil scraping up browned bits, then return beef to pot with potatoes and sweet potatoes. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in corn and squash. Simmer 10 more minutes, until vegetables are almost fully tender.

Chimichurri Sauce (Argentine BBQ sauce)

You can mince the ingredients by hand or use a food processor, which is faster and easier. There are many variations on this condiment, and it is served principally with parilladas, barbecued steaks and other meats, but will go with just about anything you wish.

1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
1 clove garlic
2 minced shallots
1 teaspoon minced basil, thyme or oregano, or mixture
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and let set for at least 2 hours before serving.

Beef Empanadas (Baked version)

Filling:

1 pound extra lean ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup diced pitted olives
1/2 cup raisins
3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
3/4 teaspoon round cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Pastry:

3-1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspooon salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled well and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
5 tablespoons (or more) cold water

For filling (This can be made in advance and refrigerated until ready to use.):

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the ground beef and brown, breaking up as it cooks. Add onion, raisins, spices and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until ingredients are soft. Cool.

For pastry:

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Cut in shortening and butter until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add enough cold water for the dough to come together and form a ball. Knead until smooth. Let rest 10-15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. On a lightly floured board roll pastry to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 5 to 6 inch cutter, punch out rounds. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the filling in center of each. Add 1 or 2 slices of hard-boiled egg, and 1or two diced olive Fold pastry in half and seal edges, crimping with a fork. Bake on ungreased sheet for 15-20 minutes.

Matambre
Serves 6

This is a variation on the classic Italian rolled, stuffed flank steak. You will need kitchen twine for this recipe.

1 flank steak (about 2 pounds)
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup beer
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 large potato
2 carrots
1 cup green peas
salt and pepper
4 slices raw bacon, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 bay leaf

Marinate the steak in the vinegar, beer, oil, garlic and half the onion for at least 3 hours or overnight. Remove the steak (reserving the marinade) and place between two sheets of plastic wrap. Flatten slightly with a meat pounder, wine bottle or rolling pin.

Using a vegetable peeler, slice the potatoes and carrots into long, thin strips. Remove the top sheet of plastic. Salt and pepper the top side of the beef to taste. Place a layer of potatoes, then a layer of peas and carrots. Roll up the steak, jelly-roll fashion and tie with kitchen twine.

In a heavy Dutch oven or casserole, brown the bacon; when cooked, remove and set aside. In the very hot bacon fat, add the rolled steak and brown on all sides. Return the bacon to the pan with the remaining onions, bay leaf and marinade. Add 1 to 2 cups water, cover and simmer for two hours, turning every 1/2 hour (adding more water if necessary). Taste the broth before serving, adding more seasonings to taste. (Note: you may also use beef or chicken stock, or red wine, or a combination. Some common versions of this recipe also include a sparse layer of sliced hard-boiled eggs along with the other ingredients.)

To serve, slice the roll into 1/2 to 3/4 inch widths each and serve dry or with some of the broth.