Tortilla Española

(Adapted from Epicurious)

Ingredients:

• ½ cup oil

• 2 pounds (or a little less) boiling potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/3 inch slices

• 2 1/2 cups chopped onion

• 1 tablespoon coarse salt

• 10 large eggs

Directions:

Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and add potatoes, onion, and half of salt. Cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender but not colored, about 30 minutes(?). Drain vegetables in a large colander set over a bowl and cool 5 minutes. Lightly beat eggs in a large bowl. Gently stir in vegetables with 1 tablespoon oil, salt, and pepper to taste.

Return 1 tablespoon oil to skillet and add mixture, pressing potatoes flush with eggs. Cook over low heat, covered, 12 to 15 minutes, or until almost set. Turn off heat and let stand, covered, 15 minutes. Shake skillet gently to make sure tortilla is set on bottom and not sticking to skillet. Invert tortilla onto a large flat plate and slide back into skillet, bottom side up. (Alternatively, especially if top is still loose at this point, slide tortilla onto plate first. Cover it with skillet and invert tortilla back into skillet.) Round edge with a rubber spatula and cook over low heat, covered, 15 minutes more, or until set. Slide tortilla onto a serving plate and serve warm or at room temperature.

Cooks' note: · Tortilla keeps, covered and chilled, 2 days.

My Notes: I made this for Charlotte's going away party. Although I've been happy with the recipe before, it had a skin this time that didn't thrill me (perhaps because I usually finish it in the oven, rather than doing all the tricky flipping?) Regardless, it was gobbled up. Needs more salt, when using Argentine salt.

Restaurant on Gral Flores, Colonia

We ate lunch in Colonia, while spending the day there. It was a bit tricky to avoid tourist traps (Martín is talking incessantly about the U$S 5 hamburger we saw listed at one place). We settled on a place that had reasonable prices and was reasonably busy. I ordered a beer from the tap, which I believe was a Patricia (one of Uruguay's 2 national beer brands), which was good, however it felt smaller than the half liter they advertised. We also ordered pizza, I had hongos on my half.

The mushrooms were marinated, which may have been a good thing due to them coming from a can, but they tasted fairly vinegary. They were also pricey, costing almost U$S 2 for half the pizza. However, eating in Uruguay tends to be cheap and I was dead tired and starving (feeling the first effects of a cold), so I had no real complaints.

Swiss Chard Gratin

I made this, and here is the review I posted:

The recipe was good, however the chard tasted like chard. Given the cream and butter, I hoped for something with a bit more flavor. The topping was salty, I probably won't add salt if I make it again. It was also very labor-intensive. I have other recipes that come together a lot quicker and seem to be a lot healthier.

El Recinto-Empanadas

Diag. 77 e/ Plaza Italia y 6

I went out for empanadas again, this time selecting the small, family owned restaurant around the corner from my house.

The masa was definitely not as good as I'm used to, it was very ordinary-tasting. The fillings were good, I had an acelga (chard) empanada that came with huevo duro, which was good, but typical. I also had the choclo (corn), which came with a cream sauce. I prefer my choclo empanadas without a cream sauce, although cheese can be good. And, I had a cheese and onion. This was also good, but typical. They were $2.25 each. They also had a Roquefort and nuez on the menu, but were out of it when I ordered. I may return if I'm craving a roquefort empanada, but aside from this, La Tercera Docena still wins, which is unfortunate, because I'd prefer to support the mom-n-pop operation. Maybe I will anyway.

Restaurante Beijing

Calle 13 No. 738 e/ 46 y 47

Chinese food in La Plata, what can I say? It was good, the vegetables weren't as Argentine as Wei Mei Xiang and the sauce was tasty, if not a bit strong (sweet and soy sauce-y). They have vegetable eggrolls which I'll have to try next time, as well as some rice curry dishes which look interesting.

I ordered the Tou Fu with vegetables, and the tofu was solid, without being fried, the veggies included lots of carrots and onions...

It cost 10 pesos, but with my addition of brown rice (50 centavos?) will easily make for two meals, being a bargain! (Sadly, the eggrolls are a bit more pricey and will not be so easily justified.)

Follow-up:

5/4/09

Saturday I had the lunch special at Restaurante Beijing, which featured chow mien, a soda, and…egg rolls with sweet and sour sauce!  The chow mien looked fabulous, but was over seasoned, in a pool of heavy sauce.  The egg rolls contained very little filling, and a whole lot of wrapper, with a sweet and sour sauce that looked good, but also lacked flavor.  Their soda choices were coke or sprite.  The food to price ratio was excellent ($13 for more than 2 meals), however, I don’t think I’ll be repeating, as the veggies with tofu were much better.

Butter Flaky Pie Crust

This time, I used the pie crust recipe from Allrecipes, Butter Flaky Pie Crust. A vast improvement on the previous, I think the majority of the problem with this one was due to technique (most obviously, that I was unable to refrigerate it for the full four hours, and instead left it for about an hour). While it tasted pretty good, it wasn't flaky and was quite ugly (I had problems getting it to stretch.)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced
• 1/4 cup ice water

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
2. Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

Some tips to keep in mind next time:

• Try using hands instead of food processor.
• Freeze the butter for 15 minutes, before using
• And/or use a cheese grater to shred the butter.
• Freeze the water a little, until ice crystals form.
• Brush prepared crust with egg whites, if sogginess becomes a problem (it wasn't this time).
• Refrigerate the dough a bit between adding butter and water.
• Rolling out the dough twice may help it stretch.
  

Liverpool

I'm not sure I should be reviewing Liverpool, given the state I was in when we went there--it was after St. Patrick's day festivities, and I was a little embarrassed by my sloppy walking skills.

However...the pizza was good, if pedestrian. I prefer Vizio's, across the street. For 20 pesos, we got a large mozarella with a liter of Quilmes. Not a bad deal, however, we were in no state to drink more Quilmes. Oops. The dinner was followed by a nightmarish hangover, however I'm not holding Liverpool responsible.

Antares--St. Patrick's Day

Ah, Antares. It may be expensive, but for the quality, it's at the top of my list. Jen and I have long disagreed on this, but I think it comes down to this: if you're looking to get drunk, it's not an economical option. If you're looking for a rich, delicious beer, or even a bit more variety than the local cafes, it's fabulous. The food is good, and an interesting change from American pub food.

We went on St. Patrick's Day, as there was a firm pact between Jen and I to avoid Wilkenny, La Plata's "official" Irish pub, and an overpriced bar in its own right (more due to the prevalence of imported beer, but their domestic beer is also overpriced).

Anyway, we made it for happy hour, when they had two half-liters for $13 (pesos)...Jen and I started early, with some liters in the plaza, but still enjoyed ourselves--me, a bit too much!

Tasty Bite's Paneer Makhani

Looking for some comfort food, I delved into a box of Tasty Bites, that my mom sent me for Christmas. I told her I liked the spinach paneer, and since she likes to be more creative than that, she sent me a new one I hadn't tried: Paneer Makhani.

Oops. The sauce was creamy, and lacking in heat upon first inspection. Soon after I realized it was also lacking in overall flavor, and completely uninspiring.

TARTE A LA MOUTARDE (Best of Craigslist)

“This savory tart is filled with tomato slices and a mustard-kissed cheese custard.”

Ingredients::
1 unbaked 9-inch buttery pie shell
1 heaped tablespoon mild Dijon mustard
6 to 8 ounces grated Gruyère
1 shallot, finely chopped
3 firm-ripe tomatoes, sliced
Salt and pepper
3 heaped tablespoons creme fraiche
1 egg, lightly beaten

Instructions::
Preheat oven to 350°. Spread 2 teaspoons of the mustard in pie shell. Sprinkle in half of the cheese, then the shallot. Layer in tomato slices. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven.

Stir creme fraiche to smooth it out, then add remaining mustard and cheese, and the beaten egg. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over tomatoes and return to oven. Bake 15 minutes longer, or until edges of pastry are lightly browned and top of tart is slightly puffy, with golden splotches here and there. Serve warm.

Serves 4

PER SERVING: 480 calories, 19 g protein, 28 g carbohydrate, 33 g fat (14 g saturated), 105 mg cholesterol, 418 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.

My Notes: While the recipe turned out fine, I ran into a couple problems that I'd like to fix before making it again, to see if it can be a truly knock-your-socks-off dish. My pie crust was a tough disaster. I thought my downstairs grocery store had Gruyère, but as they didn't, I used a generic cheese blend. And, I failed to anticipate the creme fraiche, using instead regular cream. I plan to try again in a few days, and see how it goes with these changes.

Foodie415's Tomato Tart Buttery Pie Crust

This recipe had a large error. The amount of liquid to dry ingredients was off (by a lot). I believe it needed to start with 3 times the butter. However, it included an egg yolk, which I haven't seen in any other recipes, so I'm not sure how that affected things.

Regardless, it was overmixed, as I had to keep adding more and more water (before I realized the fault was a lack of butter), and very tough.

Ebony Banana Cake—Craigslist “Best of”

With over-ripe bananas and no pan for banana bread, I searched out some alternatives. Banana pudding sounded interesting, as did banana pancakes, but neither came up with good recipes. Finally, I came across the Ebony Banana Cake, which I'd saved several months back on craigslist, amongst the “best of” posting.

It was simple enough to throw together, after making my own buttermilk and buying a whole bottle of (gold) rum...dark rum and buttermilk seem to be specialty items here. I threw the sugar and rough lemon zest in our mini-food processor, which worked beautifully for creating a fine grate.

The cake got burnt a bit, as everything seems to in this oven. One day I'll learn to gauge temperatures better. I had the dial almost all the way to the low flame. Next time, I guess we'll go for low.

Still, it turned out delicious. I skipped the powdered sugar, and think even with the sugar, it lacks the presentation and wow factor necessary for company, but is a yummy treat to have at home. (I also got more practice with “food pictures.” I'm trying to replace all my internet steals with my own photos.)

10 minutes to prep, 1 hour to bake. 30 seconds to consume.
Makes 1 9-by-9-inch cake

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda (or less)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 very ripe bananas, mashed -- about 11/2 cups
1 cup sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs, beaten
4 ounces (1 stick) butter, melted
1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon dark rum

1. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

2. Beat together bananas, sugar and zest. Slowly add beaten eggs. Slowly add melted butter. Add buttermilk, vanilla and rum.

3. Add sifted dry ingredients, mixing only until just incorporated. Deposit in a 9-by-9 Pyrex baking dish that's been greased with butter or sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake in preheated 325-degree oven, approximately 1 hour.

4. Test center of cake for doneness. Cake will spring to the touch when finished. Cool on a rack. Invert cake when completely cool. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

*My notes: next time I'll increase the rum to 1T, because I think it'd add some more complexity, and possibly add more vanilla.

Artichoke Spinach Dip

Jen had a get-together to show off her new pizza making skills, and I wanted to contribute as well. Appetizer-surfing brought up a fabulous sounding Artichoke Spinach dip. Unfortunately, when I hit the grocery store, I'd already made up my mind, regardless of the $12 peso can of artichoke hearts, $12 peso package of cream cheese, and other cheeses necessary to create this heart-attack inducing ----. It was worth it, but probably won't be appearing again until I get back to the U.S.

Artichoke Spinach Dip

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon salt

pepper to taste

1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a small baking dish.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together cheeses, mayonnaise, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Gently stir in artichoke hearts and spinach.

3. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.
   

4. Bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, until bubbly and lightly browned.

Zucchini Latkes

So, I've been getting an overload of those cute little zapallitos from work, and looking for ways to use them. Zucchini pancakes are a typical fallback, when I get tired of the steamed and sauced versions...

However, I ran across a recipe for Zucchini Latkes, which seemed fairly simple. Quite similar to my pancakes, except I've never made latkes before. And I'd been craving hashbrowns for a while, so the chance to add some potatoes sounded promising. I wasn't about to hunt down matzo in Argentina, with a bunch of bread crumbs in my pantry, so I subbed those.

They also really needed a sauce, so I mixed up some mayo with a few drops of sriracha, and ended up with a fabulous dish!

Zucchini Latkes
Adapted from Food & Wine

Makes about 4 dozen 1 1/2-inch latkes

1 pound medium zapallitos
1 large baking potato (3/4 pound)
1 small onion (4 ounces), peeled
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying

1. Halve the zucchini crosswise. Cut the zucchini flesh off the seedy center and coarsely grate it in a food processor. Or grate it on a box grater until you reach the seedy center. Discard the center. In a food processor or on a box grater, coarsely grate the potato and onion. Transfer the grated zucchini, potato and onion to a colander and squeeze dry. Let stand for 2 minutes, then squeeze again. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a large bowl. Add the matzo meal, egg, lemon juice, salt and pepper and stir to combine.

2. In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until shimmering. Drop packed teaspoons of the zucchini mixture into the skillet and flatten them with the back of a spoon. Cook the latkes over moderately high heat until the edges are golden, about 1 1/2 minutes; flip and cook until golden on the bottom, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining zucchini mixture, adding more oil to the skillet as needed.

Make ahead: The fried latkes can be kept at room temperature for up to 4 hours. Reheat them on a dark baking sheet in a 375° oven for about 5 minutes, or until warmed through and crisp.

Cambalache

Parilla, 60 e/ 23 and 24

We arrived at 10:15, but our whole party didn't make it until 10:45 or so. While we got a bottle of wine for the wait, the waitress seemed to have lost interest in us by the time we were all together. We were able to place our orders around 11:15, and ready for another bottle of wine around 11:45. Our food finally came out around midnight. I'm not sure I was really in a place to review it after all the wine, as my attention was more focused on the french fries that continually sailed past our table than the food, but...

It's a parilla, and everyone else ordered meat (none of it came with fries). I got big raviolis stuffed with ricotta, walnuts, olives, and another cheese (mozzarella?)...topped with pesto, although they had a house sauce that also looked fantastic (I wasn't sure how it'd combine with the ravioli). I finished the plate with no issues, and used some bread to soak up the remaining pesto, and truly believe it was a great meal, although I can't be 100% sure. The restaurant was full, which is always a good sign. The recommendation came from Mary Andrews, as it is a favorite of one of her bosses. Prices were reasonable, the pasta was about 20 pesos, with another 10 for the sauce, our wine was about 20/bottle. Cubiertos were 2 pesos.

Restaurant Wei Mei Xiang

Chinese Restaurant, diag. 74 e/ 6 and 7

I ordered the veggie eggrolls with sweet and sour, and a vegetable chow mein, Neither were particularly impressive. The eggrolls had too much dough, with little filling and the sweet and sour sauce just wasn't the bright orange, gooey type I was hoping for. While there was nothing wrong with the chow mein, it also failed to impress. Mostly noodles, with a smattering of typical Argentine vegetables, it felt very pedestrian. Some bok choy or little corn would have made a big difference, but alas, maybe the bok choy is nonexistent here and the corn an American addition? Either way, I think the veggies with tofu is the way to go here.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Meal 1: crackers and cheese, coffee

Meal 2: honeydew

Meal 3: cheese raviolis with a pesto-y/fresh tomato sauce. Pear.

Meal 4: Frutigrans, coffee...

Wednesday, March 4, 2009 w/ Tercera Docena

 Meal 1: ww bread w/ hummus, coffee

Meal 2: yogurt, honeydew

Meal 3: vegetable soup with bread and tomato salad, half peach

Meal 4: cafe con leche, 2 medialunas

Meal 5: grilled cheese, Patagonia beer—the grilled cheese was lacking, maybe some mustard or something next time would help? Pesto? And sadly, the beer, which was double the price of Quilmes was not up to the task of providing a beer with double the gusto.

Meal 6: 4 empanadas from La Tercera Docena—a total accident, as I didn't realize until after I'd paid for four that they must have doubled me up on something. I got two cheese and corn, which definitely weren't needed. They were good, but combined with the humita and chard and cheese, it was way too rich. Next time, 2 empanadas (humita and acelga) and a healthy side of veggies would be a more satisfying order. I checked on the souffle empanadas, and they are cooked in beef fat, as Martín indicated. =(

Update: I gave the pizza a try.  It was good.  The mozzarella is a deal, at 12 pesos for a large, however, the one I chose was pricier (still a good deal), but all their pizzas only come in large, and I just don't have the self-control to handle that!  Vizio's is still my top choice.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Meal 1: ww bread w/ hummus, coffee

Meal 2: yogurt, honeydew

Meal 3: tomato salad, hb egg, bread

Meal 4: hummus w/ ww bread, pastries

Meal 5: Vizio's pizza, wine

Monday, March 2, 2009

Meal 1: coffee, crackers and peanut butter

Meal 2: yogurt, honeydew

Meal 3: zapallito revuelto, tomato salad, bread

Meal 4: crackers with hummus (tahini-less hummus)

Meal 5: boiled veggies with peanut sauce. The sauce had too much soy sauce, but was otherwise good. While it didn't taste good on its own, it was great over the veggies. Bon thing for dessert.

Peanut Sauce (Smitten Kitchen)

Directly pilfered from here. Next time I'll decrease the soy sauce, and maybe a bit of water.

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup warm water
1 tablespoon chopped peeled fresh ginger (I subbed 1 tsp. dried)
1 medium garlic clove, chopped
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Asian toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes or a splash of the hot sauce or chili paste of your choice

Purée dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth, about 2 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl. Ya!

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Meal 1: plum, cracker

Meal 2: Leftover pizza

Meal 3: Carrot salad, green beans, vegetable soup (made from caldo and cut veggies with a squirt of Sriracha).

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Meal 1: peach

Meal 2: Gustito helado—bananita dolca, dulce de leche brownie, and strawberry. Very creamy, more like US ice cream than Argentine. Beer.

Meal 3: Carrot salad and green beans, WW pasta with tomato, garlic and parmesan cheese.

Meal 4: Maru's homemade pizzas, wine (lots of wine)—fabulous! A taste of ice cream from La Sorbetiere. Good, although the flavors weren't my favorite. A dulce de leche granitizado with chips of chocolate cereal? supposed rum flavoring, which was undetectable, and a few sorbets that didn't stay with my memory after all the wine. Needs a do-over.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Meal 1: coffee, cheesy polenta

Meal 2: yogurt (Activa, 68 cal), 1 ½ plums (the other half was gross)

Meal 3: Large green salad, bread, orange

Meal 4: 2 choc chip cookies

Meal 5: Green beans

Meal 6: Zapallito revuelto, choc chip cookie, wine

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Meal 1: Green tea (out of coffee!), cheesy polenta

Meal 2: yogurt, peach

Meal 3: more ravioli with chard and salsa blanca—yum! Salad, orange.

Meal 4: choc chip cookies, finished the Irish Cream

Meal 5: Carrot salad, WW spaghetti w/ EVOO and cheese, Lemon-Mustard Green Beans--made with a white onion, seemed like a big hassle to do the onion, although the dressing was good, and would work with many cooked veggies. Wine

Lemon-Mustard Green Beans

Based on a recipe from the cookbook Modern Vegetarian Kitchen by Peter Berley.

In a large pot, bring 3 quarts water to a boil. Add 1 Tbs of salt. Place in a bowl:

* 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

Cover with 2 cups of the boiling water. Cover the bowl with a plate and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes. This will help mellow the onions. Drop into the remaining boiling water, and cook, for 4 to 6 minutes, until crisp-tender, or a tiny bit undercooked (remember they will keep cooking once they come out for a few minutes):

* 1.5 pounds green beans, trimmed

Drain the onions and toss them with

* 1/2 tsp salt (too much?)
* pinch freshly milled black pepper
* 1 Tbs apple cider vinegar

Make the vinaigrette. Whisk together in a large serving bowl until oil is emulsified and creamy:

* 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
* 1/8 tsp cayenne
* 1 small garlic clove, crushed
* 1 Tbs Dijon-style mustard
* 1 tsp honey
* 2 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil

Drain the onions once again, squeezing them dry. Add the onions and the green beans to the vinaigrette and toss well. Let marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Meal 1: Crackers and peanut butter, coffee

Meal 2: peach

Meal 3: Ravioli with chard and salsa blanca

Meal 4: choc chip cookie, mate

Meal 5: yogurt, 2 plums, potato chips

Meal 6: fried rice, corn on the cob, carrot salad, wine, choc chip cookie

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Meal 1: coffee, 2 chocolate chip cookies

Meal 2: yogurt

Meal 3: “pizza” with no cheese, but topped with swiss chard and bechamel, delicious, salad, bites of honeydew and watermelon

Meal 4: Cookie, irish cream liqueur

Meal 5: Cheesy polenta, corn on the cob, carrot salad (dressing with EVOO, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, S&P), wine, cookie

Carrot Salad

4 Carrots, shredded (I have done this by hand, but a food processor sure saves time!)
2 Tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tablespoons of Extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons of Dijon Mustard
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon of dried basil
A dash or two of salt and pepper
Optional: apple, broken hard boiled egg, celery, etc.


Put shredded carrots in a bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl and pour over carrots. Gently toss. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper and extra vinegar and oil, if needed.

You can serve right away, or chill before serving. Beware that the carrots will start losing their crispness if you let it sit to long in the vinaigrette.

Irish Cream Liqueur

1 1/4 cups whiskey

1 (14 ounce) can EAGLE BRAND® Sweetened Condensed Milk (NOT evaporated milk)

1 cup cream

1 cup whole milk

2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

2 tablespoons instant coffee

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

In blender container, combine ingredients; blend until smooth. Serve over ice. Store tightly covered in refrigerator. Stir before serving.

Corn on the cob

1 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pinch onion powder
cayenne pepper to taste
garlic powder to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup butter, softened
6 ears corn, husked and cleaned

1.Preheat grill for medium-high heat.
2.In a medium bowl, mix together the chili powder, oregano, onion powder, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Blend in the softened butter. Apply this mixture to each ear of corn, and place each ear onto a piece of aluminum foil big enough to wrap the corn. Wrap like a burrito, and twist the ends to close.
3.Place wrapped corn on the preheated grill, and cook 20 to 30 minutes, until tender when poked with a fork. Turn corn occasionally during cooking.

Rincon del Sol tinto, $3.19

Good table wine. Not as dry as I prefer, but very drinkable. Great buy for the price.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Meal 1: chamomile tea, coffee, Cheesy Polenta. Chocolate chip cookie (I just had to see how they held up overnight!)

Meal 2: cheese ravioli with tomato sauce, bread, watermelon.

Meal 3: chocolate chip cookies...3? and mate, with Martín.

Meal 4: More fried rice, I'm addicted! Another cookie, some homemade bailey's, wine...it's been a long Monday!

Vegetable Fried Rice

Ingredients:

1-2 eggs, beaten

1 cup cooked rice

1-2 T vegetable oil

1/2-1 cup frozen veggies

Soy Sauce

Sesame Oil

Sriracha

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Scramble the egg in the pan, once it is nearly solid, add rice, then vegetables. Cook, stirring quickly. Add soy sauce. Once vegetables are hot, drizzle with sesame oil. Serve with sriracha.

Cheesy Polenta

Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:
2 c. milk (nonfat)
2 c. broth
1 c. polenta
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
4 oz. oil/butter
4 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:
In a large pot over medium-high heat, mix milk, broth, and salt. Whisk in polenta slowly, to prevent clumping. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and cover. Cook 10-20 minutes, until creamy, lifting the lid and stirring every 3 or 4 minutes to prevent sticking. Remove pot from stove, stir in pepper and butter/oil. Gradually stir in cheese. Serve.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Meal 1: coffee, Cheesy Polenta (I added the cheese after, so I can use the rest of the polenta for other dishes), small apple with peanut butter.

Meal 2: Rice with eggplant

Meal 3: Alton Brown's The Chewy chocolate chip cookies, fried rice, wine. Stuffed!

The cookies were beautiful, I used all-purpose flour instead of bread flour, since that's what I had and unfortunately had to replace all the brown sugar with white. The flavor lacked depth, although I suspect this was the problem. Next time I'll try Toll House, or something simpler and see if it works any better.

Saturday, February 21, 2009 (Pizzeria Bacci)

Meal 1: Pizza from Casa Bacci, Diag. 74 e/ 4 y5

Casa Bacci aims for a thick crust pizza, but their masa is a bit more like an unsweetened cake. Really, it's bread topped with a very light layer of sauce and lots of cheese. Very good, a large cost us $20 (pesos), and was more than Martín and I could finish together. (Typically a large is perfect for the two of us.)

Update: 5/4/09

Tuesday night we went to the original Bacci’s for pizza.  As a large group, we ordered 5 pizzas, with humita, espinaca, and muzarella being the vegetarian options.   Once again, espinaca was my favorite—muzarella just reminds me too much of cheese bread, as they use very little sauce.  The humita had a cream sauce mixed in with the corn, on top of the cheese which was just too rich and lacking a distinctive flavor.  However, the pizza was identical to that served at the Bacci on 74 (which we then had on Saturday night). =P

Meal 2: Pasta with roasted bellpepper, eggplant, and zapallito sauce, shredded cheese. Bailey's.

Meal 3: Giant peach.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Meal 1: Spaghetti with oil and parmesan cheese

Meal 2: peach

Meal 3: Brown Rice Lentil Salad

Meal 4: Brown Rice Lentil Salad

Meal 5: Eggplant over Rice (pilaf)--whipped up by roasting eggplant with leftover Brown Rice Lentil Salad dressing, cooked white rice with garlic and tomato (meant to add parsley, but it was wilted), served eggplant over rice. Good, but nothing to write home about. Inspired by this recipe.

Meal 6: Drinks! 2 Fernet and Cokes, Rum and Coke

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Meal 1: frutigrans, coffee, crackers and peanut butter

Meal 2: yogurt

Meal 3: Zapallito revuelta con huevos, carrots, bread, watermelon

Meal 4: peach

Meal 5: Cerveza and pizza at Juaquinto's. The pizza came with spinach, arugula, tomatoes, and maybe a couple other things—fabulous combination on a good, standard Argentine crust.

Brown Rice Lentil Salad

The first time I made this, it was merely okay, despite the amazing reviews. The second time, I polished off half the recipe during my first sitting!

Brown Rice Lentil Salad

INGREDIENTS

* 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
* 1/2 cup uncooked lentils
* 2 cups water
* 1 bouillon cube
* 1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
* 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onion
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
* 1.5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 1 garlic clove, minced
* 2 teaspoons lime juice
* 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the rice, lentils, water and bouillon to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 40 minutes or until rice is tender. Cool.
2. In a bowl, combine the rice, lentils, tomato, onions and parsley. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Pour over rice mixture; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Meal 1: slice of cheese, fruitigrans (Martín spent the night, day got off to a jumping start=.

Meal 2: coffee, 2 empanadas, coke zero

Meal 3: veggie mix, ww bread

Meal 4: yogurt, plum

Meal 5: Rice and Lentil salad, choc chip cookies (from the supermercado chino, vegetarian and yummy! (and therefore, dangerous), wine

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Meal 1: coffee, crackers and cheese

Meal 2: yogurt

Meal 3: salad, bread, potatoes, cake, coffee

Meal 4: chocolate, chocolate chip cookies

Meal 5: plum, apple with peanut butter

Meal 6: raviolli with oil and cheese, wine

Monday, February 16, 2009

Meal 1: Crackers with cheese and garbanzo spread, coffee.

Meal 2: apple

Meal 3: Salad, potatoes, bread, watermelon

Meal 4: cookies, plum

Meal 5: roasted eggplant, bell pepper, zapallitos, onion and garlic, with tomato, over WW spaghetti with cheese, wine.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Meal 1: crackers with garbanzo spread.

Meal 2: pizza and beer with Jose and Bettina. Random Recoleta place, good pizza, but nothing to rave about.

Meal 3: I had a healthy salad planned, but my roommates were hogging the kitchen making empanadas. And I wanted empanadas too! So, it was time to check out La Tercera Docena, the empanada chain around the corner. I'd heard they weren't good, but after my disappointing experience at Solo Empanadas, I had to see for myself.

For comparison purposes, I tried to order the same combination, but tercera docena doesn't have a typical variety. The only one I could repeat was cebolla con queso. In comparison, the masa was much better--light and flakey, probably containing a lot more fat, but very tasty. The onion filling was neither goopy nor lacking sweetness, I'd have to complain of the opposite. It was a bit too cheesey (if there is such a thing), and the onions were TOO sweet.

I also tried a humita, since this is a common offering, and one I'm familiar with. It was very rich, filled with a white cream sauce, however very tasty. While I'd definitely repeat it, one was enough.

The third empanada, acelga con queso followed the trend. It was very cheesey, but yummy. Repeatable, though probably not too many times. Martin believes all fried empanadas are fried in beef fat, and therefore not vegetarian. If this is the case, La Tercera Docena's veggie options are somewhat limited. Since I usually eat 3 for a meal, I'd have to repeat an acelga or humita. (The only other option was corn with cheese, which I'm guessing wouldn't impress me, given the others.)

However, a salad would be a good accompaniement to two empanadas, and make the decision a bit easier. =P

Wine accompanied the meal, soley due to the richness of the food. ;-)

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Meal 1: Crackers and PB, coffee

Meal 2: pan relleno, plum

Meal 3: raviolli with oil, garlic, and cheese

Friday, February 13, 2009

Meal 1: coffee, crackers with garbanzo spread

Meal 2: yogurt

Meal 3: salads, bread, pear

Meal 4: 2 empanadas de verduras from hotel café, tasty. Crispy, good filling with HB eggs. (2 and 45)

Meal 5: FSD potluck—green salad, pasta with pesto, chocolate mousse, beer and wine

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Meal 1: slice of cheese, spoonful of hummus, 2 pastries from bakery downstairs, a medialuna salada y algo con dulce de leche y azucar en polvo—riquisimas!

Meal 2: yogurt, another medialuna (they're really good, I don't remember being so impressed with this bakery previously)

Meal 3: mashed potatoes, salad, bread, watermelon

Meal 4: spinach and cheese ravioli, with oil and parmesan, wine

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Meal 1: coffee, WW bread with garbanzo spread

Meal 2: granola bar

Meal 3: Spanish tortilla, salad, bread

Meal 4: cookies and coffee

Meal 5: homemade pizza and wine at Sandra's.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Meal 1: coffee, WW bread and cheese

Meal 2: yogurt

Meal 3: Spanish tortilla, beet salad

Meal 4: pastries and mate

Meal 5: pasta with chard, tomato, etc., wine

Monday, February 9, 2009

Meal 1: Crackers and PB, coffee.

Meal 2: strawberry yogurt

Meal 3: potatoes, carrot salad, beet and egg salad

Meal 4: pizza from last night

Meal 5: wine, choc chip cookies, pasta with chard, tomato, etc.

Kentucky (Pizza)

After the River Plate game and a longish walk back to the subte station, we were fried! We headed for the plethora of restaurants in Palermo, and upon exiting the subte station, ran to the first pizza place we saw—Kentucky, boasting the best pizza in Palermo since 1942. The place usually had a good sized crowd of locals, so we decided to give it a try.

Ambiance was typical of a Buenos Aires restaurant/cafe, the Boca Junior's game was blaring in the background, everything was well-lit, and the walls were covered in memorabilia and advertising for everything from Coca Cola to products from the restaurant's early days in the 40's. Jose and I split a liter of Quilmes, which was delicious after being parched in the stands during the afternoon game. We ended up ordering a large mozzarella pizza and a small eggplant pizza, which provided a good quantity of food. The pizzas were perfect representations of the best of Argentine pizza. A thicker, but crunchy crust had a light layer of sauce, and was LOADED with cheese. My eggplants were marinated in a lot of vinegar and not cooked to the silky perfection I prefer, but a good break from the cheesy goodness. However, next time I'd try a different topping. We also split a portion of faína, so Jose and Bettina could try it. It was good, but I think the last one I had was better. Everyone left very satisfied.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Meal 1: Leftover pasta.

Meal 2: Coca cola and a strawberry popsicle at the River Plate game. (Coca Cola was THE ONLY beverage—not even Sprite or water were sold.)


Meal 3: Eggplant pizza from Kentucky and Quilmes.

La Cabrera

When we first arrived in Argentina, my friends and I discovered the gem or La Cabrita, completely by accident. In trying to find more info about it, I was always redirected to La Cabrera, and thus became aware of one of the most famous (touristy) restaurants in Buenos Aires. My curiosity was piqued, and I chose this for a welcome dinner for Jose and Bettina.

We didn't think to make reservations, so the wait was a good hour (maybe more), but we were finally seated outside, amongst the throngs of other tourists, awaiting tables. It was a beautiful night, temperature-wise. They offered typical Argentine dishes, with a creative twist--tenderloin and chicken wrapped in bacon with orange; rib-eye steak with ham, cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes—obviously not a lot of vegetarian options, but we happened to choose two of them, and both were excellent.

A basket of bread was brought with several dips—two were very watery for bread, one with a thousand-island taste, I missed the other. However, the third was slabs of sun-dried tomatoes, and delicious. We also ordered a delicious Malbec, unfortunately I didn't get the details. After glancing at the large portions on the other tables, we decided to forgo appetizers and salads. As it was, entrees started at 30 pesos, and most sides were at least 15 (including a 17 peso plate of french fries!), this would be the most expensive meal I'd eaten in Argentina by a long shot. Table service was pegged at 11 pesos per person (I've never noticed it higher than 4 pesos before).

Jose went with a basic steak (sorry, they're all the same to me), but Bettina was feeling a bit squeamish about meat, so after debating on the chicken, she went for the grilled veggies. As there were no other grilled vegetarian options, and their homemade pastas sounded perfect, I went with the homemade fussilli with sun-dried tomatoes.

Everyone loved their dishes, however, they were each accompanied by about six tiny side dishes, that really threw the meal off the charts! Each was exquisite, there were dishes of squid, baby potatoes, green beans, eggplant escabeche, a pasta/potato salad, garlic in a vinegary sauce, pumpkin puree, mashed potatoes, hummus, a white bean salad, a tomato and red pepper salad, baby onions cooked in wine sauce...incredible! The portions were also enormous, after having the waiter check with his manager (he said normally they were only allowed to package steak to go...?!), I took home the majority of my pasta, accompanied by a few of Bettina's leftover veggies.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Meal 1: coffee, crackers with peanut butter, grapes

Meal 2: leftover pasta, wine

Meal 3: La Cabrera, with Jose and Bettina. =)

Whole Wheat Pasta with Greens, Beans, Tomatoes, and Garlic Chips

(from Cooks Illustrated November 2005)

Serves 4 to 6

CI note: If you can’t find a 13.25-ounce package of Ronzoni, the winner of our tasting, use ¾ pound of a whole wheat pasta of your choice. If you like, pass extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling over the finished pasta. For a vegetarian dish, substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth.

Variation: Spinach can be substituted for the greens. Replace kale or collards with two 10-ounce bags of crinkly-leaf spinach, trimmed, chopped into 1-inch pieces, and rinsed, water still clinging to leaves (about 16 cups), and reducing chicken broth to ¾ cup. After adding second half of spinach to pan, cook for 2 minutes, until spinach is completely wilted. Continue with recipe as directed.

3 tablespoons olive oil
8 cloves garlic, 5 cloves sliced thin lengthwise, 3 cloves minced or pressed through garlic press (1 tablespoon)
Table salt
1 medium onion, diced small (about 1 cup)
½ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
14 cups kale (loosely packed) or collard greens (1 to 1½ pounds), thick stems trimmed, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces and rinsed, water still clinging to leaves
1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 can (14½ ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
¾ cup pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
13¼ ounces whole wheat spaghetti
2 ounces Parmesan cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup), plus additional for serving
Ground black pepper

1. Heat oil and sliced garlic in 12-inch straight-sided sauté pan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring and turning frequently, until light golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer garlic to plate lined with paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

2. Add onion to pan; cook until starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and red pepper flakes; cook, stirring constantly, until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Add half of greens to pan; using tongs, toss occasionally, until starting to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add remaining greens, broth, and ¾ teaspoon salt; cover (pan will be very full); increase heat to high and bring to strong simmer. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, tossing occasionally, until greens are tender, about 15 minutes (mixture will be somewhat soupy). Stir in beans and olives.

4. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in Dutch oven over high heat. Add spaghetti and 1 tablespoon salt; cook until pasta is just shy of al dente. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add greens mixture to pasta, set over medium-high heat, and toss to combine. Cook until pasta absorbs most of liquid, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup Parmesan; adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, passing garlic chips, extra-virgin olive oil, and Parmesan separately.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Meal 1: coffee, WW bread and bean spread, plum

Meal 2: grapes, 2 medialunas dulces 1.70 pesos, Villa Elisa. OK.

Meal 3: Tomato and lettuce salad, yummy beat and HB egg salad, bread.

Meal 4: lentils and rice

Meal 5: cookies and coffee

Meal 6: Whole Wheat Pasta with Greens, Beans, Tomatoes, and Garlic Chips (Cooks Illustrated): This is always a favorite of mine, however I had to do some improvising due to available ingredients. The biggest change was using Sriracha and paprika flakes in place of hot pepper flakes. The asian-esque flavors didn't blend well. I also used regular supermarket olives, which tasted more of brine than olive. Next time I'd omit those two, and maybe add some Tabasco, if needed. I always halve the recipe, and it's always more than enough for several meals. See recipe in separate post.

Michel Torino Seleccion Vino Tinto

$XXX pesos (3?), downstairs supermercado. Good table wine, cheap and sufficient.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Meal 1: Coffee, Crackers with bean spread

Meal 2: grapes

Meal 3: carrot and tomato salad, bread—a weak day for the vegetarian at El Bohio.

Meal 4: lentils and rice, plum

Meal 5: Solo Empenadas ($2.50 each):

• Onion and Cheese: pastry tastes dry, and covers way outside the filling. Filling is kinda goopy, onions don't give enough sweetness.
• Roquefort: Similar pastry problem, disappointing overall. And after the last AMAZING one I had in Gualeguaychu, there's no going back.
• Tomato and Albahaca: the best for last. This left me wanting more, although it may have just been exceptional in reference to the last two.

Wine and chard (felt like I needed a bit more vegetable in my day). Cookies.

Cookies: Carrefour's Galletitas Dulces con Chispas de Chocolate

Seeing as how they're one of the only treats of their type out there, that are made without grasa vacuna, I REALLY wanted to like these. Unfortunately, the masa has little to offer, and the chispas de chocolate are microscopic and far between. Maybe if I get desperate again, I'll give them another shot?

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Meal 1: Coffee, WW bread with bean spread

Meal 2: Yogurt, plum

Meal 3: Beet salad, carrot and tomato salad, bread, melon

Meal 4: Crackers and PB

Meal 5: Spaghetti w/ oil and cheese, cookies, wine

Finca Las Orillas Cabernet Sauvignon

$5.15 pesos, downstairs supermercado. Drinkable table wine, but nothing special. Others are cheaper and tastier.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Meal 1: Coffee, frutigran cookies

Meal 2: vanilla yogurt

Meal 3: Tortilla espanola, carrot and tomato salad, pear compote.

Meal 4: 2 plums, coffee

Meal 5: lentils and rice, wine

Monday, February 2, 2009

Meal 1: Crackers and peanut butter, coffee.

Meal 2: Tocoñato Pepas, good for veggie, jam in shortbread cookies.

Meal 3: Zucchini milanesa, carrot salad, tomato s

alad. One of those days I just love El Bohío!

Meal 4: plum and yogurt

Meal 5: crackers and bean spread, grapes, BEER with Martín, Quilmes Stout and Quilmes Bock

Meal 6: lentils and rice, alfajor

Sunday, February 1, 2009-Gualeguaychú to La Plata

Meal 1: Gualeguaychú bus terminal sandwich—asked them to sub hard-boiled egg for ham on a lettuce, tomato, ham, and cheese sandwich. They did, but also left off the tomato and lettuce and used a TON of mayo. It was difficult to eat, but I was starving and recovering from a hard night, so I forced a good portion down, with a café.

Meal 2: La Plata Feria Pan Relleno: from the stand with all the flavors, butternut squash, onion, and cheese. Yummy, but not very cheesey.

Meal 3: Wine, alfajor de Havanna.

Saturday, January 31, 2009-Gualeguaychú Carnaval!

Meal 1: A few frutigrans, with coffee.

Meal 2: Chard ravioli with tomato sauce.

Meal 3: White wine sangria with french fries. Wine soaked fruit. (Playa Solar del Este, good stuff, affordable)

Meal 4: Chard canneloni with tomato sauce, more beer. Giant Fernet and coke.