I love it when people just drop off gifts when it isn’t a holiday or my birthday. Yeah that sounds bad but hey, why protest? Actually, I need to get on the ball and start returning the favor or else this phenomena might just end.

These were put into my possession the other day and I just had to shout YEAH! Tablas para asado or as I like to call them asadoware. These will replace the dinky little round wooden plates that I’ve been using so far.

Even though I have yet to try La Cabrera at least I can prepare myself for the experience since these tablas are somewhat similar to what they serve their steaks on. Can’t wait to grill up some huge bife de chorizo and try them out.

La Cabrera in photos

http://www.flickr.com/photos/caffeineguy/456199101/
http://flickr.com/photos/pelle/231061376/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/skampy/389482295/
http://flickr.com/photos/aprillynn77/45664848/

A few of the major companies here in Argentina that whip out salt, spices, dried herbs, and seasonings offer ready-made chimichurri dry mixes that only require the inclusion of wet ingredients to create a version of the famed sauce. Now obviously this holds nothing on good ‘ol aged chimichurri that is made with fresh vegetables, herbs, and spices but something of this sort does come in handy at times. Like say a last minute asado is planned and you’re feeling lazy and the produce at the store looks like crap or they don’t have fresh parsley. Dry mix here I come. However, if you are like me and like to experiment around with dry rubs*, this mix works wonders for many kinds of meat and fish.

*Rubs are mixtures, either wet or dry, that you rub or press well into meats or fish before cooking.

Although the commercial chimichurri dry mixes are fine, I’m not too happy with the ingredient proportions, therefore, I prefer to make my own.

Master Mix

1 Tablespoon dried parsley
1 Tablespoon dehydrated onion flakes
1 Teaspoon dried oregano
1 Teaspoon dehydrated minced garlic
1 Teaspoon red chili flakes
1 Teaspoon basil
1 Teaspoon paprika or powdered sweet pimenton
1/2 Teaspoon ground or flaked laurel (bay leaf)
1 Teaspoon salt

Once the master mix is blended together, all what remains is what you want to do with it. Want the mixture to have a finer consistency? Give it a few pulses in a spice grinder or food processor. Grind it into a powder, add more salt, and you’ll have a savory chimichurri seasoning salt. Rub it into meats before grilling or roasting, use with vegetables, sprinkle over pizza before cooking, create chimichurri hamburgers, or add to salads or dressings. Be creative.

Chimichurri Sauce

Use the standard 2-1-1 part measurements of olive oil, vinegar, and water (in that order) along with the master mix to create a quick & easy chimichurri sauce. First add 2 tablespoons each of water and vinegar and allow the mix to rehydrate for about 15 minutes before adding four tablespoons of olive oil. Add more or less liquids in the proper portions to create a zingy marinade or rub.

Now I know this site focuses primarily on Argentina but I think it would be great to mix in a few surprises once in a while from the neighbors. This popular condiment, served throughout Chile, is so good that I would never forgive myself for not letting you know of its existence. I can eat pebre like a soup.

Pebre is like the distant cousin of chimichurri for it is used for all the same reasons-to accompany grilled meats. Although chimichurri improves with time, pebre is best enjoyed somewhat fresh. Needs a little time to mesh the flavors, but since cilantro is a primary ingredient, this really needs to be consumed as soon as possible for full enjoyment. Cilantro, a touchy sensitive herb, loses much of its well known pungent flavor quite quickly after use–in case you didn’t know.

If you are familiar with pico de gallo then you’ll probably notice that pebre is quite similar yet perhaps a little more saucier.

Here’s a recipe that I gleaned from a Chilean friend, yet with few minor quantity modifications. As with chimichurri, everyone has their own special recipe where some ingredients are swapped for others or proportions may vary. Scallions or green onions instead of yellow onions. Wine instead of vinegar, and so on.

2 Tomatoes; peeled and finely chopped(almost into a pulp with the juice)
1 Small Onion; minced
1 Small bunch cilantro*; finely chopped
1 chili pepper; seeded and minced (jalapeño, serrano, etc)
Juice of one lemon
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 Tablespoon water
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Salt to taste
1 Tablespoon chili paste** (optional)

Mix all of the ingredients into a bowl. Allow to sit for at least an hour. Use within a day for maximum flavor.

*Cilantro is a wonderful herb yet many are turned off by it. Has a soap-perfume smell or taste they say. If they don’t like it, too bad, more of this tasty sauce for those who do. Mess around with the quantities to your liking.

**Sold throughout Chile and Argentina, Knorr’s Aji Picante is the chili paste of choice for some versions of pebre. If you can’t find Knorr’s, just substitute with Sriracha (or any thick spicy red chili sauce) although it may add a stronger taste.

For some of us out there in this world, except for a visit to a farmer’s market or specialty store, we really have no idea where exactly most of the food we purchase or consume comes from. Sure, for some items, we may know which town, county, province, state, country, or region but which exact farm or ranch we often have no clue–unless of course the food is labeled as such. Even then, it may be halfway across the country and thus just a name.

I find it fascinating when many of the local stores and large supermarket chains sell products from farms and ranches that are quite familiar to everyone due to their proximity and prominence. Unless of course these places are some nasty operation that you can smell kilometers (or miles) away. If that’s the case they probably bypass selling to the local market and instead to some large conglomeration. Anyway, there is something special with knowing where your food comes from. Even better when you know the tasty stuff is grown or raised almost right down the street.

There are two places just out of town here that provide absolutely fantastic meat and produce throughout part of the year.

Estancia Maria Behety, that deals mostly in all things sheep, provides rich flavorful lamb, and its offal, to many of the local supermarkets, small meat markets, and restaurants. I wouldn’t be surprised if they they are the primary supplier for each of them.

La Misión Salesiana De Rio Grande, also just outside of the city, runs an agrotechnical school where young students learn various aspects of agriculture. With that comes an excellent byproduct of all their hard work: food. Now I’m not sure which or how many stores carry the fruits of their labor when available but I do see some items on occasion at one large supermarket chain: chicken, tomatoes, and sweet peppers. All appear and taste very organic. The deep red, vine-ripened, round tomatoes are absolutely delicious and actually smell like tomato plants–unlike most that are available.

I’ll cover some of the history of these two places–and some bad history that happened between the two– one day at my other site Argentina X

Cold weather! Whoever started the quincho craze here, I thank you.

(Cooked for about 25 minutes per side over a medium fire.)

If it were not for travel guides, acquaintances, or menu translations, I wonder how many first time visitors to Argentina would bypass bife de chorizo thinking it to be some sort of Argentinean sausage version of the hamburger steak. Instead, moving on to other unfamiliar names that for some reason scream beef of which Argentina is famous for and what these visitors want to devour. However, that is not the case and this juicy steak is probably one of the most popular requested parrilla items by visitors and locals alike off of many menus throughout Argentina.

So where did the chorizo part come from? Well, one story offers that the whole cut–where the steaks come from– resembles a chorizo due to its somewhat cylindrical round shape. Any truth to that? I’ll leave that for you to decide.

Like lomo(tenderloin) and ojo de bife/bife ancho (rib-eye cuts), bife de chorizo is one of the cuts of meat that is similarly cut the same elsewhere around the world as in Argentina. It is the same cut as what you may know as top loin, sirloin steak, strip steak, N.Y. strip, and a few others that I can’t think of off the top of my head. The steak of steaks. They are just meant for the grill. Rich, meaty, juicy, and you need a steak knife to cut through it. Because of all this, bife de chorizo acts as a great litmus test for those who care to sample and compare Argentinean beef to the beef they consume in their own locale.

(2 2-inch(5cm) thick bifes, about 1lb(.5 kilos) each)

Buying:

As I mentioned above, there is hardly any difference between bife de chorizo and what are known as sirloin strip or top loin steaks in other parts of the world–if any, it boils down to the trimming of surrounding fat and sinew. Typically bife de chorizos are not as well trimmed, however that is not written in stone. It all depends on what’s popular in your area or what mood the butcher is in.

Avoid those little thin skimpy steaks that come in a plastic-wrapped styrofoam tray–well unless they are really thick. Go to the meat counter or a butcher and ask for at least 2-2.5″ (5-6cm) thick cuts. Come on don’t be cheap, you are trying to replicate those gargantuan bife de chorizos you find in parrilla restaurants. Also, by going to the butcher you can most likely have them leave on a decent layer of that fat on one side.

Cooking:

If you are familiar with grilling steaks you should have no problem here. Unlike many other parrilla meats that need to be cooked nice and slow, bife de chorizos are cooked fast or slow depending on personal preference. Toss them over a hot fire to quickly achieve a rich juicy rare steak with some nice looking grill marks on the outside. Cook slowly over a medium fire to produce a tender medium-done steak with a deep brown somewhat crunchy exterior–although you can also do a near rare steak with this method as well. Just follow the thumb test that I mentioned in the tri-tip post for the level of doneness.

Note:Boneless is the most popular in Argentina but bone-in is offered as well at times.

Today is a day of celebration! You see, I have this habanero plant that has been flowering like you wouldn’t believe for six months but never produced fruits. The weather here is a bit too cold to have it outside so I’ve been trying my luck with it indoors. Proper sunlight throughout the day sucks and I have researched and researched ways to get this sucker to bear fruits. Believe me, I’ve tried everything except high-powered lights to enhance growth. The plant is huge and about a month ago I resigned myself to just watering it with no further inspection. The only idea I had in my head was to put the plant outside next summer to see what would happen. Nothing to lose right?

Well today my father-in-law paid a visit and poked around the plant a bit after noticing so many flowers. Spotted two peppers deep inside that were hidden by the huge leaves. Couldn’t believe I missed them. Hardly anyone here around me knows about the habanero and I’ve been telling them that one day I’ll let them sample one of the hottest peppers in the world. Until now my hopes were ruined. Well the day has arrived! But now that I think about it I might just keep them to myself.

Now unless those wacky scientists down in Antarctica are growing habaneros this may be the southernmost habanero pepper in the world.