Chingolo or Palomita (chuck tender in the U.S.), is a cut of beef that consists of the entire supraspinatus muscle which lies laterally to the shoulder blade bone. Contrary to what you may be thinking about a cut with tender as part of its name, chuck tender is anything but tender. Slow cooking, as with many other cuts from the chuck, is needed in order to turn that toughness into tenderness. For this cut, braising or stewing is typically the cooking method of choice due to the low amount of fat. However, when properly cooked on a parrilla you will be rewarded with a delicious chunk of meat full of rich beefy flavor.

The dishes in these two photos contain dried parsley (perejil deshidratado) from the same company, Dos Anclas, one of the top manufacturers and distributors of salt, spices, herbs, oil & vinegar, and so on in Argentina. The dried parsley in the first photo was purchased a few months back. The second one, yesterday. Sad, no? [...]

I’ve finally come to the realization that I will probably never catch a salmon or trout using spinning lures. Good riddance. I was never much a fan of that style of fishing anyway. Cast it out, reel it in. Cast it out, reel it in. Wind is another topic. Even with large heavy casting spoons, if the wind is really kicking you’re lucky if you can cast further than 20-30 ft. Then there is location. All of the good spots are either in the middle of nowhere and/or on some private property where you may need permission to fish-by paying or through contacts.

A visitor to this site recently asked for a list of various Argentinean dishes in order to plan a themed New Year’s dinner. Since we are currently doing our own planning for the upcoming holidays, I decided to send a list of what various friends and family have been serving over the years for Christmas and New Year’s. That being said, do not take this as a 100% traditional list. Everyone has their own traditions based on generations and regions. If anyone wants to add anything–something you feel out of place or a different version of what I listed below, let me know.

Like how there is chuck and chuck, there is aguja and aguja. Huh? Let me explain. There is chuck the primal cut which comes from the shoulder area with some of the neck and ribs included and, from this primal cut, there is a section of muscles that form what is called the chuck roll cut. (This section runs above the shoulders, along the back, from part of the neck to where the rib eye cut begins. From the chuck roll you get the roasts or steaks known as chuck eye, chuck, tender, and under blade. At times the chuck roll and its various cuts are simply truncated down to chuck steaks or chuck roasts. The same can happen to other cuts within the chuck primal cut but more often than not they are labeled as their proper names such as blade roast, cross-rib roast, 7-bone roast, etc. Confusing, right?

Are you familiar with those mainstream travel guides that dedicate a few pages to some bars, cafés, and restaurants that are considered authentic representations of a city’s energy and spirit? Well, Gabriela Kogan has taken that concept and wrote a book listing various establishments in Buenos Aires titled, “The Authentic Bars, Cafés, and Restaurants of [...]

I always wonder if I should hold off on posts such as this one. Most of the people who stumble across this site or have the feed plugged into their favorite reader are situated well above the equator. Grills are probably being packed away and many are looking forward to roasts, pasta, stews, chili, soups, or any hearty fare that receive front and center attention during the fall/winter seasons. Yet, here I am, in the middle of spring, writing about grilling up some flower buds that will well-stocked on the local shelves until some point in summer.

Click Here For The Matambre Challenge Overview The Challenger In Round Three Is: Salted Matambre One and a half years have passed since the last challenge and after the long painful process of getting my jaw to once again function properly, through strenuous physical therapy, the time has come for the third Matambre Challenge. For [...]

I finally got my hands on veal sweetbreads from a place is called, “we have to see you as a good customer before you gain access to certain things.” Just kidding, it probably came down to having bad luck on timing or other unforeseen causes. Or not? Most of the people I know say that this is the place to score but, I have always received a polite “no” or ramblings from the butchers about how the ranchers overslept or something. But ever so often, I hear from these same people, who recommend the place, “We had some great mollejas over the weekend, you should have picked some up.” “I tried looking last week but they didn’t have any.” “Oh, but you have to go around this time of the week,” they say. Yeah, well they never seem to have any when I go on those days. Since sweetbreads seem like a hot commodity it was probably bad timing. However, maybe the butchers remember me as the guy who only pops in to ask if the velvety thymus glands are in stock but doesn’t buy anything else. He’s probably loyal to another butcher shop. I’ll just have to start buying their goods to see if that turns things around. Anyway, a friend who is a frequent customer of theirs dropped off four pounds this past weekend while picking up some for himself.

Grilled provoleta is good stuff but sometimes it just isn’t enough to satisfy my melted provolone cheese cravings. With provoleta rellena, or stuffed provolone, you take two tasty slices of provoleta, add a few things such as roasted red peppers, ham, bacon, tomatoes, etc. in between those slices and heat it all up in a dish until the cheese gets all melted and a nice crispy exterior.

A commenter dropped a note on the provoleta page a few months back about a version of provoleta rellena she had in Uruguay that had bacon along with the other usual suspects (ham, roasted red peppers, oregano, chili flakes). Being one who never had provoleta with bacon before, (I don’t know why so don’t ask) I decided to give it a shot this weekend. Bacon and cheese, can it get any better?