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?

There was an interesting little piece in the Wall Street Journal’s Weekend Journal this past weekend about Argentinean and Uruguayan barbecue titled, “Love and Barbecue,” by Katy Mclaughlin. To sum it up, the author describes her transformation from being one who would admonish those who cooked a steak past medium or who grilled inferior cuts to a lover of the Argentinean style of barbecue. Although Mclaughlin only had to head to Queens to come to these realizations, I had to travel almost halfway across the world.

Before I moved to Argentina I had almost the same ideology that Mclaughlin once had. I too couldn’t see why anyone would want their steaks cooked over medium. With the flames that shot out of the grills I previously cooked on, steaks would have burned to a crisp if they were cooked for more than a few minutes each side. Same hideous creature would be placed in front of me at a restaurant, if requested well done, and sometimes that happened without making such a request. Roast cuts were meant for slow cooking. If beef ribs came out tough, they didn’t bother me but I didn’t enjoy them either. I have always been a fan of beef jerky so it wasn’t just about toughness.

Crispy churros filled with gooey dulce de leche washed down with creamy rich hot chocolate.

The days of relying on comfort food to get me through the winter is almost over, spring is just around the corner. Right, it was copious amounts of liquor.

The weekend before last I took a little 3 day/2 night trip over to Ushuaia with some friends to meet other friends. I had a plan of putting together a little travel guide based on notes from previous trips and this one, but I’ve changed my mind for now. So, I’ll just post the observations I noted down on the day after I returned.

I wish that I had more photos to display or perhaps a better selection. A snow storm that moved on a day before left some spectacular scenery. Stupidity and overconfidence got the best of me and my camera’s battery died early the next day after arrival. After noticing the low battery warning blink on the screen while taking the first shot, I took as many as I could, as quick as I could, while fumbling through different configurations.

For this surprisingly smooth, yet flavorful, chimichurri, I take some of the fresh ingredients that one might find in their favorite Chimichurri and roast them in the oven. It’s almost like a romesco sauce without the nuts and bread.

Not much of an explanation is needed for these beauties. Note: In Argentina, miga, or translated as crumb, primarily refers to the internal part of bread.

1. Take a super large pullman loaf (pan de miga gigante); white or whole wheat. Height and width average around a sq. foot (30cm x 30cm) and length of about 18in. to 22in. (45cm to 50 cm) in size.

2. Trim off crust so that non of the browned part remains.

3. Cut into thin slices. 1/3 inch (1 cm) thick.