Category Archives: Argentina

Rice salad with ham and artichokes

Posted on April 19, 2011 | Leave a comment

Here’s an Argentinian rice salad recipe that I didn’t get around to making in November. Rice, artichoke hearts, corn, and ham are tossed lightly with a dijon mustard dressing. This would be a great picnic salad, it keeps well for a day in the fridge and can be eaten as a main dish or side. The sweetness of the corn is a nice balance to the tartness from the artichokes and vinegar dressing.

Ensalada de arroz con jamon y alcachofas
2-3 c. cooked rice (add a clove of garlic while cooking)
14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
4 oz. canned pimento, drained and chopped
2 c. corn kernels
1 ham steak, cut into strips

Mix together salad ingredients. Whisk together dressing and toss into the salad. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Can also add Parmesan cheese and/or chopped herbs – but wait until just before serving.

Dressing:
1/2 c. olive oil
2 Tbsp. whipping cream, sour cream, or plain yogurt
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
3 Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. sugar

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Posted in Argentina, Salad

Postre Chajá

Posted on November 30, 2010 | Leave a comment

The final dish of my November sojourn into Argentinian and Uruguayan cuisine is Postre Chajá, a dessert unique to Uruguay and famous in that country. And what a way to go out with a bang! The dessert involves a layer of sponge cake or pound cake sandwiched between meringue, berries, whipped cream, and covered with a buttercream frosting. My mom remembers it being frozen and individually-wrapped in tin foil – so that’s what I did, though it can also be made as one large dessert and cut into slices to serve.

There appear to be quite a few variations on the theme, different order and repetition of the layers, and many of the pictures make it look like they have crumbled meringue on the top as well. This is my mom’s recipe that she had used to make chaja once previously, and she specifically remembers having it in Uruguay with strawberries (though many other online recipes mention peaches as the main fruit). I’ll have to try it again when we have nice ripe strawberries or peaches available.  But there was no lack of sugar in the other components, so it balanced out ok even with the less ripe November berries. Here’s what the final frosted product looks like;

Postre Chajá
Meringue:
4 egg whites
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Beat egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form. Gradually add vinegar and 2/3 c. sugar while still beating. Then, by hand fold in the remaining 1/3 c. sugar and vanilla. Trace two large circles or 12 small ones (about 3.5 inches diameter) on a parchment paper lining a baking sheet. Spread the meringue evenly around to make flat circles within your tracing. Bake at 250 degrees for about 30 minutes. This didn’t make a hard meringue in my oven, but I’m not sure if it’s supposed to actually be a crunchy meringue or not. Tasted good, regardless.

Buttercream frosting:
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. water
1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
5 egg yolks
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. brandy

Boil sugar, water and cream of tartar for a couple of minutes until sugar is dissolved and mixture is bubbling well. Beat egg yolks in a mixer, and gradually add the syrup, beating until cool and thickened (about 10 minutes). Add well-softened butter in small portions to the egg yolk mixture while beating. When I got to this point, it wasn’t quite smooth, so I added a bit more powdered sugar to stiffen it up a bit. Then add brandy, and just try not to lick the bowl clean…

Other ingredients:
Pound cake or sponge cake – 6 slices
Strawberries or peaches, sliced
2 c. sweetened whipped cream

To assemble the postre, place 6 of the meringues on a baking sheet and make room in your freezer to place it when you’re finished. Add a cake layer to each meringue. Arrange the fruit over the cake, and top with a large spoonful of whipped cream. Add the top meringue and press down lightly to stabilize the stack, it should stick together pretty well with the whipped cream. Then cover the whole thing with a thin layer of buttercream frosting. Freeze well, then wrap individually in aluminum foil and keep in the freezer.  Remove from the freezer at least 30 minutes before serving so that it can start to thaw and will be easier to slice and serve.

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Posted in Argentina, Dessert

Tarta de Palmitos

Posted on November 29, 2010 | 1 Comment

We’re nearing the end of November, and there are 2 final dishes that I have heard a lot about and wanted to try.  Tarta de Palmitos (hearts of palm tart) from Argentina, and Postre Chaja – a popular dessert from Uruguay (I’ll post about that one tomorrow).

When I started talking to my Argentinian friends about cooking, we looked through some cookbooks together so that they could point out particularly tasty or traditional recipes. When we came to the page with Tarta de Palmitos recipe, both of my friends exclaimed “Que rico!” with much nostalgia in their voices. I don’t remember ever eating palm hearts, much less cooking with them. So of course, I had to try it!

In this dish, hearts of palm are layered in a creamy leek and onion sauce and baked in a buttery crust, topped with Parmesan cheese. Yes – it’s very rich and creamy, usually served as an appetizer or as an accompaniment to soup or salad, much like quiche is served in the U.S.

Tarta de Palmitos
1 Tbsp. melted butter + 1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 c. thinly sliced leeks
1 1/2 c. thinly sliced Vidalia onion
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 c. whipping cream
2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and diced
14 oz. can hearts of palm, drained
9-inch pie crust
1 egg white, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese

Heat the butter and olive oil in a saucepan on medium-low heat. Add leeks and onions and toss around to coat, then cover and cook on low heat for about 15 minutes. Veggies should be cooked and soft, but not browned. Stir in the paprika, salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, mix together the cream, chopped eggs, and cornstarch. Add this mixture to the saucepan and stir it constantly until it thickens up. Remove from heat and set aside.  Drain the palm hearts very well, and slice each one into 8 pieces.

Prick the pie crust with a fork all over the bottom, and blind-bake the pie crust for about 10 minutes at 425 degrees. Brush the bottom of the crust with the beaten egg white.  Spread half of the cream mixture into the crust, then arrange the hearts of palm over the pie. Top with the rest of the cream mixture and spread evenly. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.  Let cool briefly and slice, serve warm.

Adapted from: The South American Table, by Maria Baez Kijac

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Posted in Appetizer, Argentina