Pastel de Papas

Pastel de Papas o Pastel de Carne (our version of Shepherd’s Pie)

Shepherd’s pie is a meat pie with a crust of mashed potato.

This dish is my kids’ favorite! Delicious, very easy to make, fast if you have left over mashed potatoes or beef (from your empanadas).

Easy to transport for your next put luck party.

Filling

1 pound ground beef

1 onion

1 green pepper and 1 red pepper

3 hard boil eggs

2 tbsp of butter

¼ cup green olives

¼ cup raisins

1 tsp. crushed red pepper

½ tsp. oregano

Parsley

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Mashed Potatoes

4 big potatoes

1 cup milk

4 tbsp butter

Salt

Instructions

Heat a skillet over medium heat with the oil and butter.  Add onions and peppers. When they are tender, add the beef and cooked through. Add olives, raisins and eggs, salt, pepper, oregano and parsley.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook potatoes and mash them with milk, butter and salt. Set aside.

Coat a 9 by 9 baking pan with cooking spray and layer the mashed potatoes with the beef. First spread the potatoes with a spatula, then the beef, then finish with potatoes. Bake for 40 minutes.

Variations:

You can add a can of tomatoes to the filling or use sweet potatoes instead of the potatoes or add sugar on top of the last layer of potatoes.

It is very good with butternut squash puree too!

Enjoy!

Carola

Carbonada Criolla (Beef and Squash Stew)

With the winter season approaching, and because today I am very cold! I could not think in anything else but “comfort food”; especially those delicious homemade meals my family and I used to eat in the cold winters in Argentina. One of them is the “Carbonada”. I am pretty sure that people in all countries have memories of warm or cold savors that “fill your soul” too.
The name carbonada refers to the cooking method. I was surprised to know that its origin is Belgian, Carbonade, and they made this with beer! Traditionally the stew was cooked on a pot over the flame very slowly until all the logs in the open stove are reduced to ashes, which in Spanish is “carbonizados “.
This beef stew is rather different; sweeten by the fruits and sweet potatoes, also savory, flavorful and meaty.
Serve this stew with rice, a salad, and nice red wine! I like it with crusty bread but most people use corn bread instead.
Carbonada could even be a fun dish for thanksgiving, served inside a whole pumpkin with the tip cut out to make a lid, and adding some pumpkin spices to it!

Ingredients:
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 pounds stewing beef, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 can stewed tomatoes (I don’t like to use cans so I just put some tomatoes in the blender with salt, pepper, basil, oregano and a little olive oil, and don’t forget a little sugar )
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 2 cups beef broth
• 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 white potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 large winter squash, peeled and cubed
• 2 chopped peaches and 2 chopped pears or 7oz. dried raisins
• 1 cup of corn (you can use frozen or just bake 2 ear corn in the oven at 400 for 20’ with salt, pepper and olive oil)
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:
1. In a large pot, sauté the onions, green pepper, and garlic in the olive oil until golden and soft.
2. Add the beef and cook on medium-high heat, turning to brown all sides.
3. Add the tomatoes, beef broth, potatoes, sugar, squash, and fruits , and lower heat to a simmer.
4. Cover and simmer over low heat for one hour. Taste for seasoning, and season with salt and pepper. Add more beef broth if stew seems too thick.
5. Cook for about a half hour longer, until beef is tender. Stir in the corn, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes more.
6. Serves 6 to 8.
Give this a try, I can promise it won’t be the last time you make it!
Other comfort food dishes that I really want to make this month are “Puchero” and “Locro”. Stay tune for these recipes!

Milanesas (breaded beef fillet)

Beside the famous empanadas, my milanesas are gaining popularity among my clients these days. This delicious "comfort food" is the  the most served dish in every home in Argentina. Moreover, all kids will be looking forward to go to a restaurant to order no other than milanesas con papas fritas (French fries).   
Milanesas are made of a thin slice of veal, beef or chicken tenderized and then dipped into beaten eggs, coated with bread crumbs. Served with a squeeze of lemon…fantastic hot or at room temperature.
We eat them in sandwiches or as a dish in different ways: a caballo (on horse) with fried eggs on top, Maryland (ham, cream of corn, roasted red pepper, and fried banana), Napolitana (ham, cheese and tomato sauce).
I recently made milanesas de cerdo (pork) with bread, tomato, lettuce, and of course! Chimichurri for a big party in Downtown San Diego. Guests made their own sandwiches. Delicious, different and economical option for finger food parties.

Milanesa Napolitana

 Chicken Milanesa Maryland

Milanesa a Caballo

The Italian Cuisine in Argentina

In Argentina the Italian imprint is everywhere shaping Argentine culture and character.
It is estimated that up to 25 million Argentines have some degree of Italian descent (up to 60% of the total population) Wow!! The Italo-Argentineans are called “tanos” slang for “Italianos”.

Now, back to my subject: FOOD. Pasta can be found on nearly every restaurant menu in Argentina. Moreover, you will find there as many Italian restaurants as the Mexican's here in southern California. These "Cantinas" are a popular and economical option for fun evenings. Spanish and Italian cuisine inspire every day cooking, and added to the coming cold days here they also inspire me to prepare homemade raviolis.
This week my favorite: Peas Ravioli.

Pea Ravioli by Carola

Ingredients
1 ½ cups of fresh or frozen shelled peas
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lemon zest
12oz whole milk or low fat milk ricotta
Kosher salt, black pepper
2 tbsp. lemon infused olive oil (1 cup of olive oil with the zest of 3 lemons)
24 wonton wrappers

Directions
Heat the oil in a skillet, over medium heat. Add shallot and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the peas and blanch them until just tender. (2-3 minutes)Transfer the peas, shallots, garlic, ricotta, salt and pepper to a food processor and puree.
Put a tsp. of pea mixture in the center of each wonton wrapper. Dampen the inside edges of wonton with water and fold, pinching around the borders to ensure that the ravioli is well sealed or you can make round ravioli topping with another dry wrapper; seal edges and trim using a 3-inch round cutter.
Bring another pot of hot water to a boil over medium heat.
Drop the ravioli in bathes and cook until tender (about 3 minutes). With a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to the lightly oiled serving plate. Drizzle with the lemon infused olive oil and top with few peas and lemon zest.

Fiestas/Parties!

After two weeks of hard work cooking (not complain) I am back to my dear and fun blog. On this post, I just want to “show of” all the great successful parties I cooked for those days. And remember, anything you see in these pictures is home made and fresh. If you like something and live in the San Diego area, just email me with your order!
My first big delivery was for a wine testing limousine party. More than 25 people were eating my empanadas (12 dozen of them) all the way down to Temecula… big success!

The following weekend, a company in Down Town ordered food for 65 employees. It looked like they loved my milanesa sandwiches and the empanadas. The same day I also delivered empanadas and Orzo salad for more than 20 teachers at a private elementary school in Del Mar.

Yesterday night, a soccer team (all adults) had "the pleasure" to taste my food
I cooked "Carne al Vino"; Orzo Salad and "Torta Pascualina".

Of course on Sunday I cleaned all day and got ready to start all over again this week!

I am hoping that my back will handle all this, it was hurting all week long. Two more sessions with my chiropractic and I'll be fine (at least that is what he says)

Chimichurri

There is a fun history behind the foods that we all know and love, I’m having a great time finding these facts and being able to share them with you, enjoy!

History
There are various fanciful etymologies for the word. One story claims that it comes from 'Jimmy McCurry', an Irishman who is said to have first prepared the sauce. He was marching with the troops of General Belgrano in the 19th century, sympathetic to the cause of Argentine independence. The sauce was popular and the recipe was passed on. However, 'Jimmy McCurry' was difficult for the native people to say. Some sources claim Jimmy's sauce's name was corrupted to 'chimichurri', while others say it was changed in his honor.
I also like this story!
The argentinian gourmet Miguel Brascó claims that the word chimichurri originated when the British were captured after England tried to invade the Spanish colony of Argentina. The prisoners asked for condiment for their food mixing English, aboriginal and Spanish (castilian) words. Che-mi-curry stands for "che mi salsa" (dame condimento) or "give me curry". Later "che-mi-curry" corrupted to chimichurri.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimichurri


The Chimichurri sauce is delicious on any meat. The combination of grilled beef and Chimichurri is absolutely delicious! But you can also use it as a condiment for milanesas, as an appetizer served with bread that can be dipped into the sauce. Also makes for a great marinade for fish, poultry, and chicken.

Here is one of my favorite recipes:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Oil
1 cup warm water
1 cup vinegar
1 tsp salt
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1 green onion, chopped
1 small tomato, peeled and seeded, chopped
1 small sweet pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground pepper or chili powder
1/2 tsp ground oregano leaves

All these ingredients should be finely chopped and mixed together in a jar.
Shake the mixture few times during the period of at least 12 hours before using.
There are also many variations on this sauce. There are some that like to use lemon juice instead of the vinegar and with this combination they use thyme. Others prefer to use white onions, or you can use in this recipe 1/2 cup of vinegar and 1/2 cup of wine. The vinegar is also about your taste, you can use white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar (this is the one I use).

Dulce de Leche

Dulce de leche

Like many Argentineans living in this country, I tried to make dulce de leche many times but it was never good enough. After many searches on the internet I found plenty different ways to do our famous Dulce de Leche, easier and better!
Of course you will need patience, but just think about all the things you are going to do with it… spread on a toast, on waffles, for alfajores, filling or topping for cupcakes or cakes, bread pudding, on top of a flan, or just a spoonful! YUMMIE! CAN'T WAIT TO FINISH
…and why not apple and dulce de leche empanadas!

History of Dulce de Leche:

It is said that Dulce de Leche originated in Argentina in 1829 in Cañuelas, province of Buenos Aires. Two opposing forces were on the brink of ending a war. General Lavalle and General Manuel de Rosas came together in order to make a treaty. General Lavalle arrived very tired at the camp of General Manuel de Rosas. Manuel de Rosas wasn’t in the camp at the moment so General Lavalle entered into his tent and took a nap.
While General Lavalle was napping a serving woman was preparing “la lechada” for the camp. “La lechada” is prepared by heating sugar and milk. The woman went to speak with General Manuel de Rosas in his tent, but when she entered she discovered the enemy. She didn’t know about the treaty the two generals were about to make, so she ran to find soldiers.
General Manuel de Rosas arrived moments before the soldiers, and stopped them from waking the sleeping General Lavalle. In the chaos, the woman forgot about “la lechada.”
When she remembered and checked on “la lechada,” she noticed that it had become a dark brown jelly substance. It is said that a very brave and hungry soldier tried the jelly and then dulce de leche was born. Source: http://www.popular-traditional-argentina-food.com/dulce_de_leche/history.html

There are many stories on its origin and it is almost impossible to determine whether Dulce de Leche is an Uruguayan dessert, an Argentinean dessert or from another country. Some years ago, in 2003, Argentina claimed before the UN that the dulce de leche be proclaimed an Argentinean product and Uruguay asked it to be proclaimed a Rio de la Plata product, thus making it clear that the origin is really unknown.
Recipes:

On the stove
• Slowly simmer milk and sugar, stirring constantly.
• Other ingredients such us vanilla extract, may be included.
• Much of the water in the milk evaporates and thickens resulting in dulce de leche.

In the Oven
• Preheat the oven to 425° F.
• Pour one can of sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk) into a glass pie plate or shallow baking dish. Stir in a few flecks of sea salt.
• Set the pie plate within a larger pan, such as a roasting pan, and add hot water until it reaches halfway up the side of the pie plate.
• Cover the pie plate snugly with aluminum foil and bake for 1 to 1¼ hours. (Check a few times during baking and add more water to the roasting pan as necessary, make sure the water is as high as the dulce de leche, otherwise the surface may burn).
• Once the Dulce de Leche is browned and caramelized, remove from the oven and let cool.
• Once cool, whisk until smooth

Double boiler:
• Fill the bottom of a double boiler halfway with water.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium for an active simmer.
• Pour a 14-oz. can of sweetened condensed milk in the top of the double boiler and set it over the simmering water. Don't cover.
• Every 45 minutes, check the water level and give the milk a stir. Replenish the simmering water with hot water as needed.
• When the milk is as thick as pudding and is a rich, dark caramel color, 2 1/2 to 2 hours, remove from heat, cool thoroughly, cover, and refrigerate or use immediately.

With condensed milk:
• Put the can of condensed milk in a deep heavy pot
• Fill the pot with enough water to cover the can by a couple of inches, and let the water simmer for 2 to 3 hours (or 30 to 45 minutes in a pressure cooker)
• Once the can had cooled enough to handle, opened it
Note: It is dangerous to do this on a stove: if the pot is allowed to boil dry, the can will overheat and explode, so be careful and check on it at all times!

In the Microwave
• Empty the sweetened condensed milk into a large microwave safe bowl
• Microwave on medium power for two minutes
• Remove from microwave and stir with a wire whisk. Be careful; the mixture and bowl will get very hot and remain that way throughout the process
• Microwave on medium power for another two minutes
• Remove and stir again
• Microwave on medium-low power for 16 to 24 minutes or until milk turns thick and caramel color, stirring every few minutes

Have fun and tried some of these recipes!

How to make empanada dough

I thought you might enjoy this video

Can I freeze empanadas?

Questions that I been ask often:

Can I freeze empanadas?

No problem. The best thing you can do is to lay the empanadas on a parchment paper or large pan, without touching, and freeze solid. When the empanada is complete frozen you can put them into plastic bags or a plastic container. 

To cook the empanadas, please do not unfreeze them, just place it in a cooking pan, without touching, and cook in a 400F for 15’.

Any frozen Quiche or empanadas will keep up  to 3 months.

One more thing, if you are freezing the beef empanadas do not use hardboiled egg, this will become tough and gummy, making them unpleasant in both taste and appearance.

Empanadas Fanatic - My First Blog

Empanadas are pastry shell turnovers made by folding dough over different types of filling. They are ideal  as “tapas” (snacks/appetizers), finger foods, lunches and meals on the go. Great for big parties-- everybody loves them!
Although their origins have been credited to Spain and Portugal, they are widely common throughout Latin America.

The most popular filling in Argentina is ground beef seasoned with cumin, onion, green olive and raisins and chopped or sliced hard-boiled egg. Empanadas could be baked or fried. Check my side bar for links to many empanadas recipes.

In Bolivia, empanadas usually contain potatoes, peas, carrots, olives or raisins. Bolivians also eat cheese empanadas sprinkled with sugar.

In Peru they make chicken empanadas with rocoto pepper or aji Amarillo.

In Colombia they are made with shredded pork and beef and serve with aji and lime wedges on the side. 

As soon as I tried some of these recipes, I will blog about it.

For now, thank you for visiting my blog.

Carola