Easter is coming!

Along with every holiday comes a culinary tradition. In Argentina we have the “Rosca de Pascuas” or “Easter bread ring”.
Even though this recipe incorporates many ingredients, it is very easy to make; always turns out delicious; and pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee or a mate!

Rosca de Pascua (Easter Bread Ring)

Dough Ingredients
4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. active dry yeast
1/3 c. warm milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
7 Tbsp. butter, softened [just under 1 stick]

Pastry Cream
2 c. milk
1 whole egg
3 egg yolks
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Other
1 egg
Cherries in syrup
chopped walnuts or almonds

Dough: Dissolve yeast in warm water with a pinch of sugar. Leave it covered, to rise and bubble for 2 hours.
Form a crown with the flour and the salt and add the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, worm milk and the yeast preparation. Work it with your fingers kneading the bun. Once the dough comes together into a ball, turn it out onto a well-floured work surface and knead by hand (the dough will be very sticky). Use up to 1 cup of additional bench flour to knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic and no longer sticks to your hands, about 15 minutes. Shape dough into one large ball (or two smaller ones), and place in a greased bowl, covered with a kitchen towel. Allow dough to rise in a warm place, until it doubles in volume.
Custard: Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, add the flour. Scald the milk in a heavy saucepan (milk should foam but not boil). Slowly incorporate the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to avoid curdling the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan, and whisking constantly, cook over medium heat until it just comes to a boil and thickens. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Transfer the pastry cream to a clean bowl and cool the pastry cream to room temperature.
Punch down the dough and form it into a ball. Place the dough ball on a baking sheet lined with greased parchment or a silicone mat, and make a hole in the center of the ball. Carefully stretch and shape the dough into a ring. Insert a lightly crumpled ball of aluminum foil or an empty tin can in the hole.
Allow the dough to rise in a warm place for about one hour or until doubled in volume.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Decorate the ring with pastry cream. Brush the ring with beaten egg, avoiding areas with pastry cream. Place the candied cherries on top and sprinkle with the chopped nuts.
Bake the ring for about 35 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Rice Croquettes

I love this dish; I have fond and vivid memories of it. Very popular in my family, “croquetas de arroz” take me back to my childhood. These crisp and golden croquettes add fun to a simple dinner like chicken and salad, and they also make a very tasty appetizer…
This is another example of the Italian influence in Argentina.
“Arancini or arancine are fried (or, less commonly, baked) rice balls coated with breadcrumbs, said to have originated in Sicily in the 10th century. Arancine are usually filled with ragù (meat sauce), tomato sauce, mozzarella, and/or peas.”(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arancino)
These croquettes became very popular after Italian writer Andrea Camilleri published a novel titled “Gli arancini di Montalbano” (Montalbano's arancini). In the novel, Inspector Montalbano was known to be a fan of the Arancini’s rice balls.
Arancini’s rice balls are named after the Italian word arancia, which means “orange” – for the look of the rice balls after being deep fried. The recipe was taken from the Arabs who occupied Sicily during the early Middle Age.

You can also add a variety of ingredients such as spinach, corn, ham, chicken, tuna and more. The recipe below is my own twist on my mother’s classic recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients
• 3 cups cold cooked rice
• 2 eggs
• 1 small onion
• 1 jalapeño
• 1 garlic clove
• Olive oil
• 6 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 8 oz. Mozzarella cheese cubed
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg for coating
• Bread crumbs
• Oil, as needed for frying

Preparation:
In a small saucepan add the oil and cook the onion, jalapeño and garlic for 5 minutes.
Place the rice in a bowl and add the grated cheese, chopped parsley, onion mixture and eggs.
Season to taste.
Let the filling cool before assembling the croquettes.
Take some of the rice in one hand and with your finger make a hole in the middle and add the mozzarella cube. Close the mozzarella inside making a rice ball. Dip the balls into the beaten eggs, and then coat with breadcrumbs.

Fry in abundant oil and once ready drain them on absorbent paper and serve hot.

A Friend's Farewell Cake

This weekend we are having a Farewell party for my friend Francisco who is moving to Florida. 20 years ago I made the cake when he became a citizen of this country. He loved it of course! It was a vanilla cake that I decorated with strawberries, blueberries and cream on top creating the American flag. Now I am baking him a cake not to say good bye but to say “you’d better come and visit us often…” I hope that the flavor of this cake will bring memories of his friends in San Diego!

Torta de Dulce de Leche
Dulce de Leche Cake
ingredients:

2 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon unsalted butter
Pinch of salt
6 eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 1⁄4 cups sugar
1⁄2 cup whole milk
1 1⁄2 tablespoon dark rum (optional)
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups dulce de leche (recipes in this blog)

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter and flour a 9”x13” baking pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt (sifted).
Put the egg whites into the bowl of your electric mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed until soft peaks form, while the mixer is still running, add the sugar and continue beating again to soft peaks. Switch from the whisk attachment to the paddle and add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Alternately add the reserved flour mixture and the whole milk, starting and ending with the flour.
Add the rum and vanilla and beat again briefly until smooth.
Scrape the batter into the reserved baking pan and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Set the cake aside and let cool slightly for 30 minutes.
Whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream in a large glass measuring cup.
Using a fork, poke the cake with holes all over, penetrating to the bottom of the pan. Pour the milk mixture over the warm cake and set aside to cool completely.
Cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours.
Spread the dulce de leche on the top of the cake and serve.

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!