Cataratas del Iguazu

Iguazu Falls

Another marvelous place we visited was "Cataratas del Iguazu"(Iguazu Falls). The falls are spectacular, almost indescribable! The sound of the water was extremely relaxing and stirred our emotions in ways that we could hardly believe. It brought some of us to tears. The Iguazu Falls are one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World.http://gosouthamerica.about.com/cs/southamerica/a/IguazuFalls.htm

"Taller than Niagara Falls, twice as wide with 275 cascades spread in a horseshoe shape over nearly two miles of the Iguazu River, Iguazu Falls are the result of a volcanic eruption which left yet another large crack in the earth. During rainy season of November-March, the rate of flow of water going over the falls may reach 450,000 cubic feet (12,750 cubic m) per second." 

We also adventured through the tropical forest, taking advantage of the several opportunities for sightseeing such as zip lining, rock climbing, and hiking the trails.

“The falls are part of a singular practically virgin jungle ecosystem protected by Argentine and Brazilian national parks on either side of the cascades. Two thirds of the falls are on the Argentinian side of the river where you can also tour Iguazú National Park where there are jungle trails and bird hikes.”  http://gosouthamerica.about.com/cs/southamerica/a/IguazuFalls.htm

The regional pride is the Yerba mate. Wherever you go you see people holding their mates and drinking their Tea.

Just as in every place I visit, I was in the search for regional food, and I found it in the "chipa" a small cheese bread. This type of bread is traditional from the North of Argentina and Paraguay.

Chipa:

• 2 1/4 cups tapioca flour (500g) or 2 1/4 cups tapioca starch (500g)
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup butter (200g)
• 2 teaspoons salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• 1/2 lb parmesan cheese (grated, 250g)
• 1/2 lb mozzarella cheese (250g)
•  1/2 lb any other hard cheese (250g, chopped into small squares)

Directions:

Put the tapioca in a big bowl , along with coldish butter (chopped roughly), the mozzarella or any semi-soft cheese (also roughly cut to make the process easier), the grated parmesan cheese, and the eggs.

Start mixing the ingredients by hand until the dough is somewhat formed.

Add the hard cheese cut into small squares to the dough and keep kneading until you have a homogeneous dough (with the exception of the hard cheese squares, which aren´t supposed to blend in).

Refrigerate for 30 minutes .

Take small pieces of dough and form little balls with it.

Cook in a 400°F oven for around 15 mins, checking every 5 mins or so. The result should be crunchy outside and softer inside.

Mar del Plata

Another city I visited with my family is Mar del Plata , my place of birth and where I grew up. I hadn't been back in 26 years, and though I found it to have grown a lot, it is still as beautiful as I remembered it. I was excited to show it to my kids, since all they knew about it was from family stories. This coastal port city on the Atlantic Ocean is famous for its beaches, surf, Casino, fresh seafood, alfajores "Havanna", and for those tennis aficionados… the hometown of Guillermo Vilas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillermo_Vilas

It is the most visited seaside seasonal resort city in Argentina, being the vacation place of millions of Argentines from January to March, which is the southern hemisphere summer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar_del_Plata
What I liked best of everything I ate there was the "trucha"(trout) which I found very different from the one we get in San Diego . It was similar to salmon in texture and color. My other favorite was "churro relleno with dulce de leche" yummy!!!

Trout with Chimichurri sauce

and Mango Slaw

Ingredients:

3 whole trout with head and tail intact (2-1/4 lb.), scaled, boned

Panko bread crumbs

1/4 cup oil, divided

Chimichurri sauce

Mango slaw:

1 large mango, peeled, pitted, and julienned

1/2-1 red pepper, julienned

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

6 Tablespoons fresh lime juice, from about two limes

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

2 Tablespoons Olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup thinly slices fresh mint leaves

Directions:

See my recipe for Chimichurri in this blog.

For the mango slaw, toss all ingredients together in a serving bowl. In a bowl whisk together lime juice, vinegar, oil, salt and red pepper flakes. Drizzle over mango mixture and cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for about an hour.

Coat both sides of each fish with Panko crumbs. Heat 1/3 of oil in large skillet.. Add 1 fish, skin-side up, to skillet; cook 3 min. on each side or until fish flakes easily with fork. Transfer to platter; cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining oil and fish, carefully wiping skillet with paper towel after cooking each fish.

TOP fish with Chimichurri and mango slaw.

Argentina

After an amazing trip back to my roots and a renewed culinary encounter in Argentina, I am back in San Diego excited to reproduce these dishes with a touch of my own, influenced by the flavors of Southern California. Having tried many dishes that I used to fully enjoy in the past, I realized that though they bring back memories of my childhood, my palate has adapted to more expansive flavors.
For those who have not yet experienced Buenos Aires , one thing that stands out is the many beautiful sit down coffee shops that you find any and everywhere. The espresso coffee is delicious and served in a demitasse and always accompanied by something sweet, be this a chocolate bonbon, a petit four, amaretti (an Italian cookie made of almond paste) or a tiny ice cream scoop. These cafés are points of meeting with friends and people usually spend long hours talking and catching up. Other places of gathering are the many ice cream shops, where people also spend long hours chatting. The ice cream is delicious and to me, the best I've ever had anywhere, including Italy .
So here goes a recipe for my favorite ice cream

"Dulce de leche" Dulce de leche ice cream

Ingredients:
2 cups of whole milk
3 tablespoons of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 pound dulce de leche
1 cup heavy cream
¾ cup chopped pecans, almonds, walnuts, toasted (optional)
Directions: Bring milk, 1 tbsp of sugar and vanilla to a boil in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat, then remove from heat and whisk in dulce de leche until dissolved. Cool it quickly in an ice bath. Whip cream with 2 tbsp of sugar until stiff peaks are just about to form. Fold into the cold milk and dulce de leche. Make sure the mixture is completely cold before freezing. At this point you can fold in pecans, almonds, chocolate chips, walnuts or anything that you can think of! Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, for at least 1 hour.

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.