11-7-2011 King Hock's Favorite, an Argentinean Feast

When we were in Disney World 2 weeks ago, we got to eat a lot of great food. Sadly, there was a bunch of amazing food we didn't get to eat because it wasn't kosher. I eyed every corny dog stand we walked by, and King Hock's suffering was a story of it's own.

We happened to be in Disney World during Epcot's Food and Wine Festival.  For those of you who have never been there, Epcot has a World Showcase which is a collection of pavilions showcasing 11 different countries. During the Food and Wine Festival there are dozens of temporary food stands representing many more countries.

One of the stands happened to be Argentina. The first time we neared the stand, we could smell the fragrant chimichurri sauce, and as we got closer King Hock got very excited. They were serving meat emapanadas and skewers of grilled meat with chimichurri sauce, none of which we eat. What a bummer. The closest taste we could get was watching everyone else savor their Argentinean specialties.

We walked by on a few other occasions, and King Hock had the same reaction each time. I promptly promised him a similar meal when we got home.

I decided to go all out, this is what I made:
1. Empanadas (dough and everything, the most time consuming thing I have ever attempted) I will give you a shortcut recipe below
2. Typical Argentinean Salad with beets, and hearts of palm
3. Grilled Steaks
4. Grilled Chicken- see below for a simple recipe
5. Chimichurri Sauce
6. Salsa Golf, the real deal
7. French Fries

Here are some of the recipes:

Empanadas

Meat Filling

1 T. olive oil
1 large onion finely chopped
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 t. cumin
1 t. oregano
1 T. smoked paprika, must be SMOKED paprika (I found this at Central Market)
1/2 t. crushed red pepper
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 C. pitted green olives, sliced

1 beaten egg, to glaze the top

Dough:
I made mine from scratch, which was way way way too much work, and do not suggest it.
You can use defrosted Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, or if you don't keep kosher Goya makes one specifically for empanadas found in the freezer section.

Heat the oil over medium high heat, and add the onion. Cook until translucent and then add the ground beef. Once the beef is browned, add the cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out each parchment sheet and cut into 9 squares. (you will have 18 altogether). Roll each square with a rolling pin so they are larger, about 6 inches. Place 1-2 tablespoons of meat mixture in the center of each square, sprinkle a few olive slices ontop of the meat.  Fold dough over pinch to seal edges. Fold edges to form half moon shaped empanadas.

Place empanadas on a baking sheet, 1 inch apart. Brush the tops with egg.

Bake for 25-40 minutes until it is puffed and golden.

 

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Argentinean Ensalada

 

In Argentina, they don't use the typical type of American salad dressings, they just use oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Beets and hearts of palm are typical ingredients they use, you can also add sliced hard boiled eggs if you want.

 

5 oz. mixed greens

1 can sliced beets, drained (can also make your own by boiling fresh beets until tender, then peeling and slicing)

1 can hearts of palm, sliced

1 tomato, diced

 

dressing:

1/4 C. olive oil

1 T. lemon juice

1 T. red wine vinegar

1 t. dijon mustard

1/4 t. salt, or to taste

1/4 t. black pepper, freshly ground

 

Place the greens, beets, hearts of palm, and tomato in a large salad bowl. Toss with the dressing, and serve.

 

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Argentinean Grilled Chicken

 

4 chicken breasts, pounded thin to an even thickness

1 large lemon

olive oil

coarse salt

freshly ground black pepper

 

Place the pounded chicken breast on a large cutting board. Squeeze 1/2 the lemon evenly over the chicken. Next drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn the breasts over and wash your hands. Do the same thing on the other side.

 

Preheat the grill. When the grill is ready, grill the chicken until the center is no longer pink.

 

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Chimichurri Sauce

 

This recipe comes from the cookbook Seven Fires written by Francis Mallman, the most famous chef in Argentina. It is great on grilled meats.
Salamuera:
1/2 C. water
1/2 T. salt

Chimichurri:
4 cloves garlic
1/2 C. fresh flat leaf parsley
1/2 C. fresh oregano
1 t. crushed red pepper flake
1/8 C. red wine vinegar
1/4 C. extra virgin olive oil

Crush the garlic into a medium sized bowl. Mince the parsley and oregano, very finely. Add to the bowl. Add the crushed red pepper. Whisk in the vinegar, then the oil. Then the salamuera. Place into a jar with a lid. Let sit for at least an hour before serving, the longer the better to let the flavors develop. Can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.

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Real Deal Salsa Golf

This sauce goes with empanadas or any grilled meat.

I found this recipe on fromargentinawithlove.typepad.com

If you are worried about using raw egg yolk, you can find pasteurized eggs. I found them at Central Market.

2 egg yolks

3/4 C. vegetable oil

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. dijon mustard

2 T. ketchup

Using an electric stand mixer with the whip attachment, whip the yolks on high for a minute. Add the oil drop by drop making sure it is completely incorporated before adding the next drop. If the mixture looks too thick add a few drops of the lemon juice. Once the mixture has made a thick mayonaise, add the rest of the lemon juice, salt, dijon, and ketchup. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

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King Hock was feliz after eating this meal, it definitely made up not getting to eat it in Epcot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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