valentine's day with family and friends (buenos aires 2.2)

The best part about these photos isn't the food.. It's the fact that we're wearing summer clothes... in February! My cousin from California and her friends happened to be in Buenos Aires during my trip. It was awesome to meet up with them there, and to be surrounded by so much love on valentine's day.

a dancer's asado (buenos aires 2.1)

All the nights of dancing didn't do much for my figure in Buenos Aires... When it came to an asado, I didn't hold back.

This particular night, we enjoyed four different salads, roasted red bell peppers, steak ribs, another cut of meat that I forget the name of, and chicken. (and cheese and eggs and wine.. for everyone else)

salad 1. cherry tomatoes and pesto
salad 2. shredded carrots, hearts of palm, lemon, oil, and salt
salad 3. arugula, oil, and salt
salad 4. lettuce, onions, oil, lemon, and salt

Can't tell you what he did with the meat, but oh my god.. I wish I could.

restaurant review - urban solace. and my visit to san diego

1. I got the quinoa burger at Urban Solace in San Diego. No bun, cheese, or fries of course.. so I got sautéed mushrooms, half of an avocado, and a side of greens instead. That's how I usually replace everything on the menu. It's getting easier! Anyway, it was delicious, and I'd recommend that beautiful restaurant to anyone :)

2. What was I doing in San Diego? Visiting my cousin! And, I decided.. that I like it there.

3. For dinner later that night, we made:
- Roasted butternut squash: oven! 350. Cut squash into pieces, top generously with cinnamon and honey. 45 mintues.
-Monkfish: oven! 350. cubed. marinated in lemon juice and olive oil. sprinkled with red pepper and other spicy things. 20 minutes.
-Roasted veggies: oven! 350. Brussels sprouts, zucchini, mushrooms, and onion. Tossed in evoo, with salt, pepper, and herbs. 45 minutes.

4. Taking the Pacific Surfliner Amtrak back to LA. A beautiful, beautiful train ride.

soup and tango

I made a version of this lentil beet soup in Argentina. If I can remember, I think I added an extra beet or two, I used different colored lentils.. leftover style, and I topped it with fresh basil instead of cilantro. Both are on the sweeter side of herbs.. and as long as the herbs are fresh - the soup works :)

La Glorieta, pictured second, is a place I loved to dance. In the middle of the park, open on all sides, beautiful weather.. ah.. I miss it.

picture book. san telmo and a picnic

San Telmo..

Antique shops galor
Vendors drinking mate and playing chess
Beautiful old buildings
More art painted on walls

A census day picnic :) Life isn't so bad when everything is closed.

still catching up from october.. and baba ganoush

Hey there :) I still have a handful more posts left before I've finished updating you with food and life from my trip to Buenos Aires...
1 - My grandmother's bana ganoush
2 - Artwork on a building, down town Bs As
3 - Sneeky picture of a tango orchestra. (There is a free tango orchestra concert every Thursday at Teatro Presidente Alvear!)

How do you make this delicious dip? It's really easy.
Here's how my grandma taught me: (remember.. October is spring time in Bs As. For all you in the states, I recommend waiting some more months before buying - or growing - or trying to grow eggplants)

Oven! 450. (So hot! I know.. but there's no oil.. so it's ok)

You will need:
2 eggplants
1 lemon
1/2 yellow onion
olive oil
vinegar
salt

Poke the eggplants all over with a fork. Don't forget! Cook on a baking sheet for 30 minutes. Flip them, then cook for another 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool.

Peel eggplants and get all the insides into a bowl, squeeze lemon juice all over. Cover and put in the fridge until you feel like continuing.

Feel like it? Ok. You can do it tomorrow, if you want. Just letting you know.
Dice up however much onion you want (don't you hate recipes like that?! But that's what my grandma said.. so it has to go into the post. If you're an onion person, add more.. if you don't feel like onions today, then add less.) Add the diced onion, along with a splash of olive oil and vinegar (again.. to taste) and a pinch or 2 or 3 of salt.

Serve on crackers and enjoy! (There are fresh chives sprinkled on top in the photo)



btw: Eggplants are on the "avoid" list for the blood type A's... But sometimes, you just have to let loose.. you know?

restaurant review - el mirasol, and some more buenos aires photos

I enjoyed this swanky salad at El Mirasol, a restaurant in Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires. I've made it at home a couple times now.. it's somthing special. I recommend making it for someone you like.. (as opposed to someone you don't) because the ingredients are all pretty pricey. Boy, I'm on a roll with the alliterations tonight...

Ingredients:
1. Golden delicious apples.. or a different variety, as long as it is crunchy and not too too sweet. Peel apples and dice into little cubes.
2. Avocadoes - not too ripe! Dice into bigger pieces.
3. Hearts of palm :) mmm... sliced, and broken if they are too big around.
4. Carrots, finely shredded.
6. Walnuts. It isn't necessary to soak and dehydrate them.. but they taste SO much better that way. Up to you.
7. Ideas for additions: spinach (just a little)... I can't think of more now.. I'll come back to this list.

The Dressing:
Olive oil with a squeeze of lemon and a SMALL pinch of salt. There may have been a little vinegar used as well, at the restaurant.. but.. I'm not positive.

See the man in white in the corner of the photo? He's wearing really tall stilts.

Caminito

Yep, there's me, getting my dance on.. pretty much everywhere I could.

steamed artichoke and a dip

I don't know why, but I never made steamed artichoke myself before my trip to Buenos Aires. I don't think it's a staple food there or anything.. but my grandma made it as a snack, and I soaked up as many recipes from her as I could while we lived together. Also.. it was spring there, and artichokes were everywhere. Missouri isn't lucky enough to host artichokes.

Here's how ya do it:

1. Slice about 3/4 inch to an inch off the tip of the artichokes.

2. Pull off any smaller leaves towards the base and on the stem.

3. Cut excess stems, leaving up to an inch on the artichoke.

4. Rinse the artichokes in running cold water.

5. Pour a couple inches of water in a pot. Add the artichokes.. (I put mine in so they would stand up.. but I don't think that's necessary)

6. Juice 1/2 a lemon over the tops of the artichokes and add the juiced lemon to the pot. Pour a tbsp or so of olive oil over the tops of the artichokes. Add a 2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed. And lastly, add some salt (and any other spices you'd like).

7. Cover. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 25-45 minutes.. the time depends on the size of the artichoke. You can test it by tasting the outer leaves.


I made a simple dip out of olive oil, dried herbs, and a little vinegar.

And if you don't know how to eat an artichoke... youtube it.

a day in buenos aires

Photo 1: Breakfast of soaked oatmeal with ground flax seeds, cinnamon, and raisins. And yerba maté. I'll do another post soon, to tell you all about maté..

Photos 2 & 3: Getting my feet measured for tango shoes. Yes.. I had some made just for me :)

Photo 4: One of the many ombú trees.. this one's in Recoleta.

restaurant review - la posada

So, there is this restaurant, La Posada.. that was 3 blocks from my apartment in Buenos Aires, and I went there a bunch. I think the kitchen was open til around 1am.. so, as long as you got there before midnight, they'd serve you anything on the menu. Quite the shock I had when landing at the St Louis airport at 11pm and only having 1 option for dinner.. on a Friday night! In a city! (besides fast food anyway.. which.. isn't an option.)

Back to the story. They would start by bringing six little ramekins, each with different appetizers. Sometimes liver pâté, or a fruit jam, or a cucumber salad, or steamed carrots with garlic, or potatoes.. and I'd always be able to enjoy at least one of them. Don't you love the wooden plates? I have to say.. I miss them.
The food here was delicious. The salad.. the salmon.. the skirt steak..

After dinner, I'd usually leave my family early, and catch a cab to a milonga for a night full of tango dancing. sigh....
Honestly, it's too late for me to be awake (in the United States, anyway. In Buenos Aires, my night would just be beginning) so I'm going to cut this short, and stop blogging for the night.

Buenas noches.

my family made an asado

An asado is the name of the Argentine barbecue. An asado usually has a typical sequence of meats, served in courses. First are the chorizos, morcillas (black pudding or blood sausage), chinchulines, mollejas (sweetbread), and other organ meats. Then come the costillas or asado de tira (short ribs). And lastly, the vacío (flank steak).

An asado is quite an affair. If you're invited to one, it means you are loved, and should attend. The meat cooks very slowly over coals, for hours and hours before it's served. When going out to restaurants on the trip, I normally ordered fish, as it is easier on my digestive system. But at a family asado, in Buenos Aires, I went to town.

Other food that usually accompanies asados are: different salads (for example: lettuce, onions, and shredded carrots, or just tomatoes and onions with olive oil and lemon juice), bread, roasted and marinated bell peppers, chimichurri, beer, wine, and soda water, and for dessert, a fruit salad... I'll probably think of some more things later - and when I do, I'll update this list.

There was more than one asasdo.. I have a big family :)

I hope I get to go back soon..