Isn’t she gorgeous? Like the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?!
I made her last week, on a whim. One of those moments where you have a dish in mind and then you completely change it half way through. She may be my biggest accomplishment.
I tried to duplicate her last night with some minor tweaking. It was even better, believe it or not.
I’m still in a PORK pie trance I can’t think straight. I need to go eat leafy greens. Recipe coming soon.
Saturday mornings couldn’t taste any better. This MONSTER of a breakfast sandwich has cream cheese scrambled eggs, guacamole, and a thick slab of juicy tomato all stacked on a homemade big southern biscuit.
She takes 15 minutes to prepare and about 90 seconds to disappear.
GOOD MORNING biscuit sandwich ::
While the biscuits bake make your guac and scramble.
Guacamole first, since we want the eggs hot. Dice a small onion and jalapeno, mash them with the avocado, squeeze in some lime and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Grab your favorite non stick pan and set it over medium-high heat. In a mixing bowl combine the eggs, milk, green onion, salt & pepper and beat hard. Toss some butter into the pan, wait for it to bubble and pour in egg mix. With a fork in one hand and the pan handle in the other shake the pan while scrambling the eggs with a fork. Do this for about 15 seconds. Add the cream cheese and scramble a bit more. Kill the heat after 30 seconds.
As soon as the biscuits come out the oven cut them in half and place a dollop of butter on the bottom piece. Stack your egg scramble, tomato, guacamole and biscuit top. DEVOUR.
The Argentina Independent is hosting their first BA Underground Market on Saturday, June 9th.
The idea is to have a food festival where unique edible treats will be sold to enjoy on site as well as to take home. I’ve spoken with some fellow cooks who plan on making- pickles, pecan pies, cheesecake, spiked blueberry lemonade, homemade hot sauces, and much much more.
I WILL BE SELLING SPICY RED BEANS & RICE AND CORNBREAD!
I’ll also be giving out free samples of blueberry chipotle jam. Something I’ve been working on with the guys from Il Mirtilo arándanos.
Come hungry, leave happy.
For more info check out their official invite and some pics here.
¡¡Nos vemos el 9 de junio!!
BA Underground Market
Saturday, June 9
12pm- 5pm
IMPA La Fábrica, Querandíes 4290 (Almagro)
I CAN’T cook in a messy environment. It makes me frazzled, unfocused, LOCA, something I don’t want to be when dealing with fire, knives, ticket times, and above all angry sweaty chefs. Nothing good comes from it. Nada.
The smallest spill can destroy a dish. How unfair for your patient palate, growing hunger and precious time!! Reward them, not punish.
Let’s avoid this! Before cooking, clean your space. No dirty dishes in the sink, counter space thoroughly wiped down, burners available, possibly some music, maybe a girlfriend to chat with. Whatever brings YOU zen.
Clear space, clear mind. Clear space, clear mind.
Your cooking will flow more naturally. Which means no craziness, no hysteria. Enjoy the time you spend with your food. The more positivity going into it, the more it will show. And taste!
It’s all about balance. So get balanced. Get clean.
*This is my go-to tune while prepping my sanctuary! Nothing better than a little jazz in the cocina!!
Situated on the coast about 4 hours south of Buenos Aires lies Mar Azul, a small beach town covered in pine trees. It’s the perfect winter getaway for those who don’t want to be bothered, with anything. High season runs from November- March where the cabañas and restaurants are stocked with tourists and their screaming children escaping the city heat for beach time and fried calamari.
In the off-season you will only come across stray dogs, covered pools and wacky locals . The quiet dirt roads are lined with vacant fairy-tale like cottages making the perfect setting for a brewing thriller. So grab a laptop and yoga mat and prepare yourself for a solitary winter hideout.
Nowadays in the off-season one must travel to a surrounding town to find a restaurant serving weekend lunch. And although these restaurants are overflowing with carne y pasta, opt for the fresh local seafood. After all, you’re on the coast. Indulge a little!!
Lodging information found here.
Seafood was the star of my recent trip back home to New Orleans. It was all about crawfish, oysters, shrimp, catfish and soft shell crabs.
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Shrimp po’boys, a favorite of mine, with the addition of bacon & cheese.
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Mayas was the go-to spot for my Latino fix of yuca, platanos, y ceviche.
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Good friend and executive sous of Borgne hosted a KILLER crawfish boil before heading to Galactic at Tip’s for a night of non-stop dancing.
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pasta + crab cakes + shrimp butter sauce + buttery biscuit = OH MY GAWD
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blackened catfish + citrus crab & crawfish dressing = healthy NOLA lunch
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angel hair pasta +shrimp & crab patties + crabmeat cream sauce = W O W
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BEST dessert in the city- canolis from Angelo Brocato.
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My favorite ice cream south of the Mason Dixon.
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I invited friends over for a Mexican night since my cabinets and garden are overflowing with chilis at the moment. Now, when feeding Argentinos one really has to monitor the level of picante. I did a Mexican event a few months back and when I asked the client, “do you like your food spicy?” their response was “oh yes, I use black pepper in almost all of my cooking”. With that being said I dug through my stash and pulled out some chipotles, one of my favorite SUPER SMOKEY chilis.
I kept things basic because apparently The Cook Doesn’t Clean no longer exists and I DESPISE waking up to a dirty kitchen. So I used one cast iron skillet and put the boys to work making the pico.
SMOKEY QUESADILLAS ::
Cook the onion and garlic over medium-low heat in cast iron til soft and translucent. Add beef and break apart using a wooden spoon.
Once the beef has browned, tilt the pan and remove any fatty liquid that has been released.
Season with salt and pepper and add your chilis. If using chipotle powder add it directly to the meat. If using dried chilis, pop them in the oven for a couple of minutes, soak them in about a cup of HOT water, remove the stem and puree the chili and soaking liquid in the blender til a paste is formed.
Don’t be shy with the chilis! The cheese-tortilla-sour cream will balance out the strong flavors.
Taste the beef, adjust seasoning, and add the juice of one lime. Transfer beef and place the empty cast iron over a high flame.
Assemble your quesadillas by placing a tortilla in the HOT cast iron, sprinkling generously with cheese and a big spoonful of meat, folding over to a half-moon, and charring on both sides. Serve immediately with sour cream and pico de gallo.
Fall is here (and looking gorgeous!) which means brussels sprouts are available at most verdulerias.
This is a quick recipe that works wonders in a cast iron.
BURNT BRUSSELS ::
Place cast iron over high heat and allow to get HOT.
Clean, trim and halve your brussels. Place them in the cast iron cut side down and season with salt and pepper.
After about 2 minutes add the garlic, drizzle with olive oil and lower to medium heat. Give the pan a big shake after 3 minutes, shower with fresh lemon juice, and stop cooking once they’re bright green. Serve alone or over brown rice for a healthy lunch.
After a few days of navigating around the city the I <3 NYC SO MUCH trance began to pacify. Which was vital, for both my ankle and emotions. You can’t imagine how many unexpected burst of tears came pouring down my face when I first reunited with my world. My sister. My friends. My city.
I was lucky enough to be staying in Greenwich Village a mere 2 blocks from Washington Square Park where I escaped to daily for jazz picnics full of NYCs finest takeout. Could anything be more romantic…?
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SO many delicious iced coffees…
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Giant (red velvet, HOSTESS, oreo, carrot cake) cupcakes in NYC.
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For my last weekend in the big apple I escaped the city and headed upstate to visit my favorite NY family. 3 days of Italian cuisine, fancy wines & adventure.
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Saturday afternoon was spent admiring posters by Skolnick & Byrd at Bethel Woods Woodstock museum.
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Farewell dinner of tapas in the city with the boys at Tertulia.
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A big beso y gracias to all my NYC friends. Y’all are totally worth the hefty plane ticket!
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La tortilla de papa, a classic dish in Argentina best described as a potato omelette.
From what I have observed here in BA, many cooks fry the potato, mix it with beaten eggs and bake it in the oven or covered on the stove. As great of a method as this is, it’s slightly boring, messy and fattier than it needs to be.
So I present to you a new and improved version!! One that is delicious, healthy, and CHEAP. We will eliminate frying and nasty vegetable oil and replace them with roasting and tasty olive oil. We will add onion, garlic, spices and herbs to give those flat potatoes the flare they rightfully deserve! Depending on how healthy you want to be, we may or may not add chunks of cream cheese to give it a WOW cremoso effect. We will then finish it off with a simple arugula salad and your favorite hot sauce served on the side. YES my fellow cooks, she is a winner.
This recipe feeds 4 and cost a total of 20 pesos (about 5 bucks!).
TORTILLA DE PAPA MODERNA ::
Crank the oven to 400°F.
Wash the potatoes and using a mandolin slice them into rounds around 1/4 inch thick keeping the skin on.
Place rounds in a large mixing bowl and generously season them with salt, pepper, curry, paprika and thyme. Drizzle with olive oil and mix well with your hands making sure all is coated.
Start to layer the potatoes in your baking dish. I used two 6 inch clay bowls lightly rubbed with olive oil. After 4-5 layers of potato lightly press them down and cover with the onion and garlic. Place in heated oven and cook for 30 minutes.
Grab the mixing bowl and add a big splash of milk, sliced green onions, salt, pepper and eggs. Beat hard with a whisk.
Remove potatoes from oven after the 30 minute mark and add egg mix. Lightly shake the potato dish in order to get the egg in between potato layers. Return to oven for 15 minutes til eggs are cooked through.
Wash and dry arugula, season with salt, pepper, fresh lemon juice and a touch of olive oil. Mix well and serve with warm tortilla de papa.
