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Grilled Potato Leek Salad


3 small Leeks [well washed, green ends trimmed to 2″]
4 medium Golden Potatoes [cut in half]
1/4 cup Garlic Chives [chopped]
1/4 cup Mayonnaise
Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Heat the grill to medium high. Lightly rub potatoes + leeks with a little bit of oil. Grill potatoes for 10 minutes on each side. Add leeks to the grill away from the hottest heat [top rack or over cooler coals]. Grill for 5 minutes, until leeks have grill marks + potatoes are just cooked through.

Chop leeks + mix in a medium size bowl with mayonnaise. Season generously with salt + pepper. Chop + stir in potatoes. Garnish with a bit of sweet Hungarian paprika. Serve warm or room temperature.

4+ side dish servings.

Cucumber Melon Salad


1 Pickling Cucumber [small, sliced thinly]
1 cup Cantaloupe [sliced thinly into 1″ pieces]
1 Carrot [small, peeled + shaved]
1-1/2 Tbs Red Onion [very thinly sliced]
1 Tbs Rice Wine Vinegar [seasoned]
Sea Salt [to taste]
1/2 tsp Honey
dash Sesame Seeds

Dissolve honey and salt in rice vinegar. Mix melon, carrot, red onion + cucumber in a small bowl. Toss with vinegar dressing + top with sesame seeds. Serve very cold, immediately.

Serves 1.

Buenos Aires, a best of…

I just returned from a 6 week trip to Buenos Aires.  Dining in BsAs is incredible; fresh, classic + innovative dishes, wonderful wines + tons of atmosphere.  The last of which is what I’d say sets the city apart from great US food cities like San Francisco and Portland… So many Buenos Aires restaurants ooze charm, nostalgia, and uniqueness, feeling hip or sophisticated without being pretentious.  Dimly lit tables in front of a wooden bar cabinet holding an impressive,  glittering selection of apéritifs.  Crisp white table cloths with mismatched china tea cups.  Hidden courtyards filled with white washed wooden tables.   A big, bright red antique scale sitting atop a contemporary bar.  A tiny place with 8 tables, only a chalkboard of daily dishes + only one remarkable waiter.  Who wouldn’t want to spend 3 hours having dinner + wine at midnight in places like these?!  It only took me a few meals to really get it… go late, bring a few good friends, order a bottle of wine + relax over a wonderful dinner till the early hours of the morning.    I’ve decided to put together a little list of my favorite places around the city + the dishes I ate that made me want to return to Buenos Aires before I even left…

[restaurants]

  El Refuerzo aka “Secret Place” [Chacabuco 872, San Telmo]

Its a tiny restaurant with only 8 tables, only open for dinner after 8:30, only 3 daily dishes written on the chalkboards.  I assure you, you’ve never met a restaurant that smelled quite as good…  I was always instantly happy + relaxed as soon as we sat down.  The [one, amazing + charming] waiter brings you a basket of fluffy warm bread + a dish of marinated white beans to start.  Each time I went, I enjoyed really delicious pastas with fresh veggies and occasionally some boquerones.  Their house Malbec is excellent + quite possibly my favorite. 

A couple girls + I discovered this place after a few days of being overwhelmed by traveling with a group of 28.   We quickly decided to keep it a secret, as our perfect little haven of happiness away from the intensity of the city + program, besides we loved the place full of locals.  We couldn’t stop going back…

Territorio [Estados Unidos 501, San Telmo]

A dark little restaurant just outside of Mercado San Telmo which treated me to several great lunches.  These folks really know their eggplant!  They also serve a tasty appetizer of curried lentils with rustic bread.  My favorite sandwich [there is one in every city!] of Buenos Aires is definitely their marinated eggplant, tomato + zucchini served on thick slices of bread with a little salad on the side.

Café San Juan [San Juan 450, San Telmo]

Wow, Café San Juan may well have served me the finest pasta I’ve ever eaten.  Fresh, house made squid ink pasta in a savory, spiced, roasted tomato sauce with broccoli.  Incredible.   Prepared by one of the restaurant’s young hip chefs, presented on a chalkboard menu table-side, couldn’t be better. Here’s a great shot borrowed from Flickr, showing a little hint of the after dark rewards of Buenos Aires…

Café Rivas [Estados Unidos 302, San Telmo]

Like El Refuerzo, I couldn’t help going back to Rivas several times during my 6 weeks in BsAs; it is just too perfect!  Antique lights, glass cake domes in the window, mellow turquoise painted walls, a piano player in the mezzanine… First, and perhaps best of all, they introduced me to the incredible aperitif Cynar, an artichoke liqueur served with grapefruit soda.  My most notable meal here was celebrating the end of our BaSic Initiative program; all the students + amazing folks that made it all happen took over the cafe on a Monday night.  We shared tasty appetizers + salads [caramelized pear + walnuts! smoked salmon + shrimp with thyme mayonnaise!].  For dinner I had an excellently prepared salmon with mustard + roasted potatoes followed by Isla Flotante, a soft, sweet meringue floating in passion fruit sauce.  Eating a meal like this in such a charming atmosphere was the perfect ending to such a trip.  Scroll through their photos on Facebook to get a good idea of just how perfectly cute this place is.

Club Social [Caseros 442, San Telmo]

Another place that oozes atmosphere, the dimly lit, dark wood, sit-all-night-drinking-wine type of atmosphere.  Club Social is a sophisticated, but not at all fussy place on an out of the way street.  I really enjoyed a dish of white salmon, simply prepared in a broth of shrimp stock + carrot, topped with green onion… and a few hours of great conversation with some trusty dinner companions.

Sudestada [Guatemala 5602, Palermo Hollywood]

This [taken from Sudestada’s website] was my dinner time view, watching this kitschy clock tick into the 2am hour.  A comfortably white interior, with only this single clock on the wall, was just right for this place serving Southeast Asian dishes.  I enjoyed incredible fishcakes with a spicy sauce and a tasty stack of pickled veggies on the side… and the few bites of my dining companion’s daily special, a fried whole river fish with spicy bbq sauce.

UNIK [Soler 5132, Palermo Hollywood]

Let’s get this straight:  all of these places were incredible… UNIK just happens to be the most incredible, for one reason:  smoked cauliflower puree.  Amazing.  Each table at this restaurant has a different set of designer chairs + a unique light hanging above.  Its super hip, with its young and wonderful barman, sommelier, and chef [and oddly quirky manager?].  First up, we enjoyed Cynar cocktails at the bar; a Juan Collins [Amargo Obrero, Genebra Bols, Cynar, Hesperidina, grapefruit juice + soda] + a couple Julepe de Cynar [to be reproduced, don’t worry!].  Then to our table, where we sat in a set of comfortable red + white upholstered chairs, rather like Saarinen’s but with a tripod base.  Our appetizer was warm leeks in a mustard sauce with smoked fish.  For dinner, the chef came to the table to present our dishes; I had a fillet of grilled fish on a bed of smoked cauliflower puree, which was truly incredible accompanied by a wonderful bottle of Sauvignon Blanc.

Bio [Humboldt 2199, Palermo Hollywood]

And after a series of such indulgent meals as listed above, I needed a decidedly healthful recovery meal.  I ventured out to Palermo Hollywood to enjoy a casual lunch at Bio, an all organic and vegetarian restaurant.    I enjoyed a few bits of a pureed pumpkin dip, tasty green curry seitan stir fry [lucky photographed by another traveler, Kalavinka, on Flickr] + some fresh ginger lemonade, with a bright and airy window seat.

Dill & Drinks [San Martin 986, Microcentro]

Eating with my friends Amy + Carolina is best typified by this meal + restaurant.  The place: really cute, contemporary with a couple antiques and a table perfectly sized for 3.  The menu: influence from all over, always changing with what is fresh + seasonal.  The waitress:  incredibly friendly.  The drinks: well done classics.   My dinner was a fresh fish cooked in a coconut soy sauce with a side of roasted sweet potatoes + arugula, preceded by a sweet cocktail of vodka and muddled grapes.  In short, delicious food, great atmosphere + lively conversation.

Dadá [San Martin 941, Microcentro]

A small, casual, hip spot for a light dinner with the girls.  We shared grilled trout on a bed of arugula + tomatoes and a pumpkin ravioli with almonds in a butter herb sauce, so rich but just right.  Add a glass of Ruca Maleri Malbec, a handsome bar tender + a very nice waitress [who helped us out by speaking English] + you’ve got a perfectly unpretentious evening out.

Urondo [Beauchef 1204, Parque Chacabuco]

In a way, Urondo is as obscure as their business card.  In a very quiet neighborhood, Urondo simply inhabits a small corner restaurant, simply decorated + delightfully staffed.  They greeted us with a glass of rose + a small menu of seasonal dishes.  We enjoyed a bottle of Aguijón de Abeja [translate: bee’s stinger!] Malbec with some straightforward dishes.  I had a simple fish served with fresh spinach, lightly sauteed mushrooms + perfectly caramelized red cabbage.

Blvrd Saenz Peña [Boulevard Saenz Peña 1400, Tigre]

Perhaps the most fitting of places to eat near the end of the trip… Everything is for sale in Blvrd Saenz Peña.  If eating at all these impeccably decorated restaurants made you want to transform your home, you could walk out with the chairs, table, adorable dinnerware + tons of cute accessories to replicate your very eating experience.  And you’d want to after enjoying a tasty fresh tuna salad + fresh baked bread on a sunny afternoon here.

[cafés]

Here are my favorite spots to enjoy a cup of coffee or drink, based mostly on atmosphere + accompaniments.

I (love) Cafe [Rodriguez Peña 1714, Recoleta]

While the coffee was nothing special, this place serves a “bagel” that is delicious.  Really, its not much like a bagel at all, but rather a soft pretzel, boiled and baked.  An error of food naming I am happy to ignore on a break from shopping and tourism in Recoleta.

Voulez Bar [Cerviño 3802, Palermo Chico]

These couple pictures say it all… coffee so cute, well, I’d have to eat it?  Followed by a wonderful nueva salade niçoise.

El Baztán [Estados Unido 758, San Telmo]

Only 4 tables, but towers of baked goods stacked high on cake plates + quirky mismatched china tea cups.  A solid cup of coffee + a crumbly but delicious egg + tomato sandwich = great spot to catch up on your [food] journal.

Maria Rojo [Carlos Calvo 618, San Telmo]

The cutest place, hidden behind a clothing boutique with a delightfully sunlit, heated courtyard.  Cafe Doble served with two tiny squares of cake + a shot of soda water on the side, as it should be.

Bar Seddon [Defensa 695, San Telmo]

Day, evening or night, this place is a wonderful step into old style charm.  The tables + bar are set with dripping candles propped into wine bottles + packed with pleasant wine drinking folks.  A typical + delightful San Telmo corner bar.

[markets]

El Galpon [Chacaritas – behind La estación Federico Lacroze]

A small organic market in an old train station.  Delicious samples of whole grain empanadas, quince jam + other fine treats mix with vendors selling everything from organic yerba mate to fresh cheeses to organic produce.  There is a wonderful smelling parilla outside under a very cool shade structure made of recycled tarp signs.

Mercado del Progresso [Caballito]

A nice all food indoor market with tons of fruit stands, specialty ingredients + tons of butchers.   I found some very unusual Andean potatoes… in fact, tiny sweet potatoes!  I roasted them with salt, pepper + herbes de provence for a late breakfast on the roof of my friend’s amazing San Telmo apartment.

Mercado San Telmo [San Telmo!]

My local produce market.  A wonderful selection of beautiful presented vegetables, fresh eggs, bulk nuts + seeds, as well as bakeries attached to a market of the neighborhood’s famous antiques shops.

 

Red Bean Cashew Pasta

Here’s a riff on a cold bar salad that Wheatsville makes.

1/2 cup Cashews [raw]
2 tsp Tamari
2 Garlic Cloves [roughly chopped]
1-1/2 cups Kidney Beans [cooked]
2 servings Spaghetti
1 Tbs Olive Oil
handful of Basil + Parsley [chopped]
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Lemon [juice only]

Cook spaghetti in a pot of salted water till al dente. Meanwhile, pulse cashews in a food processor. When they are ground finely, add tamari and garlic and pulse until well mixed.

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan. Add cashew paste + red beans, stirring till heated through. Add pasta and 1/2 cup+ of the pasta cooking water to moisten to desired consistency. Top with fresh herbs, lemon juice + ground black pepper.

Serves 2 generously.

Green Curry Risotto


2 1/2 cups Butternut Squash [chopped into bite size pieces]
2 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Sweet Onion [medium, chopped, about 1 1/2 cups]
3 Garlic Cloves [minced]
1 Tbs Ginger Root [fresh, peeled + minced]
1 cup Arborio Rice
1/2 cup Dry White Wine
14 oz Coconut Milk
2 1/4 cups Vegetable Broth
2 Tbs Thai Green Curry Paste
1/2 cup Basil [fresh, chopped]
3 springs Thyme
1/2 Tbs Oregano [fresh, chopped]

Steam or pressure cook the butternut squash until very tender. In a medium saucepan, bring the coconut milk + vegetable broth to a gentle simmer and hold over low heat.

Meanwhile, saute onion, garlic + ginger in olive oil for about 10 minutes, until onions are softened. Add rice + toast, stirring frequently for about 2 minutes. Add half a cup of wine + cook, stirring frequently, until the rice has absorbed all the moisture. Continue to cook the rice, adding 3/4 cup of coconut broth as it is absorbed.

Stir the curry paste into the last cup of broth until well mixed. Add the cooked butternut squash + herbs with the last cup of coconut broth to the rice. Stir all the ingredients together gently + adjust the salt if necessary. Cook another couple minutes, then allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Crab Stuffed Deviled Eggs


6 Eggs [free range, hard boiled, peeled]
2-3 Tbs Mayonnaise
1 Tbs Brown Stone Ground Mustard
1/2 tsp Tarragon [dried]
1/4 lb Crab Meat [picked over for shells]
1 tsp Basil [fresh, chopped]
pinch of Salt
dash Smoked Paprika

Cut each egg in half. Combine yolks, mustard + mayonnaise in a bowl and mix till smooth. Stir in tarragon, crab, basil + salt. Divide crab mixture into about 1″ round scoops + fill egg whites. Serve garnished with a little extra basil + a dash of smoked paprika.

Sweet Poppy Seed Dressing


1/4 cup Sugar
2 Tbs Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Chopped Spring Onion
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Poppy Seeds

Mix all ingredients except the poppy seeds in a blender + blend till smooth. Stir in poppy seeds.

Smoky Black-Eyed-Olive Dip


2-1/2 cups Black Eyed Peas [cooked, 1/2 cup set aside]
1 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbs Lemon Juice
2 Garlic Cloves
2 Tbs Tahini [raw]
Salt [to taste]
10 Kalamata Olives
2 Tbs Mesquite Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Stir in or garnish with the remaining black eyed peas.

Spicy Carrot Ginger Soup


1 cup Sweet Onion [chopped]
2 Garlic Cloves [minced]
1-1/2 Tbs Ginger Root [peeled + chopped]
2 Tbs Butter
5 Carrots [chopped, about 3 cups]
2 cups Vegetable Broth
dash Smoked Hot Spanish Paprika [to taste]

Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Saute onion, garlic + ginger till softened, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and saute a few minutes more. Add broth + paprika and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the carrots are very tender. Puree with a blender till very smooth.

Serves 2.

Ethiopian Spiced Collard Greens


1 bunch Collard Greens [chopped, about 4 cups]
1 cup Red Onion [chopped finely]
1 Tbs Niter Kibbeh [spiced clarified butter*]
1 Tbs Ginger [fresh, grated finely]
3 Garlic Cloves [minced]
1 tsp Berbere*
Sea Salt

Heat niter kibbeh in a large saute pan over medium heat. Saute onion for about 5 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, berbere + saute for a minute more, stirring frequently. Turn the heat up a bit, add the collard greens and a splash of water. Steam saute until the green are tender, about 5 minutes. Serve seasoned with sea salt.

*Niter Kibbeh is an Ethiopian spiced, clarified butter made with cinnamon, cardamom and other spices. It is pretty simple to make, tastes incredible, and lasts for several months. I used the recipe in Moosewood Sunday Suppers + there are plenty of others online. It is a great base for lentil dishes, or even on toast. You could substitute butter if desired.

Berbere is an Ethiopian roasted spice mixture with plenty of sweet spices, Hungarian paprika, and dried red chilies. Again, I made the very simple recipe out of Moosewood, but this could certainly be purchased at a good specialty store or local Ethiopian restaurant.  It keeps well and can be used to season a great deal of dishes like sweet potato oven fries, lentils, chili…. I think a good sweet + spicy creole seasoning would made a good substitute.

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