I have now been writing this food article for one year and unfortunately many of you do not know my ethnicity or culinary influences. I was born in the United States but spent many years of my youth in Argentina which is where my family is from. My entire family still lives in Rosario, Argentina and I visit them often. My last name, Crusco, however, is Italian as my grandfather immigrated from Italy after World War II. Fortunately I grew up eating and cooking Argentine cuisine with influences from Italy and Spain (from my Mother’s side). Consequently, this article will reflect the childhood foods I loved and still make for my friends today. Hopefully they can become a favorite for you and your family too. If you are not familiar with Argentine food, no worries – enjoy the article and take some notes.
Many of the ingredients in the recipes that follow can be found right here in Austin. Whether you need Argentine dulce de leche, empanada wrappers, mate, or dulce de batata (quince paste), you can find it at: Phoenicia Bakery – 4710 Burnet Rd. (512)323.6770
Ensalada Russa (A much better potato salad)
Ensalada Russa is very easy to make and preparation falls more into the class of “to taste” instead of measurements. Some like to do equal proportions of potatoes, peas, and carrots while others like a lot more of one ingredient than the other. I like my ensalada russa with more potatoes and here is an approximation of what I prepare.
Ingredients
- 2 cups boiled potatoes, diced small
- 1/2 cup boiled carrots, diced small
- 1/2 cup cooked peas
- 2 hard boiled eggs chopped up into quarters
- ½ cup of green olives with pimentos
- Mayonnaise (hopefully you will make your own but Hellmann’s is okay)
- 2 Tablespoons of Savora (Argentine mustard) – can be found at Phoenicia Bakery
- Salt and pepper to taste
Process
Peel and dice potatoes/carrots and boil in salted water until fork tender. In a large bowl, add potatoes, carrots, peas, olives, eggs, and then gently fold in mayonnaise spoonful by spoonful and then the Savora. Try not to break up the vegetable mixture and add enough mayo so that it is lightly coated – too much mayonnaise makes it too heavy. Mmmm, once again, simplicity at its best.
Serving ideas
Can be served as a side dish with grilled meats, chicken, or roasts
Pastel de Carne or Pappas (A sort of Shepherds Pie)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground chuck
- ½ onion — minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika (non smoked)
- 1-tablespoon sugar
- 4 eggs, hard-boiled – cut into quarters
- 2 green olives — sliced
- 2 bay leaves, whole
- 2 cups beef stock
- ¼ cup raisins
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 4 large Idaho potatoes – boiled and cooled
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Process
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cook the ground chuck on high until the meat is browned. Then add the minced onion and cook until onions are translucent. Add salt, pepper, paprika, sugar, and olives. Mix together thoroughly and add the beef stock and bay leaves. Cook until the liquid has evaporated. While waiting for the water to evaporate, soak the raisins in the wine. When the water has evaporated, add the raisins and wine and continue to cook until the wine evaporates. At the end add the eggs. Then, mash the boiled potatoes and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Add butter and whip until smooth. Finally, add the milk and mix thoroughly. Place half of the mashed potatoes into a casserole dish on the bottom and sides of the dish. Then, add all the meat mixture and distribute evenly. Top off and smooth out the remaining mashed potato mixture and sprinkle with the 2 tbsp sugar. Place in the oven uncovered for 30 minutes and cook until golden brown.
Serving Ideas
Serve with a green salad and a glass of red wine
Pastafrola – (Quince Tart)
Ingredients
- 14 tablespoons of butter (1 and ¾ stick of butter)
- 1/4 cup of sugar
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 3/4 cups flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups dulce de membrillo, or quince jam if you can’t find it
Process
Cream together sugar and butter until smooth and fluffy, add in the egg yolks one by one. Mix together all of the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder) in a bowl and add this to the butter mixture and mix until smooth. Take 3/4 of this and push into the base of a tart or pie dish (this is rustic so don’t try to make it look perfect). Melt the quince jam in the microwave or in a double boiler (one bowl over another bowl of slightly boiling water for steam) until soft enough to spread in a layer over the dough. Roll the remaining dough into sticks to create the lattice pattern, and use a small amount to create a boarder around the pie as well. Again, remember this is a rustic pie so make your own simple design. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until risen and golden brown
Serving ideas
Enjoy with coffee, tea, or a big glass of cold milk!
As I have said before, learning about food in different cultures gives one insight into the social history of the culture. For example, after World War II, Argentina enjoyed a massive influx of European immigrants that have made a major impact on Argentine music, architecture, culture, and food. In regards to recipes above, Ensalada Russa has influence from Spain, the Pastel de carne comes from the English/Irish influence, and the Pastafrola dessert comes directly from Italy. As a descendent from Italians, I was very fortunate to grow up with this type of food so I hope you try to make some of these dishes so you too can enjoy Argentine cuisine. Just try to spend a little bit of time in the kitchen with your family and turn ordinary ingredients into unforgettable memories.
