Cooking a Classic Argentine Lunch

In my search for closed-door restaurants, I kept stumbling across high praise for Casa Saltshaker. While we didn’t end up choosing to dine here (went to i Latina instead, the right choice for us), we did sign up for a cooking class with Casa Saltshaker chef/owner, Dan Perlman. During the “Classic Argentine Lunch” class we went over how to make from scratch:

• Chimichurri
• Fried mushroom empanada (Patagonian style filling)
• Baked chicken empanada
• Zapallitos rellenos (stuffed globe zucchini)
• Steak, 2 ways (Argentine and French)

Lucky for us, all the ingredients were already measured and laid out for our use (and that’s half the battle!).

We started with the Chimichurri, because the flavor develops quite a lot if it’s given the time. Simple, as you might imagine, you basically throw all the ingredients into a food process and press a button until done.

Chimichurri just means sauce, and while I’d thought it was more parsley-based than anything else, Dan told us that traditional chimichurri in Argentina has little to do with parsley. Apparently, the parsley sauce I’m used to with oil/vinegar/garlic, comes from a European tradition.

Chimichurri

• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup red wine
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
• 1 green onion or scallion, chopped
• 1 small tomato, seeded and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika (you can use hot if you like, though not traditional)
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ teaspoon marjoram (or oregano) leaves
• 2 bay leaves

Process all the ingredients except the bay leaves in a processor or blender until coarsely chopped. Add the bay leaves and let the whole thing steep for a couple of hours, overnight is even better – shake it up or stir it every now and again. Use within a few days to preserve the freshness.

This wasn’t our first venture into the land of empanadas, but it was entirely new with two different doughs and fillings. I loved the fresh taste of the chicken filling that came from the fresh herbs. With the mushroom filling, we started with a basic roux to which we added button mushrooms (can be substituted with any other type of mushroom as well). Especially important, were the pointers on how to fold that neat pastry-dough pattern so it looks as good as it tastes.

Empanada Dough for Baking:

• 250 grams all-purpose flour
• 75 grams melted fat – butter, margarine, lard
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 125 ml water (approximately)

Warm the water until just warm enough to dissolve the salt in it. Add fat to the flour and add the saltwater mixture little by little until the dough comes together. Don’t be afraid to really get into the dough with your fingers to ensure it’s well mixed.

Let it rest for 15-20 minutes, then pinch of small balls and roll them out into circle. Fill and seal (use water to seal the dough). Makes about 1 dozen small or 6 large empanadas. Bake in 180C/375F oven for 10-15 minutes.

Empanada Dough for Frying:

This dough recipe is different because, as Dan explained it, if we used a solid fat it’d melt when in contact with the hot oil!

• 250 grams all purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons of corn/neutral oil
• 1 egg yolk
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 125 ml water (approximately)

Warm the water until very hot and dissolve the salt in it. Mix the first 3 ingredients together and add the saltwater mixture little by little until the dough comes together.

Let it rest for 15-20 minutes, then pinch of small balls and roll them out into circle. Fill and seal (use water to seal). Makes about 1 dozen small or 6 large empanadas.

Fry in hot oil a few at a time until golden brown on both sides.

Patagonian-Style Mushroom Filling:

• 400 grams mixed mushrooms
• 1 small onion
• 25 grams butter
• 25 grams flour
• ½ cup milk
• salt, pepper
• Smoke flavoring (or use smoked salt in place of the plain salt above)
• 1 small chili pepper
• oil

Make a bechamel sauce with the flour, butter, a sprinkle of oil to prevent it burning, and milk. Bechamel is French fancy-talk for the base of this filling (much simpler than it might seem!). After it has cooked/thickened a bit, add the mushrooms, chili, and onion, and saute until the mushrooms have released their water. Add a couple of drops of smoke flavoring and then season to taste. Let cool before using (this allows it to thicken too, making filling the dough easier).

Chicken filling for Empanadas:

• 1-2 chicken breasts, diced (aiming for 250-300 gm)
• ½ cup flour
• ½ teaspoon each of sweet paprika, cumin, cayenne
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper

Dust the chicken in flour mixed with the spices. Saute the onion and green onion in oil, add the chicken, cook until golden brown. Add a little water or stock to create a bit of a sauce (the flour will thicken it). Mix in the parsley and season to taste. Let cool a little while, then fill the empanadas.

We decided to bake the chicken empanadas, so Dan recommended undercooking the filling slightly, since these empanadas would spend another 20 minutes or so cooking in the oven. With the fried empanadas, the filling should be completely cooked since they’ll only be in hot oil for a few minutes each side, just enough to cook the dough and warm the filling.

The zapallitos rellenos reminded me of my mom’s stuffed mushrooms, or the meat stuffed melons my grandma, but simpler even. Nothing needs to be cooked before going in the oven and the zapallitos were just the right size to handle easily.

Zapallitos Rellenos:

• Globe zucchini (or any zucchini!)
• Cheese, pulled into chunks (or shredded)
• Chopped garlic
• Fresh herbs, chopped
• Breadcrumbs or stale bread, pulled apart into rough chunks
• Salt & pepper
• Olive oil

Scoop out the insides of the zucchinis and roughly chop. Combine with the other ingredients, refill the hollow in the zucchinis, drizzle with olive oil and bake until tender and lightly browned.

Now for the part we were super excited about—stovetop steak!

Once on Food Network’s Chopped, a chef lamented his steak, that turned out to be blue: “If I can’t cook a steak, what’s the point?”

We’ve had our fair share of steak mishaps, and wanted advice on how to get a consistently cooked steak that was neither blue, nor well done. Dan’s advice was to place it on a HOT HOT HOT pan with just a bit of salt/pepper (no oil needed). He said he keeps a cast iron pan on heat all the time (like an hour or more before he even needs it). He said at the restaurants he worked at they’d always have cookware over fire, ready all day long. While that seems excessive, I see that extreme heat is the only way to get a nice sear on a steak. After placing the steak on the pan, he said, don’t touch it. You know it’s ready to flip once it unsticks itself easily. Once both sides are seared, just flip it every 1:30 or so until it’s the done-ness you want.

For the French style, butter is involved (of course!), along with a sprig of time and a tiny clove of garlic for flavor. Once the butter is flavored and the steak seared on both sides, continue to baste the steak with the flavored butter to create a lovely crust.

My favorite part of the class, that goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway), was eating everything. I was quite impressed with the flavor of the globe zucchinis, particularly because it was the simplest dish to make and can be so easily modified to ingredients you have on hand and individual preference.

Knowing that pre-made empanada dough is on the shelves of nearly every refrigerated section of the supermarket, I wonder if it’s worth making ourselves. This chicken filling was the best I’ve tasted in Argentina, and I credit that to the fresh herbs added gently to the filling at the end.

Dan did both our steaks, but I do believe he overcooked them both because the light pinkish center was a bit too faint for what I consider medium-rare. I guess one can never have too much practice…