We have been welcoming guests to Los Potreros (The Enclosures) since the 1940s and our kitchen provides everyone who stays here with an insight into the delights of Argentine cuisine. Visitors discover the art of making and savouring traditional mate tea, the secrets to getting the best flavours from Argentina’s famous beef, and the family recipes behind the sumptuous cakes that are baking continuously in the original wood-burning oven. The kitchen is, without a doubt, the heart and soul of the estancia.The pleasures of Argentine food are also extended to the outdoors, with guests enjoying their meals under the shade of the verandah or a nearby tree. Their friendly chatter over the dining table is accompanied by the lively chirping of monk parakeets in the branches above.
Every chef across the world, pays close attention to what goes into their food but here at Los Potreros we are also concerned about what our food is doing to the environment. Our chefs have always had a “no waste mentality” and now more than every they are minimizing what they throw out and developing a menu to ensure they can continue to cut down what little waste we still have, throughout the last few months we have begun to test out new ideas with great success.
Chimichurri is traditionally made of finely-chopped parsley, garlic, oregano, oil and white vinegar. Though there are regional variations, it is also a recipe which is usually kept as a closely guarded secret. Chimichurri is not a marinade as argentines tend to use salt as the only seasoning on a piece of beef but it is used as a condiment at any asado.
Alongside the European immigrants into Argentina, there were also large number from Syria and Lebanon. Whilst many dishes have Italian or Spanish heritage on for two from the middle east have left their mark on the country. One of which is the delicious empanada arabe. A combination of lemon, onion, tomato and fresh mint pairs perfectly with the beef.
Derived from the word “empanar” meaning to wrap or coat, we have the empanada - a stuffed or fried pastry traditionally filled with a combination of meat, vegetables or even dried fruits. Across the country they are a fast food staple and every region including Cordoba, prepares their own variation of a filling. Typical empanadas in Argentina are much smaller in size than those in Chile, normally fitting into the palm of your hand.
Empanada Pastry
2 cups plain flour
2/3 cups unsalted butter (cold)
2 tsp baking powder
To make the pastry, combine the flour, baking powder and 1 teaspoon of sea salt in a large bowl.
Finely chop or coarsely grate the butter, then rub into the dry mix until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Mix in just enough cold water to bring it together, then wrap in clingfilm and pop in the fridge for 1 hour.
Roll out the pastry using a rolling pin or pasta maker and cut into large circles.
A Traditional Argentine Filling
Empanadas in the Cordoba province are famous for being dulce salada, which means ‘sweet and salty’. You can use this recipe and by adding a couple more handfuls of raisins and a few teaspoons of white sugar they will become empanadas cordobesas.
4 cups of ground beef or meat finely cubed
6 white onions finely diced
4 hard boiled eggs
1 can of tinned tomatoes
1tbs paprika
2 handfuls of green olives
2 handfuls of raisins
A bunch of spring onions
1tbs chilli flakes
Salt and pepper
Finely cube meat, or use ground beef sauté until cooked.
In a separate pan sauté the onions until soft and then combine with the cooked meat, add the tomato sauce and season with salt and pepper.
Add the remaining ingredients except the egg and allow the mixture to simmer and reduce down so that it is not-too liquidly.
Allow the mix to cool completely.
Roughly chop the eggs up and add with the spring onions and sliced olives into the mixture , stirring throughly.
Fold the empanadas using the accordion fold and cook.
Place the assembled empanadas on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in an oven preheated to 180ºC/355°F for approximately 20 minutes or until the dough turns golden brown.
For a demonstration on folding empanadas check out our video here.
For a downloadable version click here.
