Smoke on the construction site? No cause for alarm

Tags

asado, construction, food, random, tradition

Today it’s gloomy and wet with a chill in the air but I found these pictures from December. They’re of the small construction site beside our house, where lunch is an important matter during the sweltering days of summer (remember those?)

No builder’s tea and a ham roll for these construction workers. Instead lunch is ribs and cuts of beef barbequed over a portable grill; a workers asado. Meaty, juicy, woody flavours drift across the garden and make me hungry. Workers asados are more common on Fridays but increasingly seemed to be grilled midweek too. These frontline workers can’t construct on an empty stomach.

How (not) to prepare a mate: Eight easy-to-make errors

Tags

mate, tradition, yerba

It took me a while (because it is an acquired taste) but one day in Argentina I suddenly decided I liked mate. I liked mate so much I bought myself all the mate making equipment and located a bag of yerba in the cupboard. But the first mate I made myself was disgusting. Truly foul and bitter. Here’s why:

1. I didn’t cure the mate (special gourd used for drinking mate) before I used it
2. I let the water boil
3. I filled the mate to the top with yerba (herbs that are infused with water to make the mate)
4. I didn’t shake or tip the yerba to distribute the dust
6. I poured water onto the yerba from a great height, straight into the centre
7. I took the bombilla (little metal straw with a filter) out several times, shook it a bit and inspected it before putting it back on the other side of the mate
8. I topped up the mate from the boiled, steadily cooling kettle and not a thermos

So here’s how to make a mate that doesn’t have you spitting scolding-hot mouthfuls of wet herbs into the sink. This is the bare-bones idea, and there are many subtle variations on the technique which are said to enhance the flavour and make the mate experience spectacular. When I have learnt them, I will let you know.

1. Fill the mate three-quarters full with yerba. Covering the mouth of the mate with one hand, tip and softly shake it.

2. Take your hand away, tip the mate so the yerba is inclined at an angle of around 45 degrees. Pour the water into the emptiest side and then place the bombilla filter-end down where you just poured the water, against the mate wall.

3. Drink and then refill, always from the same place, keeping the bombilla in the same position.

I think the worst mistake was letting the water boil. It was all downhill from there, as boiled water kills the flavours of the yerba and makes it bitter. I have got better, but I’m still no expert.

Coming soon in our new series on how to ruin Argentina’s culinary favourites: How to spoil polenta; How not to make ñoquis; How to burn the asado; and, How to spend five hours making empanadas that end up tasting like old shoes

Photo courtesy of Lonely Planet

Leap year: extra ñoqui day for Argentina

Tags

cheap eats, food, leap day, noquis, tradition

I don’t need to propose on Leap Day, having already married my lovely husband in January, so I need another way to mark February 29^th. Luckily every 29^th of the month is ñoqui day in Argentina. On ñoquis del 29, people all over the country get together as a family to feast on these plump, fluffy parcels of potato. Many restaurants offer free ñoquis if you buy a drink or dessert.

Why ñoquis (or gnocchi)? Argentina is a country flavoured by Italian immigration in many diverse ways, not least in the food argentines enjoy today. Ñoquis came with the Italians when they arrived on Argentina’s shores at the beginning of the 20^th century. Why the 29^th? Some say the tradition of ñoquis on the 29^th arrived with the Italians at the same time. It’s the 29^th because this is the day before payday, when asados are mostly out of the question but ñoquis created out of potato, flour and salt are blessedly cheap.

A more poetic explanation comes from the legend of San Pantaleón, the 8^th century patron saint of Venice. Pantaleón performed miracles in northern Italy, including assuring one farmer that he would have an excellent year despite his poverty. The farmer’s harvest was spectacular, and because Pantaleón pronounced his prophecy on the 29^th this is the day people commemorate with ñoquis, the dish of the poor.

Tradition says we should put a peso or a banknote under our plate of ñoquis to attract wealth in the future. I haven’t tried this yet (hence the lack of millionaire status) but will do tonight when I try these ñoquis de batata y albahaca, sweet potato and basil gnocchi, which I just found on the From Argentina with Love blog. Sweet potatoes are a small departure from the traditional, but it just happens they’re what I have in the cupboard at the moment. And everyone loves basil.
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P.S. I’m going to ask Mario about this later as I am not sure if it’s true, but apparently the word ñoqui in argentine slang describes a government employee who does no work but always turns up just before payday to collect his pay check. Not a lot of those about….