Banquets of the Nations: Argentina
Several Argentine recipes from 1911, including Boiled Skate and White Sauce, Empanadas, and Angel's Hair.
From: 1911 C.E. To: 1911 C.E.
Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.
“Argentine“ from Banquets of the Nations by Robert H. Christie, 1911.
Matambre. (Cold Rolled Beef.)
Matambre is the thin piece of flesh over the ribs and running into the flank, and has to be cut off with a little fat along with it. Spread it out on an ashet, and sprinkle salt and pepper (not cayenne) and pieces of hard-boiled egg over it. Leave it for twenty-four hours, then roll it up, and tie it tightly with string, Ieave it two days and then boil it till tender. Serve it in slices, cold.
Lenguas. (Cold Tongue.)
Trim off the coarse part of the root. Rub the tongue with salt, sugar, and pounded allspice, and let it lie in this for a week, rubbing every day. Rub dry and put in a pot of water and bring to the boil, skimming carefully, and boil for an hour. Then put in the pot a bunch of fine herbs, two bay leaves, and a sliced head of celery. Place to the one side of the fire and stew slowly for another hour. Remove the skin and shape it as desired. Then glaze and cut in thin slices.
Sopa-Cola de Terneros. (Calves’-tail Soup.)
Plot in boiling water six calves’ tails, scrape off the hair, cut each of them in two, blanch and refresh them in water, drain them well, and sponge them on a cloth.
Mince one onion and one leek, fry them in butter with nearly half a pound of raw ham cut in dice, add to this the calves’ tails, leave them on the fire for a while, sprinkle over them two tablespoonfuls of flour, fry them a few seconds more, and moisten by degrees with two quarts of broth; add to the above one carrot, a piece of celery, and a bunch of parsley and aromatics.
Bring the liquid to the boil, stirring with a spoon, then remove the stewpan back, to let the soup simmer gently until the tails be done.
Now drain, trim, and range them in a soup tureen in which you have placed some cooked vermicelli; then pour the liquid in, after passing it through a colander.
Pescado-Raya con Salsa Blanca. (Boiled Skate and White Sauce.)
Take the skate, scale and clean, and cut in handy pieces. Cook them in boiling water with a little vinegar, parsley, and pepper. Remove skin and bones carefully, seeing that the pieces of fish are kept whole. Put them on an ashet, and serve, with a good white caper sauce poured over.
White Sauce.
Break the butter in small bits, and put it into a small saucepan, with cream, sweet milk, or a mixture of either, in the proportion of a small spoonful to the ounce of butter. Dredge a little flour over it, and, holding the vessel over the fire, toss it quickly round till the butter melts into the consistence of a very thick cream. Let it boil up and no more. Any additions in the nature of flavourings can be added to this.
Empanadas. (Meat Turn-overs.)
Make a good dough of flour, milk, eggs, suet and salt. When ready, take a piece sufficient for one person. Roll it with a roller in an oval form, and put in the centre the minced meat. Then double over the dough in equal parts, sticking the edges with water. When ready, double the edges over all round, so that the meat does not escape. Then place in the oven till cooked.
The Mince
Is made as follows: Take a piece of cooked mutton; cut it, and mince it very small; put in olives (without the stones), yolks of hard-boiled eggs, salt, mixed spices, a little red pepper, and a few stoned raisins.
Carbonada a la Criolla. (Stewed Meats.)
A pound of the gigot of mutton does very well for this. It should be cut into small thin slices, and placed in a stone jar in layers, alternating with chopped vegetables, such as onions, carrots, turnips, French beans, soaked dried beans, peaches, sliced pumpkins, potatoes, and the grated rind of a lemon. Season each layer well with mixed spices, pepper, salt, and a suspicion of cayenne pepper, and a pounded clove of garlic. Pour over all two teacupfuls of water and one tablespoonful of tarragon vinegar, cover the jar, and put into a slow oven to stew for three or four hours. Arrange the meat and vegetables neatly on a dish, with a border of rice, and serve hot.
Tortilla de Haba con Salsa de Tomate. (Haricot Bean Omelet.)
Wash and prepare one pint of haricot beans by steeping them into a saucepan of water, and boil them until perfectly soft; take them out, mash them up with one breakfastcupful of milk, and rub the whole through a fine sieve into a basin. Mix in four tablespoonfuls of finely sifted breadcrumbs, the yolks and whites of eight eggs, beaten separately, and salt and pepper to taste. Turn the omelet, when well mixed, into a buttered pan, and bake in a moderately hot oven for from three-quarters of an hour to an hour. Serve on a hot dish with thick tomato sauce.
Puchero a la Criolla. (Boiled Fowl and Vegetables.)
Select a young fowl (taking care to have it perfectly white), singe and draw it, remove the breastbone and well wash it inside. Wash and clean one pound of rice, and boil it in good consomme; when it is sufficiently cooked, and quite thick, sprinkle part of it with pepper and salt, and put it in the inside of the fowl, turning in the rump to prevent the rice from coming out when being cooked. Tie round with layers of bacon, and place in a pot of boiling water with chopped vegetables, such as carrots, turnips, onions, French beans, Indian corn, soaked dried beans, cabbage, pumpkin, mushrooms, &c., and a few stoned raisins, with the grated rind of half a lemon, season with salt and a pounded half clove of garlic mixed with the other vegetables. Have enough boiling water in the pot to cover all. Let it simmer gently from two to three hours. Cut and arrange the meat and vegetables neatly on a dish, with a border of rice, and serve hot.
After clearing the stock it can be used as a broth (Caldo) along with some of the vegetables.
Asado. (Grilled Beef.)
Take a part of the back ribs and flank of beef, and grill it, or roast before the fire, and serve with potatoes and roasted (not boiled) pumpkins. This bit of beef should really be cooked with the hide on; but in Britain this piece of extravagance would not be thought of.
Dulce de Leche con Almendras. (Milk and Almond Cream.)
Take two quarts of milk, three-quarters of a pound of sugar, and half a pound of almonds. Put the milk to boil in a pan; peel the almonds and pound them thoroughly, putting them in the milk at the same time as the sugar. Leave it till it is ready, cooking on a slow fire, and stirring constantly, and only in one direction.
The Dulce de Leche should be light brown and rather thicker than treacle.
Huevos Quimbos. (Custards.)
Take nine eggs and half a pound of sugar. Beat the yolks well. Take little moulds with a little butter and put a spoonful of this into each. Put into the oven till they get golden brown, and then put in the syrup for half-an-hour; (water added to the sugar to make a thick syrup).
Cabellos de Angel. (Angel's Hair.)
Cut a ripe melon into very fine strips about the thickness of thick whipcord, then place them in a dish, and pour over some honey.
Christie, Robert H. Banquets of the Nations: Eighty-Six Dinners Characteristic and Typical Each of Its Own Country. J. & J. Gray & Co. 1911.
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