Sovereign State: Argentina

Argentina
Entraña Asado con Chimichurri (Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri)
Puré de Patatas con Ajo (Garlic Mashed Potatoes)
Pizza Argentina con Jamón y Aceitunas Verdes (Pizza with Pancetta and Castellino Olives)
Pizza Argentina Margherita (Pizza with Heirloom Tomatoes and Fresh Basil)

Argentina is the Europe of South America. Bear with me. South American at its core but raised by its two mothers, Spain and Italy. Argentina also had a surrogate German dad at one point as well so that added a little sausage into the mix (I was thinking of bratwurst you dirty bird). Red meat capitol of the world. Lover of empanadas and pizza. Birthplace of the tango. Where cowboys go to die, out on the open plains. Argentina seems like such a beautiful, romantic place. I'd like to visit before I die.

Grilled meat, especially beef, is pretty much the holy grail of Argentinean cuisine. Being a city dweller I have to use my trusty cast iron grill pan to achieve the smokey flavors and sear marks of a grilled steak. I grilled a beautiful skirt steak that I marinated for an hour or two in some olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, garlic, and rosemary. I turned a burner up to medium high and grilled the steak about 2 minutes each side until perfectly medium rare. Then I let it rest for 5 minutes. Always let your meat rest after cooking. Never cut into your meat right after cooking. The juice will run out and the meat gods will cry. Resting helps the the juices redistribute and seals in all the moisture. I wish I could use a charcoal grill to get that nice smokey flavor only an outdoor grill can provide but alas, here I am in my lovely little kitchen.

Perhaps next summer I'll build a little ledge outside my third story kitchen window and put a grill on it. As long as it doesn't dislodge and drop three stories accidentally killing someone in a hailstorm of hot fiery coals and delicious meat, I think it'll work. Don't you? Is that a fire hazard? I'll just put it right next to my indoor smoker that has a rigged exhaust pipe that goes directly into my annoying neighbors apartment. Okay, okay don't get all riled up and call the police on me. I'm just kidding, my little grill pan works just fine.

So anyways, the condiment of choice in Argentina is chimichurri. A tasty salsa minus the tomatoes. It's basically, parsley, garlic, red pepper flakes, olive oil, and sherry vinegar thrown in a blender (salt and pepper tt). I love the acidity it brings to the melty fattiness of the meat. I served the skirt steak and chimichurri with garlic mashed potatoes and a little basic green salad. Here, have a recipe...

Chimichurri
1 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup sherry wine vinegar
3 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh black pepper

Puree all ingredients in blender or processor. Eat with steak or fish

The next day I made steak sandwiches with my go to cheddar style cheese Beechers Flagship and a little chimichurri mayo. Served up with my favorite salt and pepper chips. I could eat that skirt steak for every meal it was so good. So tasty and simple. No need to muck it up with a bunch of nonsense.

Argentineans love pizza. You heard me right, they love Italian food. You will find pizza shops all over Buenos Aires. Argentina is said to have the best Italian food outside of Italy, and who am I to argue? I've never been to Italy or Argentina so I'll just have to take other people on their word. Here's a Saveur article on the wonders of Argentinian pizza. It all looks also good!

The day after steakfest I decided to represent the Italian side of Argentina by making pizza. I made one with pancetta, pitted, green castellino olives, and fresh mozzarella and one with black krin heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, roasted goat-horn peppers, and fresh mozzarella. The dough was a little sticky but the result was a super crusty, chewy crust. I cranked my oven to 525 degrees (as high as it goes) and preheated for about an hour and cooked the pies for about 8-10 minutes on an upside down sheet pan. The results were so awesome. Best pizzas I ever made. I used Elise's dough recipe from Simply Recipes and it worked out really well. I made a quick tomato sauce with some roasted peppers added in and it added just the right flavor. So stinkin' good. I just a ate a slice cold for breakfast. Yum, Argentina rocks.

For more info on this project, read this: Sovereign States