The traditional Mediterranean diet is firmly rooted in the earth. The warm, sunny climate, the long growing season, mild winter, and fertile soil of this region have long provided its inhabitants with delicious, fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, and nuts. It is, and has always been, a plant-based cuisine, one that never depended on animal products to any large extent.”

- Vegetarian Times Cooks Mediterranean

We don’t often offer vegetarian meals, let alone vegan meals, here at Casa S, simply because we’ve found that we don’t generally attract enough people to join us for the evening. But, one of my Monday students of our vegan classes prevailed upon me to give it some thought, so last week we added in an extra evening and offered it up as a vegan Mediterranean evening. Surprisingly, it filled faster than the Friday and Saturday dinners – though at the same time, only my student and the two who came with her were vegetarian – I think the date just worked well for many people. I decided against going the whole tofu, seitan, tempeh route and just focused on the fresh vegetables available in the markets right now.

We started with a simple, Moroccan style four-bean salad – a mix of chickpeas, soybeans, white beans and fresh yellow wax beans, all spiced in paprika, cumin, coriander, garlic, lemon and cilantro. I think this was our favorite dish of the evening.

You might remember this from way back, based on a Charlie Trotter recipe – a pure, roasted eggplant soup with pickled Japanese eggplants in the center and a drizzle of basil oil around the perimeter.

Likewise, the Tomato Tarte Tatin – the only differences here were using margarine instead of butter for the caramelization process and vegetarian “oyster” sauce (mushroom sauce) in place of the anchovies.

A seven-onion risotto, well, really eight – the risotto made with a red wine and vegetable stock, and into it a mix of sauteed leeks, green onions, white onions, yellow onions, red onions and shallots, and then at the end, a sprinkle of both chives and deep-fried onion bits. Another sprinkle of rawmesan, parmesan substitute, and hmm, maybe this was the winning dish of the night.

And, finally, some bourbon and vanilla poached pears topped with chocolate sauce (dark chocolate, soy milk, sugar, cornstarch), and I think we had some happy campers on our hands.

 Men are always pushed into group situations … like group sports with a leader. In the kitchen the chef is your captain, but in pastry there is more autonomy, more independence. Women relish that. you are permitted to be creative sooner than on the hot line.”

- Claudia Fleming, NYC pastry chef

I’ve worked a good percentage of my adolescent and adult life in the food and wine world. I had my breaks – I was a security guard for a couple of years in college and a paramedic for a few years after, and I tried my hand at real estate sales and appraising at one point, and have done temp work in the word processing and legal assistant field. But, food and wine always found its way back in, and probably, since 1972 when I first set foot in a restaurant kitchen, I’ve spent about 30 years in either the front or back of house, as it were. And in all that time, I never really paid that much attention to pastry and baking. It wasn’t my focus – it was always a curiosity, and I’ve built up my own little repertoire of desserts and breads that I can make, and make well, even if they’re not overly pretty sometimes. And then, a couple of months ago, I realized, I’m at a point in life, and with a flexible enough schedule, that it might just be interesting to go back and learn how to do it and do it right.

So, a bit of research, and I enrolled myself in the pastry chef program at one of the local cooking schools with one of Argentina’s top pastry chefs, Roberto Goni. We started last week, and I thought it might be fun, as we go (the program goes until the end of the year, once a week), to share what it is we’re making. I’m not going to share the recipes, because, simply, this is someone else’s bread and butter, pun intended – they’re his recipes and it’s his livelihood to teach people. Of course, down the line, as I get to the point where I can play around with things and even teach some of them, it’ll be a different story…

Apologies for the photo, I didn’t have a camera with me last week (hadn’t yet replaced the stolen one, ya know?), so I relied on someone else to snap the shot – I’ve photoshopped it about as much as it seems to be able to take. It’s a basic sponge layer cake – what here is called bizcochuelo – and, not surprisingly for here, it’s filled with dulce de leche and chocolate. The almonds and the design atop were, more or less, my own idea. Sponge doughs were the theme of the day and we made individual cakes like this, plus group efforts on vainillas (ladyfingers) and piononos (jelly rolls).

Oh, and hey, they make us bring home what we make, and neither Henry or I eat much in the way of desserts, so if anyone wants to start taking things off our hands….

Our recent visitors from Canada for a private dinner apparently enjoyed themselves quite a bit and recommended us to a group of their friends from Chicago, who dined with us this last weekend, also for a private evening.

Much of this comes out of some favorites, and one dish, new to the dinners, comes out of our Italian poultry class. We began with the recent favorably received grilled calamari salad with sweet chili sauce from our Chilean inspirations dinner. Then we moved on to one of our favorite Peruvian soups, sopa incaica, though made with chicken stock at the guests’ request (no red meats), and cilantro instead of huacatay simply because the latter was unavailable.

From there, it was on to peppered mussels with risotto cakes. The risotto a simple one made with chicken stock and white wine, then finished with fresh buffalo mozarella and lots of tarragon. Pressed that into a pan and chilled it, then cut out rounds and fried them up into risotto cakes. The mussels, the simplest preparation you’ll ever make and amazingly good – a couple of pounds of mussels into a pot, a quarter cup of ground black pepper, cover with a lid, turn the heat on high. Nothing more. Stir them up and serve.

On to the main course, right out of one of our classes – chicken in a piquant sauce – browned chicken breasts that are then cooked slowly in an amazingly savory sauce of white wine, onion, vinegar, anchovy, gherkins, capers, garlic and parsley. Served with polenta that was packed with creamy goat’s milk cheese. Delicious!

And, finally, one of our new favorite simple fruit desserts – peaches in syrup with caramelized goats’ milk cheeses – this time a St. Maure and a Camembert.

Last week’s tasting notes:

Quilmes Patagonia Amber Lager, Buenos Aires – Gorgeous burnt orange color. Medium bodied beer with good acidity, refreshing. A touch of hops, but not overly noticeable. Slight fruitiness, somewhat like peach and apple skins. Hint of bitterness towards the finish.

Antares Kölsch, Mar del Plata – Dark brown, sort of root beer color. Medium bodied beer. Somewhat low acidity. Good bitterness, orange peel and szechuan peppercorns. Fairly short finish. Overall rather pleasant.

Humberto Canale Extra Brut – 50% Semillon, 30% Pinot Noir, 10% each Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc – an unusual sparkling blend to say the least – light on the bubbles, more frizzante than a full sparkling, pale gold color. On the nose, canned pineapple, fresh raspberries and paraffin. The palate has juicy acidity, a slightly bitter toasted note, a touch too high alcohol (12.5%) given the lighter body. An interesting choice with spicy, fruity foods, though not a wow.

Alfredo Roca Chenin 2009, San Rafael – Pale straw color. On the nose, Golden Delicious apples, hint of coconut. Good acidity, bright green apple fruit, raw hazelnuts, hint of floral notes. Long finish, all apple.

Alfredo Roca Merlot Rosé 2008, San Rafael – Dark pink with a tinge of orange. Strawberries, raspberries and cream on the nose. Medium bodied, noticeable oak on the palate. Decent acidity, but could use a touch more. Very creamy finish. Reminds me, somehow, of a fruit and cheese blintz.

Rodas Sangiovese Rosado 2009, Mendoza – Beautiful dark pink color. Bitter cherries, fresh, vibrant, a touch of residual sugar that reminds me of Karo syrup. No real depth, no real length, just a delightful hot weather quaff.

Nieto-Senetiner Don Nicanor Syrah 2006, Mendoza – Inky dark purple color, held up to the light it’s still hard to see through. Boysenberry, graham cracker, and wet stone on the nose. Good acidity, full-bodied, soft but noticeable tannins, a touch hot on the finish which has a hint of licorice added to the jammy boysenberry fruit. Was a fantastic match with bistecchine di maiale – a slow cooked pork shoulder in a vinegar, bay, dried fruit and bitter chocolate sauce.

Familia Zuccardi Textual Tannat 2006, Mendoza – Beautiful dark purple red color, holding to the rim. The Tannat character is instantly recognizable on the nose – that weird cooked blueberry, nutmeg and hot tar blend. It carries over onto the palate, with the spice really shining, plenty of fruit, good acidity, and the alcohol quite noticeable, especially on the finish, surprising given the depth of fruit and that the wine only comes in at 14%. A wine that holds up to piquant flavors, and paired beautifully with chicken simmered in a vinegar, caper, pickle, anchovy and garlic sauce (trust me, it’s a killer dish).

Mendel Finca Remoto 2006, Altamira, Mendoza – Dark violet color tinged with red. Intense classic Malbec aromas of black plums, cinnamon stick and a touch of candied violets. Decent acidity, soft, sweet tannins, well-integrated oak. Very elegant, and, I gather, very difficult to find – thanks for the tasting go to Marcelo Rebole at the Park Hyatt, along with the next wine.

Bodega Chacra Barda 2008, Rio Negro, Patagonia – 100% Pinot Noir. Deep cherry red color. Raspberry jam and warm spices. Intense aroma, great acidity, soft, nearly non-existent tannins, minimally noticeable oak. Good length, though little other than acidity on the finish.

 The man who trusts men will make fewer mistakes than he who distrusts them.”

- Camillo di Cavour, prime minister, Kingdom of Sardinia

I’m getting a bit behind on dinner posts, so I may throw these at you rapidly over the next couple of days. You’ll live. Let’s start back at the beginning of the month and our 150th year celebration of the unification of many of the various states and kingdoms that would eventually become Italy, into the Kingdom of Sardinia, or, at that point more properly known as the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. Either way, it gave license to play in the kitchen with some favorite Sardinian recipes.

We began with a simple insalata di calamari – quickly blanched squid rings and tentacles, tossed with a bowl filled with tomatoes, garlic, celery leaves, basil, mint, shallots, olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper. You pick the proportions, it’s all good! Serve it room temperature – basil and tomatoes don’t stand up well to long refrigeration, so keep it in mind when it comes time to blanch the squid – you want it to have time to cool to room temp, but not sit there for hours and hours.

Combining two favorite chickpea based soups, one that simply combines them with saffron, the other with fennel, and we have our minestra di ceci con zafferano e finocchi. Sauteed onions, carrots and fennel in a little olive oil until starting to soften, then added chickpeas, freshly made chicken stock and saffron, let it all cook together for a bit, season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve and enjoy!

The only time I’ve ever tried pane frattau was at a little Sardinian spot here in BsAs. At the time, I assumed… well, actually, was told… that it was served the traditional way – a piece of crispy semolina flatbread, pane carasau or, carta di musica, on the bottom, topped with ravioli filled with cheese and herbs, and then a poached egg atop. But research into the dish points a very different, and much simpler direction, and I’ve played with it a few times in our classes until coming up with a version I like quite a bit. The flatbread is not left crispy, but rather slightly chewy, but soaking it in boiling hot water for a minute or so just before getting ready to serve, and because it’s made from semolina flour, as is most really good pasta, it softens to a sort of al dente round of thick pasta. It forms the base, atop which is a ladleful of a simple tomato sauce made from crushed plum tomatoes, onion, garlic, finely shredded carrot, and thyme, and then the whole thing is topped with a fried egg and grated pecorino cheese. Either approach, it’s an unusual and delicious dish.

Traditionally a holiday dish, bistecchine di maiale (well, usually not made with pork but wild board, cingiale), is a slow cooked steak of pork shoulder in what one of our guests referred to as “Italian mole” – not really, other than it happens to include some bitter chocolate in the mix, but I understand (it also makes the mistaken assumption that moles are chocolate based, when actually very few of the different versions are). Saute finely chopped bacon in a little olive oil then add and brown the steaks. Meanwhile, reduce some red wine vinegar in a pot, add yellow raisins, pitted prunes, bay leaves, bitter chocolate, and some sort of aromatic spice (usually nutmeg or cinnamon or both – I use mace). Sprinkle the steaks with a little flour and let that lightly toast, flipping the steaks a couple of times. Pour the reduced vinegar and fruit sauce over, bring to a simmer and let cook for 10-15 minutes, turning the steaks a couple more times to absorb the sauce evenly. Served with polenta and absolutely delicious!

This is a killer dessert – simple, unexpected, and amazingly good. They’re called seadas. The dough is a simple flour, margarine and water one (or use lard, but not butter, the texture comes out wrong). The filling, a mix of grated pecorino cheese, grated lemon and orange zest, and grappa.

Form them into round ravioli shapes, cut with a fluted pastry wheel. Fry them in olive oil. Top them with good honey (chestnut honey is traditional). Serve. Sleep happy.

So, we reach the end of the Supreme Directors with a short walk dedicated to Juan Pedro Julián Aguirre y López de Anaya, more commonly just referred to as Julián Aguirre. There’s not a huge amount to tell about him, and in fact I was able to find out little overall. He was a revolutionary military officer, who rose only to the rank of Captain, unlike most of the other Supreme Directors who seemed to have made it to higher ranks. And, when it comes down to it, he wasn’t actually elected to the position – at the point in time in 1820 when Argentina decided to create a national constitution and democratically elect a president, our erstwhile repeat Director, José Rondeau, was back in the position, and he didn’t like the direction the country was going. He was forced to step down a mere four days before the new president-elect was to take office, and our boy Julián was thrown into the breach to cover the gap from late in the day on February 11 until the morning of the 16th, when Bernardino Rivadavia was sworn in. To the best I can determine he really did nothing more than hang out and take care of minor daily business – all important decisions being put on hold until the new president took office.

So it’s not a surprise that it’s difficult to find a street to walk on named after him. There’s a street simply called Aguirre, but no first name and I wasn’t able to find out if this was our guy. There is a one-block long street out in Mataderos that is indeed called Julián Aguirre, and I’d assume that’s the right one, but, to be honest, and especially after my little recent venture in the Koreatown area, the street appears to be dead center of a section of the neighborhood in which I don’t plan to walk – so that block will just have to languish without me. Therefore, although it’s quite possible that the 17 block stretch of, simply, Aguirre, has nothing to do with our last Supreme Director, I’m going to use it for this little trek – besides, it’s actually, though short and primarily residential, a moderately interesting street that passes through Villa Crespo.

As noted, the street is primarily residential, particularly at the beginning of the walk, where it begins at the “five corners” of Corrientes, Estado de Israel, Angelo Gallardo, Troilo, and Aguirre.

In fact, the most interesting part of this section of the walk, the first few blocks is some of the graffiti. The architecture is pretty basic and, well, boring.

I mean, that’s pretty impressive “graffiti”, no?

What Aguirre does seem to be known for commercially, is a four block stretch in the middle that’s jam packed with outlet stores. I’m a Daniel Hechter fan, so now I know where to shop!

Never much of a secret since they openly advertise their address and are open, these days, regular restaurant hours most days, and we include it amongst our “puertas cerradas” kin because it started that way, this is the entrance to Almacén Secreto, at #1242 – more than halfway through our walk already. I’ll have to ask one day what the whole black hand on the door, and the “T Cul de Sac Sala” opposite the “AS Club” mean. I’m assuming they’re not members of the secret Serbian military society….