Buenos Aires

Are they coming or going?
Dog walking is quite the
business here!





Spent a wonderful week in Buenos Aires...great weather, people, wine and food! Although most people associate BA with a lot of beef, we were able to find many other wonderful foods. Our first day there, we went to the Rodi Bar, a neighbor place where I had hake and Dan had a Wiener Schnitzel.

Cafe Tortino was a great place for a sandwich and wine.

Dorita was a really loud and lively place. Great lighting fixtures and an interesting wine presentation.

Great wines from San Telmo...the bottom steak was too much for us to handle. Maybe because we started with a great carpaccio??

Even though El Sanjuanino was a bit touristy, our waiter (who's name we never learned) was a wonderful treat. Who could pass up the antelope stew in tagine?





At Las Navarenes, they were kind enough to give us a tour of their wine cellar...never mind all the bottles at the back of the restaurant...the better ones are downstairs. My goat was excellent as well as Dan's ribs. Went great with Los Alamos Malbec!













A great day was spent across the river in Colonia, Uruguay. Restaurant Colonia is now call Lobo Food & Bar. We enjoyed a wonderful tortilla made with chorizo, red onions, potatoes & egg. My black hake (Meruza) with a vegetable sage butter was a winner as well as Dan's lamb in Tannat.



Back in the Recoleta neighborhood where we had a nicely appointed 2 bedroom apartment, we struck out to Munich. Don't let the name fool you...it's not a German restaurant. Especially with my chicken & spinach stuffed raviolis...they were like puffy pillows. Dan's tenderloin Milanese was immense....but he managed to polish it off. We enjoyed a Reserve 07 Malbec - Fabre Montmayour from Mendoza.

Our blow-out meal, was our last at La Canana...our amuse' bouch was a potato & leek soup, hongo seviche and a small beef & corn empana. I had the skirt steak and Dan tried his hand at a rib eye steak. An 06 Andellume Malbec was the perfect wine with this dinner.













And of course, no trip to Buenos Aires would be complete without a tango...let's watch!

Alscation Charcuterie

Ok, so here's my rendition of a great meaty meal done quickly in the pressure cooker

1 lb pork ribs, salt and peper
1 lb Kielbasa, sliced 2" on bias
1 lb Bratwurst, sliced 2" on bias
1/2 dry Riesling
1 bag Sauerkraut
2 tsp Juniper Berries
1 t whole cloves
1 T caraway
Make a bouquet garni (satchet with cheese cloth for the aromatics)
1 c vegetable broth

I use a Cuisinart 6qt Pressure Cooker (PC). Turn PC to saute' function. Lightly sear pork ribs all sides. Remove and place in bowl. Place Kielbasa and Bratwurst into PC and cook until just heated through. Add pork ribs and any accumulated juices back into PC. Add Riesling and cook until reduced, about 2 minutes. Add sauerkraut, aromatics and vegetable broth. Cover and secure lid. Cook under high pressure for 30 minutes...quick release. Carefully remove lid. Check ribs for tenderness. If you prefer them falling off the bone, replace cover and bring back up to high pressure and cook for another 10 minutes. Quick release.
Place meats and kraut into serving dish along with liquids. Remove bouquet garni.
Serve in bowls along with a rustic crusty bread to soak up the wonderful juices.

Bon Appetit!

Chef Kathy Dederich
Chef, Please!
www.ChefPlease.com