Continuing with my new dish of the meal approach to the Casa SaltShaker dinners and lunches. We had a few extra in December, with some private parties, as well as we added in Saturday nights for Christmas and New Year’s Eves.
Carré de Cerdo – Not the prettiest presentation nor photo, but damn it was tasty. Inch-thick pork loin medallions rubbed with salt, pepper, and cumin and pan roasted. Served over a mix of barley and wild rice sauteed in sesame oil with garlic and chopped hazelnuts. The sauce, a semi-emulsified gravy of smoky bacon stock, dark beer, milk, and merquén chili thickened with a blond roux. Chopped cilantro and parsley to garnish. December 2nd dinner. Served with the Don David Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 from Bodega El Esteco, in Cafayate.
Ceviche de Pacú – A fish not often seen in ceviche. Until I tried it, I wasn’t even sure it would work – it’s a fairly fatty fish. But then, so are salmon and tuna, which both work well in ceviches, and we’ve even made mackerel ceviche. Here, cubes of pacú, a freshwater insectivore piranha, cured in lime and passionfruit juice emulsified with neutral oil and a splash of chili oil, salt, and white pepper. Tossed with diced tomatillos, corn, cilantro, and red limo chilies. December 9th dinner. Served with the María Brut 100% Chardonnay sparkling from the Mendoza winery of Codorniú.
King Kong Cheesecake – There’s a classic sweet in Peru called a “king kong” that is, while varied at times, traditionally four layers of soft cookie dough sandwiching dulce de leche and usually two fruit jams. Pineapple jam is the most common for one layer, the other is often something red, like cherry or quince. Peanuts are often incorporated in some form. But everyone has their own version. I’ve taken this as an inspiration and merged it with our cheesecake recipe. At the bottom, what is basically a brownie batter flavored with banana, peanut butter, and espresso. That’s par-baked, then topped with our cheesecake filling blended with chopped pineapple. The whole thing baked until set. Once cooled, it’s spread with a layer of apple butter and chopped walnuts, and then the whole thing drizzled over with a blend of dulce de leche, chocolate, and sea salt. December 12th lunch. Served with Costa Rican coffee.
Carbonara Risotto – Inspired by my explorations of pasta carbonara, but also by that really cool approach to risotto that we saw in one of my Tucci recreations. Looking at it, I realize that this is more the American-ized carbonara, since it includes a bit of cream! Following the approach in the Tucci show, I pre-toasted the carnaroli rice in the oven. I rendered guanciale, and then started to cook the rice in the fat rendered out, setting aside the crispy meat for later. The risotto is made with a good white chicken stock, and at the end, finished simply with butter and salt. Nestled into it is a sous vide 64°C egg, and then the whole thing is bathed in a sauce of a whole lot of grana padano cheese melted into just enough cream to make a sauce, along with a bit of white truffle oil. Then it’s garnished with the crispy guanciale and some cracked white pepper. Yum! December 16th dinner, served with Bodega Nina’s “High Altitude Malbec Rosé” 2021.
Abadejo en costra de Quinua al Ajillo – The menu the next night was slightly different as it was a private party and they requested a pescetarian menu. Here we have fillets of pink ling, one of our premium local fish, with a crust of white, black, and red quinua, chili flakes, salt, and an egg to bind it; pan-roasted. Served over our ajillo sauce, not the classic approach to making it used in Peru, but my version – basically a head of garlic slowly confited in butter, then some flour added to thicken it like a roux. To that, we add fish fumet, a little white miso, some lemon juice, and egg yolks for richness. The whole thing then gets blended and strained. Garnished with a saute of chopped bok choy, white beans, and cockles. Served for private dinner December 17th, with Secreto Patagónico’s “Mantra Rebel” Pinot Noir 2021.
Huatía de Cuadríl – Slow braised rump steak in red wine, beef stock, rocoto and panka chilies, onion, garlic, and a raft of herbs: huacatay, mint, parsley, cilantro, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and sage. This is the latest iteration of a longtime favorite – we’ve been tweaking the recipe bit by bit over the years since the first time we made this way back in 2008! I think it just keeps getting better and better. Then again, that’s the whole point of tweaking! It’s served with potato puree that’s blended with popcorn infused milk, cream, and butter; garlic-sauteed fennel julienne; and a reduction of the braising liquid thickened with a light roux. Dinner, December 23rd. Served with Las Moras “Los Intocables” Bourbon Barrel Blend 2021 (blend of Syrah, Bonarda, and Merlot).
Chipas – I often forget that we always have some kind of homemade bread with our dinners, and we vary it every couple of weeks. Chipas, if you’ve been a regular reader, are a classic “roll” from Northern Argentina and Paraguay, and are basically a ball of cheese, butter, and milk held together by eggs and tapioca starch. I’ve done a step-by-step demo for you back during the “kerfuffle of 2020”. Dinner, December 24th.
Gnocchi alla Navarra – Okay, a day early for the monthly “Gnocchi Day” here in Argentina. It was a private dinner for a family with one big restriction – no dairy. Not overly difficult, just something we don’t usually do. I mean, we have to give up making our famous cheesecakes! This was inspired by the Basque potato stew that we make regularly for us at home, and which I gave a write-up for, once again during those dark times a couple of years ago now. Taking it out of the realm of stews, the sauce is a saute of onions, green pepper, garlic, chistorra sausage, a trio of paprikas (sweet, hot, smoked), and peas. Potato gnocchi, and a little of the gnocchi cooking water to emulsify the sauce, and there you have the dish! Private dinner, December 28th, served with Concha y Toro “Casillero del Diablo” Rosé Reserva 2022 (100% Syrah).
Chupe de Mariscos – Our version of a classic Peruvian seafood soup. The base is red onion, garlic, red bell pepper, tomato, and ají rojo powder. It’s sauteed in butter, and then we add diced potatoes, some white miso, and a mixed seafood broth (fish bones/head, shrimp shells/heads, and mussel shells). It’s simmered away until the potatoes are cooked through, then at last minute we add in the shellfish – calamari rings, shrimp, cockles, and mussels, along with a good glug of cream and some chopped parsley. Dinner, December 30th, served with Finca Las Moras “Los Intocables” White Chardonnay 2021, a bourbon barrel aged Chardonnay.
Scialatelli alla Moscovita – Remember a week or two ago when I showed you the whole step-by-step for penne alla vodka and mentioned the moscovita version and said I wasn’t springing for caviar, and blah, blah, blah. Well, okay, not caviar, but algae-based “salmon” roe, we can do that here. Hand-rolled scialatelli, which are basically three-inch long linguini, and the base I used was shallots and red chilies, flamed with vodka, then tomatoes and zucchini, finished with a touch of cream, slivers of smoked salmon, and chopped chives. I do have step-by-step pictures, maybe I’ll do a post in the next week or so, just for those who want to give it a try. Dinner, December 31st, served with Familia Lagarde Malbec-Pinot Noir Rosé 2022.
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