So a few days ago we celebrated our Argentinian version of a Como en Casa night – what else if not a lovely Asado under a starry sky in an almost-countryside backyard?
Mr. Fulano had planned an all-argentinian menu for the night, which was made up of:
* Matini welcome cocktail – made with Wodka, Grand Marnier and Mate tea
* Picada of Italian Salami, Spanish goat cheese and olives
* Argentinian empanadas with veal, pork & onion filling
* handmade Chorizo sausage
* BBQ Bife de Chorizo (roastbeef) and Vacío (flanksteak) accompanied by
* sides of Balsamic Mushrooms, Red beets, caramelized gooseberries & Gorgonzola, Red onion confit, Roast pumpkin with goat cheese, Salsa Criolla, Chimichurri herb sauce
* Flan with Dulce de Leche
* All this goodness served with Argentinian Quilmes beer & Ojo de Agua Malbec 2015.
For those who missed it, but also for those who want to remember this wonderful night again, here come a few pictures of our dinner, as well as the preparations…
Crunchy, homemade and what-a-great-smell pan de campo, handmade by Mr. Fulano and pulled right out of the oven a few hours before our guests arrived…
Also our side dishes were prepared in advance, so the flavors could unfold and blend well before being served. The red beets with sweet gorgonzola cheese were a real treat…
…and so were our sauces to accompany the meat – the salsa criolla with peppers, onions and tomatoes, for example.
Who said you can’t make sausages by hand? No challenge is too big for Mr. Fulano, so he started off from a nice chunk of best quality meat, spices and herbs, and ended up with some yummy chorizos caseros…
But this was not the only meat we served for the occasion: an Asado isn’t an Asado without an good piece of carne. We had some juicy bife de chorizo (roast beef) as well as some vacío (flank steak). Pity it was so good it was all eaten up before Menganita could even go get her camera…
Do you know Alfajores? They’re basically THE sweet treat in Argentina. We made them by hand as well, filling two biscuits with dulce de leche cream and finishing off with coconut.
Uuuuh, time to get started! In a somewhat adventurous last-minute-sprint, we got our welcome drink ready (that was a “Matini” mixed with mate tea, wodka and Grand Marnier orange liqueur) and headed off to our meeting point – a dreamy spot nearby the woods.
…and after a little bit of chatting and getting to know each other, off we went to Menganita’s house, where a surprise was waiting for our guests: second round of aperitivo was nice and cool Argentinian Quilmes beer (basically, THE national beer).
… accompanied by a mixed picada of cheeses and cold cuts.
Ready to teak a seat? Finally, and a little tipsily, we sat down at the table. The culinary journey could begin…
Do we still need to say it was a great night? A big thank you to all our beautiful guests for joining us and letting us have such a good time together. We hope to see you soon with the next como en casa dinner…
Como en Casa 