Subexplorer[Moderator - WristScan]
30019
Hello dear Mike!! Great Theme and a great Jury team you have assembled for this week end. Now I wish to play "Diving into Foods" answering your challenge. I must say I´m rather frugal...
Jul 24, 2020,15:42 PM
... with my meals in most occasions but there is an event no Argentine guy with Argentine blood in his veins can refuse to assist and much less refuse to Dive into without thinking too much about cholesterol or about any excess on fat consumption or ... wine drinking: the "Asado"!!.
The Argentine asado (barbeque) is some kind of rite which must be shared with Family and Friends to be really enjoyed. And all the talking, story telling and having fun is made around food... and drinks.
The asado begins early in the morning, when the person who invites to an asado begins with fire preparation, while the ladies work on the "ensaladas" salads (which is an important part of an asado party)
These previous arrangements are accompanied by "empanadas" (meat pies) which can be fried or oven cooked. I personally prefer the fried ones I must add.
After the empanadas are finished a good plate of "picada" follows. That is a wood table full of different cheese, ham, prosciutto, olives, salami, etc.. accompanied with French bread. Though not very traditional, nowadays Picada can include mozzarella di buffala and prosciutto with green leaves.
Both empanadas and picada need to be accompanied with a good red wine and all this help to pass the time while the host has the "parrilla" (grill) ready and he lays the different cuts of meats on it to be grilled slowly.
A good asado shoud include at least half a pound of meat for each person plus the "extras". Meats includes some local popular cuts known as Vacio (flank) and Entraña (skirt) Lomo (sirloin) and Tira de asado (short ribs).
The extras are the chorizos (meat sausage) and morcilla (blood sausage) and offals : mollejas, chinchulines (don´t know the English equivalent) and riñones (kidneys)
Asado will be ready at around 1 to 2 PM and we need more wine and more bread to accompany all the food which I have described above which is enjoyed by every assistant trying a bit of everything while seated at a long table.
Some asado aficionados like to use chimichurri (a popular meat liquid condiment) on their meats. Other purists asado experts think chimichurri shouldn´t be used to enjoy the true flavour of meats and extras. So you are free to chose about this matter.
While enjoying the asado, the assistants usually request a "aplauso para el asador" (an applause for the asado cooker) which is a noisy way of thanking the host for his invitation and for all the sweating and work with the hot grill and asado handling.
At about 3 or 4 PM the asado is finished and it is time for desserts. Typical are the hand made "pastelitos" a little fried pastry or quince turnover but some other sweet cakes or pastries are always welcomed.
Well, now that the asado rite was explained I share a few shots taken along some asados enjoyed with my family. I must confess I´m not an asado maker expert but I am a great expert in eating and enjoying them so much.
Have a nice week end my dear Mike and friends here!! Best cordial regards, Abel.
A drink before asado
Empanadas fritas (fried meat pies)
A good picada to start the Asado Rite!
Though I’m not an expert in grilling a good asado I consider myself an expert in eating them!!
Last month I enjoyed an asado ... the first in our long lockdown period. This was the watch on my wrist to celebrate it!!
Asados and good drinking go so well together!
Dessert Time! Pastelitos are the traditional way to go but any sweet desdert is welcomed!
A lemmon ice cream or sherbet is a nice way to end an asado...
Dessert Time!! Pastelitos!!