http://www.saltshaker.net/20050804/locro-revisited Casting a little flavor (and a few aspersions) on the world of food, drink, and life Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:52:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 http://www.saltshaker.net/20050804/locro-revisited#comment-70 SaltShaker » Blog Archive » The Nation Recommends… Sat, 19 Nov 2005 12:38:46 +0000 http://www.saltshaker.net/20050804/locro-revisited#comment-70 [...] Even more interesting was the locro, the ubiquitous corn and pumpkin based stew of the Andes. Hands down this is the best locro I’ve had in Buenos Aires (including my own, found at the link above). It was chockful of hominy and lima beans, a variety of different sausages, bacon, and roasted beef and topped with a thick tomato-green onion salsa that was spicy and delicious; and the whole dish was spiked with a touch of vinegar that added a whole new dimension to it. I ordered a side of fainá, a thick, chickpea flour pancake that is served in wedges. This could have used a touch of salt, but that was easy enough to rectify. All around - yum! I wish I’d had enough room to try some of the dessert empanadas, something I don’t often see, that included a version filled with chayote squash, one of my favorite vegetables. Oh wait… they deliver… and after all, we North Americans are addicted to delivery… (This from a newspaper in a culture where anything and everything can be and is delivered!) [...] [...] Even more interesting was the locro, the ubiquitous corn and pumpkin based stew of the Andes. Hands down this is the best locro I’ve had in Buenos Aires (including my own, found at the link above). It was chockful of hominy and lima beans, a variety of different sausages, bacon, and roasted beef and topped with a thick tomato-green onion salsa that was spicy and delicious; and the whole dish was spiked with a touch of vinegar that added a whole new dimension to it. I ordered a side of fainá, a thick, chickpea flour pancake that is served in wedges. This could have used a touch of salt, but that was easy enough to rectify. All around - yum! I wish I’d had enough room to try some of the dessert empanadas, something I don’t often see, that included a version filled with chayote squash, one of my favorite vegetables. Oh wait… they deliver… and after all, we North Americans are addicted to delivery… (This from a newspaper in a culture where anything and everything can be and is delivered!) [...]

]]> http://www.saltshaker.net/20050804/locro-revisited#comment-32 SaltShaker » Blog Archive » Tannat Take 2 Tue, 18 Oct 2005 13:03:44 +0000 http://www.saltshaker.net/20050804/locro-revisited#comment-32 [...] The wine was a great accompaniment for our left-over locro from the night before. It was definitely a fruit-forward, lighter style of Tannat, quite reminescent of Uruguayan style. This one, unlike the one I reviewed a week or so ago was not particularly tannic or dense, so it was a nice contrast. Definitely more food-friendly! [...] [...] The wine was a great accompaniment for our left-over locro from the night before. It was definitely a fruit-forward, lighter style of Tannat, quite reminescent of Uruguayan style. This one, unlike the one I reviewed a week or so ago was not particularly tannic or dense, so it was a nice contrast. Definitely more food-friendly! [...]

]]> http://www.saltshaker.net/20050804/locro-revisited#comment-29 SaltShaker » Blog Archive » Price is not always Value Tue, 18 Oct 2005 12:59:20 +0000 http://www.saltshaker.net/20050804/locro-revisited#comment-29 [...] The locro, which has become a favorite stew, does not surpass the recipe I provided recently. In fact, it doesn’t surpass the very first locro I tried (see July 9th) that Henry thought was barely edible. I doubt it would surpass a canned version from Campbell’s. It was little more than pureed squash with some corn, white beans, and gristly bits of meat and bacon. It was completely unseasoned. The only thing that made it palatable was the serving on the side of a sort of green onion salsa that wasn’t bad, a dish of hot pepper flakes, and a salt shaker. And it was still pretty uninteresting. I’ll stick with the 5 peso locros thank you. [...] [...] The locro, which has become a favorite stew, does not surpass the recipe I provided recently. In fact, it doesn’t surpass the very first locro I tried (see July 9th) that Henry thought was barely edible. I doubt it would surpass a canned version from Campbell’s. It was little more than pureed squash with some corn, white beans, and gristly bits of meat and bacon. It was completely unseasoned. The only thing that made it palatable was the serving on the side of a sort of green onion salsa that wasn’t bad, a dish of hot pepper flakes, and a salt shaker. And it was still pretty uninteresting. I’ll stick with the 5 peso locros thank you. [...]

]]> http://www.saltshaker.net/20050804/locro-revisited#comment-24 SaltShaker » Blog Archive » Duck and cover… Tue, 18 Oct 2005 12:52:54 +0000 http://www.saltshaker.net/20050804/locro-revisited#comment-24 [...] Buenos Aires - Friday was a day of wandering. Maureen wanted to see the Recoleta Cementerio, so we started there and spent a good amount of time wandering up and down the pathways. It was apparently maid service day - an inordinate number of crypts were open, and scattered throughout the cemetery were buckets of soapy water, cleaning supplies, and, even the occasional worker. There also appears to be a large amount of repair work going on - apparently some money must have been allocated to spruce the place up a bit. Afterwards was a bit of shopping and a stop-off to sample through some of my favorite empanadas and locro at la cocina (see July 14). The empanadas are still the best I’ve tried, the locro now, pales in comparison to some others (and, I think, to mine). [...] [...] Buenos Aires - Friday was a day of wandering. Maureen wanted to see the Recoleta Cementerio, so we started there and spent a good amount of time wandering up and down the pathways. It was apparently maid service day - an inordinate number of crypts were open, and scattered throughout the cemetery were buckets of soapy water, cleaning supplies, and, even the occasional worker. There also appears to be a large amount of repair work going on - apparently some money must have been allocated to spruce the place up a bit. Afterwards was a bit of shopping and a stop-off to sample through some of my favorite empanadas and locro at la cocina (see July 14). The empanadas are still the best I’ve tried, the locro now, pales in comparison to some others (and, I think, to mine). [...]

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