So what is Argentine food like?

Many years ago, when I moved from Argentina to Southern California, 

people would ask me for my favorite recipe for Chiles Rellenos. 

Well...great food...but...wrong country. 

At that time, being a total newbie in the US,
I had no idea what Mexican food was all about 

(and how much I was going to love it!) 

I come from a country where about 50% of the population has
some degree of Italian descent. 

I grew up around Italian grandmothers that made pasta from scratch
on Sunday mornings. 

I remember watching the women in the family
all in the kitchen making
that very special tomato sauce all morning long,
while my grandma threw a 

piece of pasta to the wall to see if it stuck or not. 

That's how she knew if it was cooked.

Italians began arriving in Argentina in great numbers
from 1857 to 1940, 

totaling 44.9% of the entire immigrant population,
more than from any other country 

(including Spain at 31.5%, France came third).

Argentina has significant connections to the Italian culture in terms of language,
customs, and traditions...and food! 

In fact, Buenos Aires (where I am from)
has a very European feel.

People are always asking me for traditional recipes from Argentina. 

I have directed them to find them online,
but I normally decide to just show them how to do them.

I am not really one for recipes...

Unfortunately, some of the recipes featured on online
sites at times include products or measurements not available or used in the US. 

So, I have decided to share some of my Argentine recipes on this blog
(and some of my latest inventions, my everyday thoughts on foods
and foodie discoveries).

I love cooking.
I love chopping and slicing ingredients. 

I love presenting my dishes.
I enjoy the smell of food, the subtle differences in flavor

from the different components, and knowing where my food comes from.

I want to warn you that I am a food fanatic and I can get
painfully detailed about how I prepare my dishes.
I hope you don't find this boring as I explain recipes.

So, here I go, with a new blog, a new outlook,
a new way to share my beloved Argentine recipes.

This blog is also a tribute to my dear mother,
who passed away two years ago.

She was the most resourceful cook I have ever known. 

She could transform boiled soy beans into the most delicious burgers.

She could make a feast out of a few ingredients.

She knew by instinct how to combine flavors to come up with an aroma 

that would make the neighbors suddenly come to visit. 

To my dearest Argentine mother, 

and to all those who love and respect food as much as I do, 

I dedicate this blog.

Cheers. 

Let's get cooking.

Silvia