Argentinian Street Food

Argentinian Street Food

Bringing you authentic recipes that sit at the heart of Argentina's cusinie, Argentinian Street Food is divided into chapters that focus on different aspects of Argentinian food and how best to recreate it at home. There are chapters with traditional recipes for empandas stuffed with meat, fish, cheese, vegetables, fruits or creamy chocolate; cult Argentinian street food recipes that are easily made at home; ice creams including helado, the creamy signature Argentine ice; and some Argentine classic desserts, including the legendary Dulce De Leche. The Argentinian atmosphere is carried through in the food photography and in the reportage that sets this delicious food in its rich cultral context.

Argentinian Street Food
Murdoch Books
Authors: Enrique Zanoni and Gaston Stivelmaher
ISBN: 9781743362945
RRP: $29.99

Mini Alfajores

Makes 20 Alfajores.

Ingredients
Dough:
300 g (10½ oz/2 cups)
plain (all-purpose) flour
seeds from 1 vanilla bean
1 pinch of fine sea salt
220 ml (7½ fl oz) thin (pouring) cream (35% dairy fat)
1 tablespoon cognac

Filling:
200 g (7 oz) dulce de leche (see page 136, or ready-made)

icing (confectioners') sugar, for dusting

Method
Dough:
Combine the flour, vanilla seeds, sea salt, cream and cognac in a bowl and work together until you have a smooth ball of dough. Add a little extra flour or cream if necessary.
Wrap the ball of dough in plastic wrap and rest it in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Rolling:
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Sprinkle a little flour on the work surface.
Roll out the dough to a thickness of 3 mm (¹⁄8 inch). Cut out 40 circles with a 4 cm (1½ inch) cutter.

Cooking: Arrange the rounds of dough on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until golden. Allow to cool at room temperature on the tray.

Assembly:
Spread half the cooled biscuits with the dulce de leche using a piping (icing) bag or a spoon. Place the remaining biscuits on top. Press together firmly: the dulce de leche should bulge out the sides a little. Dust each alfajor with icing sugar.

Traditional Dulce De Leche

Ingredients
3 litres (105 fl oz/12 cups) milk
750 g (1 lb 10 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1 teaspoon bicarbonateof soda (baking soda)

Method
Cooking:

In a 5 litre (175 fl oz/20 cups) cast-iron casserole or saucepan, bring the milk to a boil with the sugar and scraped vanilla bean and seeds, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the bicarbonate of soda and reduce heat to low. Continue cooking for 2½–3 hours, stirring with a wooden spoon from time to time. It will darken and thicken.

The Cold Plate Test
To check whether the dulce de leche is ready, put a spoonful on a cold plate and tilt it. If the mixture holds its shape, remove it from the heat; if it runs a little, cook until it reaches this stage.

Storage:
Store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Secret Tip:
Place a few metal forks in the bottom of the saucepan to prevent the mixture burning or the sugar catching.

Recipes and images from Argentinian Street Food, photographed by Akiko Ida