Tasty Tourism Series-South America, Part I

 

Apparently the foods aren't the only things that are yummy.

 

In an earlier post, I promised to post recipes from every inhabited continent. In this installment, I'm going to give you some recipes from 'south of South of the Border', South America.

Because of the Treaty of Tordesillias in 1494 That established the 'Line of Demarcation', Brazil originally belonged to Portugal while much of the rest of the continent belonged to Spain. Because of this, it's not uncommon to find recipes with it's own unique 'flavor'. For instance, consider this Brazilian chicken soup:

Canja-serves 6

6 cups chicken stock

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken meat

1 chopped onion

¾ cup diced ham

¾ cup peeled/seeded/chopped tomatoes

½ cup chopped carrots

¼ cup long-grain white rice

1 tbsp chopped fresh parsely

salt and ground black pepper, to taste

In a large saucepan, add combine the chicken, stock and onion. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for roughly 45 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Then, put the chicken onto a plate and set aside. Using a sieve, strain the stock into a bowl. Skim off as much fat as possible and throw out solids.

Now, put the stock back in the pan and add the rice, carrots and tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Bring to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes or until the rice is tender. Once the chicken can be handled, cut it into ½” x 1 ½” strips. Put the chicken and ham back into the soup and cook until heated through. Add parsley and serve.

Speaking of variations on an 'oldie-but-goodie', here is Argentina's answer to a Southern staple food.

Argentinean Potato Salad-serves 6

3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

5 tablespoons olives, chopped with the pimentos in

4 russet potatoes

1 10-oz can mixed vegetables

½ cup mayonnaise

½ tbsp lemon juice, fresh

½ tsp ground mustard

½ tsp black pepper, or to taste

½ tsp dill weed, dried

salt to taste

In a large pot, bring some lightly-salted water to a boil. Peel and cook potatoes for 15 minutes until they are firm but tender. Drain, cool and cut into cubes.

In another saucepan, cover eggs with cold water and boil. Then, remove from heat, cover and let the eggs sit in the hot water for about 10-12 minutes. Once they are out of the water and cool, peel and chop the eggs and combine with the potatoes and vegetables in a large bowl.

Now, take a separate bowl and combine the mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, dill weed, olives and ½ tsp black pepper. Toss with the potato mixture until coated and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour, overnight if possible.

I'll continue this showcase of South American cuisine in another post.