Identify This Argentinian Dish
January 12, 2018 10:53 AM Subscribe
Back in 2006, my husband and I ate a South American restaurant in Paris called Anahi. He had a delicious meal that we have talked about many times, but we don't know what it is called.
The dish was a steak stew - chunks of beef (filet probably) in a green chili broth, with a raw egg cracked on top right before they served it. My husband doesn't recall any vegetables being in it, but we could be wrong.
The restaurant has recently changed owners, and this dish is not on their new menu. A few years ago I had a friend who speaks French call the restaurant and ask for the name of the dish or the recipe, and they refused to tell him anything about it.
We traveled to Argentina a couple of years ago, but never saw anything like this on any menus. Perhaps it was from another South American country, or something the chef made up on their own. Is there an Argentine or South American dish that sounds similar?
The dish was a steak stew - chunks of beef (filet probably) in a green chili broth, with a raw egg cracked on top right before they served it. My husband doesn't recall any vegetables being in it, but we could be wrong.
The restaurant has recently changed owners, and this dish is not on their new menu. A few years ago I had a friend who speaks French call the restaurant and ask for the name of the dish or the recipe, and they refused to tell him anything about it.
We traveled to Argentina a couple of years ago, but never saw anything like this on any menus. Perhaps it was from another South American country, or something the chef made up on their own. Is there an Argentine or South American dish that sounds similar?
The Spanish Wikipedia page on locro is better. Google translate renders the Argentine section as:
posted by zarq at 11:11 AM on January 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
In Argentina, its consumption has spread from the Northwest and Cuyo to the rest of the country. Although Argentine locro has Indo-American origins, its preparation synthesizes the European gastronomic contributions for at least three centuries: for example, pork , chorizos, mondongo and aliños (contributions made especially by the Spanish ).There's also a wikibooks recipe for Argentine Locro
There are several classic types of locro, including corn , beans , cassava and wheat , although the most common is to use the ingredients in combination. The Argentine locro is prepared therefore following a multitude of recipes, being the only invariable its vegetable base and the process of cooking at low fire for several hours. In the province of Neuquén , for example, in addition to the corn locro, a species of locro with peas is prepared. In the Northeast, it is also prepared with cassava .
According to the region, it is also made with fresh or dried beef ( charqui ), viscera such as gut or chinchulín , mondongo , sausages and ribs or pork trimmings (hands, legs, tail, ears and leather, bacon , pellet grease ).
Among the vegetables, the squash is particularly noteworthy (especially the round grayish peel, called by this , lead squash , which usually gives yellow color to locro), and grains of white corn, beans and even grains of wheat. The starch present in these vegetables helps the locro reach a creamy density. For being substantial and nutritious, it is usually considered a typical winter dish.
The traditional dressing consists of a spicy sauce prepared with oil (or fat ), ground chili , paprika , green onion and salt , called quiquirimichi or red fat .
According to authors such as Víctor Ego Ducrot , the Argentine locro was transformed into one of the Argentine national dishes during the War of Argentine Independence and especially in the Gaucho War , when the gauchos who had fought in the ranks of the Army of the North spread it later in other regions of the country.
posted by zarq at 11:11 AM on January 12, 2018 [3 favorites]
I've spent several years in Argentina (mostly the capital, but I've traveled throughout), and never had anything quite like this. Locro generally has more things in it than just one kind of meat -- most typically hominy and squash, but also multiple cuts of meat and/or sausages. Using green chili as a base also seems really untraditional for the region. My guess is that this is the chef's own invention, and not anything traditional.
posted by dr. boludo at 12:01 PM on January 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by dr. boludo at 12:01 PM on January 12, 2018 [4 favorites]
According to this it changed owners in 2014 (and changed drastically) and again in 2017 (bringing one of the former owners back, as host). So it may be worth asking them again, if your friend called after 2014.
posted by acidic at 12:54 PM on January 12, 2018
posted by acidic at 12:54 PM on January 12, 2018
Agree this doesn't quite sound like locro, and most South American stews I've had go with red chile, and at least one kind of sausage or additional meat, plus a few types of veg, with the exception of Sudado de Res (which is super delicious but not green chile based in my experience). What you describe sounds like a variation on green chile stew, which is not at all South American but is really really tasty. If you can get ahold of some green chile, you might use that as a starting point for recreating your dish!
posted by halation at 4:05 PM on January 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by halation at 4:05 PM on January 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
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Locro is a beef stew with vegetables that can be jazzed up with any number of ingredients, including chili or chili broth. "A caballo" (on horseback) refers to the egg on top.
posted by zarq at 11:04 AM on January 12, 2018 [3 favorites]