Fall is happening.  Luckily fall in Buenos Aires is gorgeous and sunny and a light jacket and scarf is all that’s necessary.  It’s nothing compared to the colder seasons in NYC.  And I love Buenos Aires for that!  

And although the colder seasons are mild I still like to embrace them with big bowls of soup,  huge mugs of tea, oversized sweaters and leg warmers.

Soup is probably the best part.  

Soups are magic.

They’re inexpensive, cozy, simple, complex, healthy, rich, endless.  

Maybe you’re looking for something a bit on the heavier side for those really cold nights.  If so, check out the chorizo & potato soup posted last winter. She’s salty, rich and very well received.

Or perhaps you’re looking for minimal and healthy, like this broccoli & parmesan no brainer.

Well this week we’ve got a classic, tomato soup.  There’s a lot of flavor going on in this bowl with little work.  I love recipes like this!

To jazz her up we’re serving her with savory French toast seasoned with parmesan cheese and fresh chives.  

Roasted Tomato Soup ::

• 1 kilo of Roma tomatoes  
• 3 garlic cloves with skin
• 1 celery stick
• 1 large onion, peeled & cut in half
• fresh thyme
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• salt & pepper
• 1 cup chicken stock
• olive oil
• parmesan cheese
• chives, sliced

Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with foil.

Core tomatoes and place them on baking sheet along with the celery stick, onion, and garlic cloves.  Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt & pepper, throw on thyme and place in oven for 45 minutes or until the tomatoes are charred and practically bursting.

Remove the garlic skins and thyme and discard.  Transfer the veggies & garlic to a blender or food processor and puree til smooth.  Pour into a stock pot over low heat.  Add chicken stock and tomato paste and lightly simmer.  Taste and adjust seasoning.

Serve hot with grated parmesan and chives garnished on top.

French Toast Bites  ::

• day old baguette sliced in rounds 1/2 inch thick
• 1 egg
• milk
• salt & pepper
• parmesan
• butter
• chives

In a single layer place the sliced baguette in a Tupperware container.  Lightly beat the egg in a bowl and add the milk and a good bit of pepper.  Pour mix over bread.  You want them all to be just covered.

Remove the bread from the milk solution.  The bread should have absorbed the majority of the milk.  Season with salt.

5 minutes before serving the soup place a nonstick pan over medium heat.  Once the pan is hot add a bit of butter to the pan and allow to fully melt and bubble.  Place the breads in the buttered pan and cook on each side for 2-3 minutes.  Set aside and while still hot top off each piece with grated parmesan and sliced chives.

Serve hot with soup.

** For best results soak the bread in the mix solution over night.

We’ve been avoiding the crowds and staying in whipping up some inexpensive & tasty dishes all in the comfort of our home.

The meals are mostly vegetarian and are centered around leftovers from the previous nights service.

Aaaand they’re a bit on the naughty side after eating right throughout the week.

A girls gotta reward herself for good behavior, no?!!

Rarely do I buy bread for the house.  If we’re having bread, I’m making it.

Well not on Saturday mornings!  Saturday mornings are for sliced bread.

And my favorite dish with sliced bread-  grilled cheese with pickles.

What is it about grilled cheese sandwiches?

Is it strictly because it’s bread and cheese, the two most dangerous food groups?  Or maybe it’s the toast factor resulting in melty cheese?

Whatever it is, it’s totally worth the guaranteed stomach bomb.

This is a bit of a deluxe grilled cheese.

Pickles.

Tomatoes.

Green onions.

Jalapeno puree.

Heaps of butter and cheese.

FAIR WARNING-  eat a normal portion.  You’ll want more.  Possibly two sandwiches.  They’re that good.  Don’t.  Trust!!

Serve some greens on the side.  They’ll help with digestion and all that.

Grilled Cheese & Pickle Sammie  ::

• sliced bread, generously buttered on one side
• sliced pickles
• tomato, sliced & seasoned with olive oil, salt & pepper
• green onions, sliced
• jalapeno puree (charred jalapenos- stems removed- blender- start & drizzle in oil- salt)
• cheese, sliced (pick your fave, I stuck with the Argie classic queso cremoso)
• salt

If you have a grill cast iron use it.  They work the best.  Make sure she’s smokin’ hot.  This will get you that crispy charred crust you’re going for.

Make sure all your mise en place are prepped, she’s a quickie.

Take your buttered bread and smear jalapeno puree on the naked side.  So-  one side butter, one side jalapeno puree.

Place the butter side onto the pan and start adding your cheese.

Next up sprinkle on green onions, add a layer of tomatos and then the pickles.  Give it a sprinkle of salt and place the other slice of bread on top, jalapeno side pressing against the pickles.

Carefully press down with spatula.  I like to use my fish spatula when making grilled cheese!

After a couple minutes flip your sandwich and give it another press.

I prefer mine a bit burnt & crispy, but keep your eyes on it they cook fast!

Devour immediately and saveur every bite.

These things range from tradition, practicality, addiction and so on.  

Here in Buenos Aires Culture I will share with you some of my favorites and others not so well received.

Example A-  the Argentine toaster

Small and made of aluminum with a metal grate and a useful handle to prevent burns.

So many kitchens are cramped with unnecessary pricey appliances.  Not this little fellow.

This toaster cost roughly 25 pesos, about 5 USD at the official rate.

She hangs out in the oven with the cast irons while not being used and requires zero electricity to do her job.

She works fast and leaves grill like marks.

Down side-  you must pay attention!  There’s no automatic stopper and you must flip the bread to get both sides nice and toasty.

Also, know your stove.  Some burners tend to be more intense on one side and can cause uneven toasting.  Which is all good, but you might need to shuffle your toast around.  

What do you think?  

Practical?  Too much work?

I’m a fan.

Here’s a quick catch-up for y’all back home from my Instagram account.

Miss you all like crazy.  Come visit!

Stephanie booked her ticket!!

Biggest press accomplishment so far-  The New York Post!

Yes, I know.  It’s the trash newspaper for New Yorkers.

STILL!  I made it all the way to New York from Buenos Aires.

I’m proud.

Major props to my novio, Francisco, for all his hard work.  Couldn’t of done it without you.

Loads of vegetarian cooking at home lately.  

This pasta with sun-dried tomatoes, hongos de pino, arugula, and Torrontes was simply divine.

Light yet substantial.

I got a new bike!

Story goes something like-

Liza getting her hair cut at the salon on a Saturday afternoon.  Boy arrives, taps on the window and excitedly points to the bike screaming, ‘es para vos gordita, es tuyas!!’

Liza responds a bit over excited, ‘que?!  que?!  pero no hice nada!!  ES PARA MI?!

She’s a looker.  I’ve been riding her all over Buenos Aires collecting things for NOLA, hence the gorgeous fall flowers for our grand table.

Roasting peanuts!

A first for me.

These are garlic and thyme pictured above.

My favorite so far is chili piquin and lime.  

They’re sinfully addictive!!

One of my favorite houses in Buenos Aires.

<3

<3
Christmas came early this year.

And boy was I excited!!

The suegra generously handed over her great grandmother’s set of dishes.  

Check out  the coffee set!

She’s a great addition at NOLA!

New Sunday routine with the boy-

Burger Joint, one of my BA faves as you know, for juicy burgers and crispy fries!

<3
Pickling like a mad woman in the kitchen lately!

These pickles are so great with a toasty grilled cheese and hot sauce.

If you fancy pickling at home you can find an easy recipe at Pick Up the Fork.

The girls over at Fuudis decided to put together the first Buenos Aires Food Week.

Very cool, chicas!

I  indulged  at Mullu for lunch.

Loved the ambiance, service and tasty Japanese-Peruvian infusion plates!

Europe is in three weeks!!

I’ve been ‘eating right’ and doing loads of jumping jacks, squats and yoga to get ready for beach madness in Croatia.

Anybody have any quiet beach suggestions?

There are just so many!

Spinach is in season in Buenos Aires.

These spinach quesadillas with chipotle alioli were a hit last week at Mexican Pop-Up!

Gorgeous building in crazy microcentre.

Fall has arrived, but the days are passing sunny and warm.

Another new addition at NOLA, these gorgeous benches at the grand table.

Things are coming along!

And a bit of Momo el gordo.

Still loving you, Buenos Aires.

<3

]]> http://nolachef.net/2013/04/23/instagram-catch-up/feed/ 2 nolachef NOLAchef-catchup-buenos-aires-puerta-cerrada-NOLA-restaurant-chef-liza-puglia-new-york-post NOLAchef-buenos-aires-NOLA-puerta-cerrada NOLAchef-buenos-aires-NOLA-puerta-cerrada NOLAchef-buenos-aires-NOLA-puerta-cerrada NOLAchef-buenos-aires-NOLA-puerta-cerrada NOLAchef-buenos-aires-NOLA-puerta-cerrada NOLAchef-buenos-aires-NOLA-puerta-cerrada-burger-joint NOLAchef-buenos-aires-NOLA-puerta-cerrada NOLAchef-buenos-aires-NOLA-puerta-cerrada NOLAchef-buenos-aires-NOLA-puerta-cerrada NOLAchef-buenos-aires-NOLA-puerta-cerrada NOLAchef-buenos-aires-NOLA-puerta-cerrada NOLAchef-buenos-aires-NOLA-puerta-cerrada NOLAchef-buenos-aires-NOLA-puerta-cerrada http://nolachef.net/2013/04/22/ba-faves-cafe-lattente/ http://nolachef.net/2013/04/22/ba-faves-cafe-lattente/#comments Mon, 22 Apr 2013 14:52:01 +0000 NOLAchef http://nolachef.net/?p=5325 ]]> Situated on Calle Thames in Palermo Soho lies a small coffee shop serving to-go (para llevar) style coffee.

As normal as this may seem to most of you, to-go coffee isn’t really a thing here in Argentina.

Why have it on the go when you can take the time to enjoy your hot beverage at a table?  What’s the rush?!  

Things are slowly changing in Buenos Aires.  Thank god! 

Lattente serves Colombian coffee, in-house or on the go.

Service is friendly and efficient.  The space is clean, small and there are arepas.  

Not the type of place to take your computer and tap away for countless hours.  More like, in and out within 3 minutes.

This city needs that! 

Café Lattente

Thames 1891 at Nicaragua

4823.0599

They’re big, seedless and cost around 10 pesos for 2 kilos.  

Great for juicing!!  Make sure you include all that chunky pulp, don’t want to waste that sweet Vitamin C!

I got 700mL (about 2 large glasses) worth of juice from 2 kilos.

Tasty brain food for the mornings and a big immune booster!

Have a great week!

Things got a bit crazy this weekend.  

Do you ever have those moments where life is feeling really good and then you get really really hyper?  Well that happened on Saturday.

It all started with homemade peanut butter and antique dishes…

Ya see, I want to make peanut butter & banana smoothies in the morning.  But the peanut butter in Argentina is a disaster.  So I bought a big bag of roasted peanuts and made some myself.  At first I was a bit discouraged since my first homemade peanut butter was a failure.  But I stayed focus and my new fancy food processor (and loads of patience) got the job done.  Mission accomplished.

It’s good peanut butter.  Very natural and thick.  Just peanuts.  She made a great toasted sandwich with butter and fresh blueberry chipotle jam while I was in front of the computer reading Joy the Baker.

Feeling 12 all over again with my pb&j I typed in peanut butter cookie and a well stocked index popped up.

Turns out Joy also has a sister named Lauren.  Like me!!  And she made peanut butter cookie sandwiches on Joy’s blog!

So then I got into cookie mode.  A first for me.  I’ve baked some cheesecakes and cupcakes in my time but never cookies.  Word!

Butter, sugar, flour were purchased (and a banana for peanut butter dipping) and before you know it the hand blender was out and I was creaming like a mad woman.

Light bulb moment!  Back up stash of pecans in the freezer.  Within 5 minutes they were roasted and chopped.  Oh and a piece of dark chocolate too!  Why not?  I was riding the Joy wave.

First batch in the oven.  Then second and third.

While the cookies baked and Joy’s page stayed open on the counter I couldn’t help but want to smash something in between the cookies just like Lauren did.  But my peanut butter was too thick for this.

Leftover chocolate mousse from Beer Night was in the fridge!

Danger.  DANGER, Liza.

Things got a bit blurry after this.  New camera + new cake plate + cookie smashing.  It was a sugar overload.  Hyper times turned into I need to lay on the couch times.  We’ve all been there, right?

I don’t want to do it again.  Not true!  I do.  But I need more people around.  2 people plus 30 cookies is not safe.

Recipe follows, inspired by Joy the Baker and her lovely sister, Lauren.  Gracias, Joy!

Peanut Butter & Pecan Cookies  ::

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup  black sugar

1 egg

1 cup pecans, roasted and chopped

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375°F and grease baking sheets.

Using a hand blender mix together the butter and peanut butter til well incorporated.

Add sugars and beat til light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add egg and continue beating on medium for another minute.

Sift together the dry ingredients and add to wet mixture.  Mix on low til just combined, fold in pecans with wooden spoon (*and possibly chocolate chunks/chips), wrap and set in fridge for 30 minutes.

My mixture seemed a bit dry but once I started rolling the cookies the texture changed instantly.

Make golf ball size dough balls and place on cookie sheet spreading them out by an inch.  Using a fork or spoon lightly press on the cookie to flatten.  It the sides start to crack pick it up and mold it back with your hands.

Bake for 6-10 minutes til lightly golden brown.  Serve warm or store in air right contained for a few days.

Sunday, you were so good to me.  

Sunny skies, fall clothes, Don Draper, and leftover homemade cookies were all featured.

Lunch at Social Paraiso was the highlight.

Lunch with girlfriends is always the best.  Especially when you’re celebrating a promotion!

The long lunch went something like boy chat, Sauvignon Blanc, boy chat, bread basket, mental illness, marketing strategies, Paris, and of course, world domination. 

Having so much to talk about we didn’t have the biggest appetites and decided to share two dishes, a shrimp appetizer and sorrentini.

Sorrentini are like fatter ravioli.

These were stuffed with brie and walnuts and served with a sun-dried tomato and black olive sauce.  Delicate little pillows executed just perfectly.

The ambiance is charming, about 13 tables covered in white tablecloths, high brick ceilings and an open kitchen.

Their menu changes often and they offer a two course lunch for the price of 80 pesos, about $17 USD depending on your exchange rate.

There is one table hidden in the courtyard if you’re looking for privacy.

Portions are on the smaller side but the quality ingredients make up for it.

All in all she’s a lovely little place.   

Social Paraiso

Honduras 5182 at Uriarte

4831-4556

Tuesday – Sunday 12 – 16h

Tuesday- Saturday 20h- close

Here in Buenos Aires we’ve been given a six day holiday week known as Semana Santa.

Having worked every weekend since the opening of NOLA last August we decided to close our doors and head to the farm with friends for a bit of nature.

Bags packed and cars stuffed, ten of us headed South to a small town called Chascomus.

We couldn’t have asked for a better getaway!!

Like most holidays in Argentina we commenced our weekend with the greatest local tradition, the asado.

Short ribs, chorizo, matambre de cerdo, chinchulin, chicken and  fresh corn covered the grill while asador Francisco kept charge of the flaming wood.

Rita decided to join us and give us a round of high fives.

The rest of the day was spent exploring the grounds and playing T.E.G., a local board game I was introduced to.

We need one in the house, chicos!!

I was the first to wake the following morning and crept outside for maté and yoga while everyone slept in.

After a breakfast of toast with dulce de leche we headed to the courts for an afternoon of paddle, a local sport where tennis meets racquetball meets paddleball.

The boys won.  Pfff.  

Rematch, pronto chicos!!

Valen and Sil took charge of the parrilla come nightfall and whipped up some of the best pizza I’ve had in Argentina.

Overall I couldn’t have asked for a better Semana Santa.

Sorry to the folks who tried to get a reservation at NOLA, but we oh so needed this getaway!

We’re back in the city prepping for tonights Beer Night with Broeders Artesanal and will be having weekend service at NOLA starting Friday.

Hope you all had a great holiday weekend!

A quick note for all you burger lovers in Buenos Aires.

Burger Joint near Plaza Serrano has added the Jamaican burger to their small menu of burgers and fries.

What makes the Jamaican burger Jamaican?

Pineapple, pickles, bacon, honey mustard and cheddar cheese stacked high on a homemade patty cooked to perfection.

She also comes at a great price.  50 pesos gets you a burger, fries and soda.  I don’t think you can get a proper cocktail in Plaza Serrano for fifty pesos!

They’ve also decided to open up 7 days a week from 12pm to 12am.  Minus Monday’s which are evening service only, 6pm- midnight.

Have you been yet?

Burger Joint

Borges 1766, corner of Costa Rica