THE MOST popular dish in Buenos Aires

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If you can prepare a milanesa you will have no trouble scoring an Argentine boyfriend.

And ladies, don’t fear, a milanesa is simply a cutlet as we sudo-Italians like to say.

Generally milanesas are of cow or chicken heritage and are 99% of the time served with potatoes that are either fried or pureed.  You can have your milanesa plain (as shown above), topped with a fried egg or bechamel sauce, served Napolitana (tomato, ham, & melted cheese), or sandwich style.

Out of the 13 months I have yet to order a milanesa while eating out.  The boys have prepared them at the house on numerous occasions and showed me their local magic.  Here is what it all comes down to…

Preparing Argentine Milanesas ::

Heat about .5 inch of vegetable oil in a saute pan.

Place the cut of beef or chicken in between plastic wrap, grab a mallet, and start beating until you get a super thin piece of meat.  Trim off any fat.

Organize your station-  plate of flour, bowl of beaten eggs with smashed garlic cloves and parsley, plate of breadcrumbs.

Season your beat meat with salt and pepper on both sides.  Gently toss the meat in the flour, shaking off any excess, submerge in beaten egg and finish in breadcrumbs.  Carefully place in heated oil and DO NOT overcrowd.  Cook for 3ish minutes, flip and cook another 3 minutes until crispy and golden brown.  Transfer to napkin lined plate to drain off unwanted oil.

If you want to skip the fattiness and the mess of dealing with leftover oil, you can bake your milanesas.  Word on the street is they can come out dry, but I’ve recently learned a simple tip that guarantees moist, crispy baked milanesas.  Prep the milanesas the same as above.  Turn the oven on 400°F or 200°C and grab a baking sheet.  Medium dice enough onions to cover the baking sheet.  Place the milanesas on top of the onion, toss in the preheated oven for 10ish minutes, flip the milanesas and put a few of the onions on top of the milanesas.   Continue to cook for 10-15 minutes til golden brown.  Serve immediately.

Have any of you eaten at the Schnitzel & Things food truck in NYC?  I hear they make a mean milanesa aka schnitzel along with Austrian potato salad, bratwurst, and other tasty sides and salads.  It’s not on the top of my Places to Eat list while visiting in April, but good to know in case the novio is experiencing serious withdrawals.  Highly doubtful.  For those of you interested in the food truck scene in NYC, check out this site that has locations, time, and venders.

For places on where to find the best milanesas in BA check out this article by Ms. Lazar.

LizaNola