We have been welcoming guests to Los Potreros (The Enclosures) since the 1940s and our kitchen provides everyone who stays here with an insight into the delights of Argentine cuisine. Visitors discover the art of making and savouring traditional mate tea, the secrets to getting the best flavours from Argentina’s famous beef, and the family recipes behind the sumptuous cakes that are baking continuously in the original wood-burning oven. The kitchen is, without a doubt, the heart and soul of the estancia.The pleasures of Argentine food are also extended to the outdoors, with guests enjoying their meals under the shade of the verandah or a nearby tree. Their friendly chatter over the dining table is accompanied by the lively chirping of monk parakeets in the branches above.
Every chef across the world, pays close attention to what goes into their food but here at Los Potreros we are also concerned about what our food is doing to the environment. Our chefs have always had a “no waste mentality” and now more than every they are minimizing what they throw out and developing a menu to ensure they can continue to cut down what little waste we still have, throughout the last few months we have begun to test out new ideas with great success.
Chimichurri is traditionally made of finely-chopped parsley, garlic, oregano, oil and white vinegar. Though there are regional variations, it is also a recipe which is usually kept as a closely guarded secret. Chimichurri is not a marinade as argentines tend to use salt as the only seasoning on a piece of beef but it is used as a condiment at any asado.
One of our favourite and most celebrated meals on the estancia is Osobuco. There is nothing nicer than walking in for dinner to be greeted by the aroma of red wine and rosemary. The chefs prepare the osobuco at lunchtime and the meat braises for at least 5 hours throughout the afternoon, ensuring the meat is soft and full of flavour when they go to take it for dinner the beef falls spectacularly off the bone.
No visit to Argentina is complete without an asado, and at Los Potreros no matter the occasion we try to enjoy weekly asado’s ranging from suckling pig, cuts of beef, potatoes to a whole host of vegetables.
The Argentine asado (or barbecue) is more than just a meal; it is an essential part of Argentine life. The default option for celebrating birthdays, special events, and holidays, or simply just an excuse to gather with family and friends. You cannot visit Argentina without enjoying an asado. They tend to be long, drawn-out meals stretching through the afternoon and into the evening. An asado is cooking in its purest most simple form.
Argentines prepare the meat for an asado very simply; just with salt. They prefer not to use marinades. The asador will season the meat with coarse salt, but the true flavour of the asado comes from good grilling techniques and high quality beef. Most Argentines prefer their meat cooked medium well or well done and often like the fattier cuts of meat, as they typically have more flavour.
At a typical asado, at least three of the following items will be prepared. Sausages are served first, followed by other cuts of meat. The other cuts of meat could include;
Chorizo (pork sausage seasoned with salt, black pepper, garlic)
Morcilla (blood sausage)
Salchicha Parrillera (thin sausage rolled in a large spiral)
Mollejas (sweetbreads)
Tira de Asado (short ribs)
Vacío (flank steak)
Bife de chorizo (sirloin steak)
Matambre (flank)
Achuras (offal)
Chinchulines (small intestines)
Riñones (kidneys)
There may also be grilled chicken, pork or kid offered as well. At Los Potreros and across Argentina, a suckling pig is cooked on the parrilla on special occasions such as Christmas or New Year’s Eve.
Argentine asado’s are all about the meat, but there’s usually at least one or two token vegetables or non-meat dishes on offer. Provoleta, a grilled, gooey slab of cheese seasoned with fresh herbs from the garden, makes the perfect start to the meal. Potatoes, sweetcorn or bell peppers roasted also feature regularly on the Los Potreros menu.
Starting the fire with dry hard wood creates better coals. Light the fire around 11:00 for a 14:00 lunch or earlier depending on the number of coals needed for cooking and type of wood.
Keep adding wood and once you have good coals place them under the parrilla.
Cook the meat on top - it takes a long time for well cooked meat so bare this in mind. Once you have coals under the parrilla you can test to see if it is hot enough for cooking if you can hold your hand above for more than 10 seconds it needs more coals. Another sign to listen for is if you can hear the meat sizzling when you put it on the grill.
