April Flavours of the Sierras Chicas

April in the Los Pots Kitchen brings a bounty of seasonal ingredients and unique flavours that celebrate the changing seasons in Argentina. As we transition from summer to autumn, our kitchen team at Estancia Los Potreros prepares hearty, fresh dishes that reflect the rich traditions of Argentine cuisine. Experience the best of local, sustainable cooking, with ingredients sourced from our own gardens and local suppliers.

Here in the Sierras Chicas, autumn arrives gently - cooler mornings, golden light over the hills, and a landscape shifting from summer's greens to russet and amber. This is a season of transition in the kitchen too, as we move away from the bright, light dishes of summer toward the warmer, earthier flavours that define Argentine autumn cooking.

Our gardens are especially generous this month. Acelga (Swiss chard) and spinach come in thick, dark bunches, perfect for tartas and empanadas. Beets, turnips, and radishes pull from the soil with vivid color, while celery, fennel, and leeks add depth to slow-cooked stews and broths. Cabbage and Brussels sprouts, at their sweetest after the first cool nights, find their way into roasted side dishes alongside our grass-fed beef. Sweet potato - batata - becomes a kitchen staple, roasted whole in the coals or folded into warming purées.

Citrus is where April truly shines in the Sierras Chicas. Oranges, mandarins, lemons, and grapefruit ripen through the region this month, their brightness a perfect counterpoint to the richness of autumn cooking. We use them in everything from marinades for grilled meats to simple desserts finished with candied peel. Alongside the citrus, apples, pears, and quince come into season -the quince in particular destined for our own dulce de membrillo, a tradition we honor every year, simmered slowly and served alongside local cheeses.

Avocados, too, reach their peak in April, adding a creamy richness to salads built around our garden greens: watercress, escarole, and chicory, all harvested just steps from the kitchen door. And as the sierra nights grow crisper, we begin drawing on the region's walnuts and almonds, toasted and folded into salads or used to finish a dish with a bit of crunch and warmth.

What makes this season special is not just the ingredients themselves, but the rhythm they set. Cooking with what the land offers in a given month means every dish tells you exactly where you are in the year. An April table at Los Potreros might feature a chard and cheese tarta, slow-roasted root vegetables from our garden, grilled beef finished with an orange and herb marinade, and a simple dessert of poached pears with local honey. Nothing traveled far to reach the plate, and everything reflects this particular moment in the Sierras Chicas.

This commitment to seasonal, sustainable cooking is at the heart of what we do. It connects our kitchen to the land around us, honours the traditions of Argentine cuisine, and ensures that every meal - simple or celebratory - captures the true character of the estancia and the season we're in.

Traditional Argentine Beef Empanadas (Empanadas de Carne)

Derived from the word “empanar” meaning to wrap or coat, we have the empanada - a stuffed or fried pastry traditionally filled with a combination of meat, vegetables or even dried fruits. Across the country they are a fast food staple and every region including Cordoba, prepares their own variation of a filling. Typical empanadas in Argentina are much smaller in size than those in Chile, normally fitting into the palm of your hand.

Empanada Pastry

2 cups plain flour

2/3 cups unsalted butter (cold)

2 tsp baking powder

To make the pastry, combine the flour, baking powder and 1 teaspoon of sea salt in a large bowl. 

Finely chop or coarsely grate the butter, then rub into the dry mix until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Mix in just enough cold water to bring it together, then wrap in clingfilm and pop in the fridge for 1 hour.

Roll out the pastry using a rolling pin or pasta maker and cut into large circles. 

A Traditional Argentine Filling

Empanadas in the Cordoba province are famous for being dulce salada, which means ‘sweet and salty’. You can use this recipe and by adding a couple more handfuls of raisins and a few teaspoons of white sugar they will become empanadas cordobesas. 

4 cups of ground beef or meat finely cubed  

6 white onions finely diced  

4 hard boiled eggs

1 can of tinned tomatoes 

1tbs paprika

2 handfuls of green olives

2 handfuls of raisins

A bunch of spring onions

1tbs chilli flakes

Salt and pepper 

Finely cube meat, or use ground beef sauté until cooked. 

In a separate pan sauté the onions until soft and then combine with the cooked meat, add the tomato sauce and season with salt and pepper. 

Add the remaining ingredients except the egg and allow the mixture to simmer and reduce down so that it is not-too liquidly. 

Allow the mix to cool completely. 

Roughly chop the eggs up and add with the spring onions and sliced olives into the mixture , stirring throughly. 

Fold the empanadas using the accordion fold and cook.

Place the assembled empanadas on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake in an oven preheated to 180ºC/355°F for approximately 20 minutes or until the dough turns golden brown.

For a demonstration on folding empanadas check out our video here.

For a downloadable version click here.