LosPotsKitchen
Los Potreros
The Asado
The Asado
LosPotsKitchen
Los Potreros
The History of the Kitchen

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.

The History of the Kitchen
LosPotsKitchen
Los Potreros
Our Family’s Timeless Chimichurri Recipe

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.

Our Family’s Timeless Chimichurri Recipe
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Los Potreros
Summer in the Kitchen - Part 1
Summer in the Kitchen - Part 1
LosPotsKitchen
Los Potreros
Our Sustainable Kitchen

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.

Our Sustainable Kitchen

LosPotsKitchen

The History of Dulce de Leche

Eaten with almost everything in Argentina, dulce de leche is spread on toast, used to fill facturas, decorate flans, or just eaten straight from the jar. 

As the local legend tells it, the birth of dulce de leche can be put down to a culinary accident that occurred in 1829. 

With the hope of ending a period of civil war in Argentina, the leaders of opposing political and military forces, Juan Manuel de Rosas and Juan Lavalle, decided to call a truce. Rosas invited Lavalle to sign the Cañuelas Pact at his headquarters on a large ranch called La Caledonia. Lavalle arrived at the ranch tired from the journey, and he decided to rest a bit before meeting with Rosas. He decided to take his siesta in the tent where Rosas normally slept.

Meanwhile, one of Rosas’ servants was busy preparing the ‘lechada’ - hot milk with sugar - that was drunk as an accompaniment to mate during that period. When the servant went to take some mate to Rosas, she found Lavalle in Rosas’ tent and panicked. Unaware of the planned meeting between the two leaders, she alerted the troops to the presence of the “enemy,” leaving the lechada unattended on the stove in the chaos. When she finally returned, she discovered that the contents of the pot had turned into a thick, gooey spread—what we know today as dulce de leche.

 

Butternut Squash Sorrentinos with Blue Cheese Sauce

Argentines claim that there’s nothing in Italy quite like a sorrentino, making them an Argentine invention. Unlike their close relative the ravioli, which aims for a balance between dough and filling, sorrentino’s are plump and overstuffed. As with other stuffed pastas, both the sorrentino dough and the filling can be imaginatively flavoured to create an endless number of options. The choice of sauce also plays an important role in the dish. A favourite on the estancia is a butternut squash with a butter, sage and garlic sauce or for the more adventurous a blue cheese sauce.

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Sage and Butter Filling - fresh sage, butter, garlic, dried herbs, salt and pepper

Blue Cheese - a strong blue cheese we like roquefort melted with a splash of double cream

Pasta Dough

To make the stuffing, cut the butternut squash in half down the middle and then roast in the oven, with garlic until it is soft and both will peel away from the skin. 

Mash the butternut squash, sprinkling in salt, pepper, finely chopped chives and a handful of chilli flakes.

Begin rolling out the pasta using a pasta machine or rolling pin. If using a pasta machine roll through until about 4mm.

Use this mixture to fill the raviolis, whilst the pasta is cooking make a simple sauce. 

For the sage and butter sauce, simply melt butter in a pan and throw in handfuls of fresh sage, dried herbs, chilli flakes and diced garlic.. 

If you want a blue cheese sauce, simply melt the blue cheese of your choice, with a piece of butter and a splash of cream. 

ELP_Sorrentinos

A Los Potreros Asado

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.

Empanadas Arabes

Empanadas Arabes

Alongside the European immigrants into Argentina, there were also large number from Syria and Lebanon. Whilst many dishes have Italian or Spanish heritage on for two from the middle east have left their mark on the country. One of which is the delicious empanada arabe. A combination of lemon, onion, tomato and fresh mint pairs perfectly with the beef.

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. 

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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.