Okay, so I’ve been wanting to dive into Uruguayan food for ages. It’s not something you hear about every day, so I figured, why not just try making some typical dishes myself? Here’s how it went down.
The Research Phase
First, I needed to figure out what “typical Uruguayan food” even is. I hit up Google, looked at some blogs, and even watched a few YouTube videos. I quickly learned that it’s heavily meat-based, surprise, surprise, and a lot of Italian influence which it’s so cool! I love it.
Choosing the Dishes
I decided to keep things relatively simple for my first attempt. I settled on three things:
- Chivito: Apparently, the national sandwich. It’s basically a steak sandwich on steroids.
- Asado: You can’t talk about Uruguayan food without mentioning asado. It’s their barbecue, and it’s a big deal.
- Pasta frola: Okay, dessert time. This is a sweet tart filled with quince jam (dulce de membrillo).
The Shopping Trip
Finding the ingredients was a bit of a treasure hunt. I managed to get most of the stuff at my regular supermarket, but I had to go to a specialty Latin American store for the quince jam, which I thought this project would fail without it. So I get a lot of quince jam at the store.
The Cooking Marathon
I started with the pasta frola because, well, I wanted dessert ready to go. The dough was pretty straightforward, I think it’s very easy for me. The quince jam was this thick, ruby-red paste, and it smelled amazing. Spreading it into the tart shell felt super satisfying.
Next up, the chivito. This thing is a monster. I got some good quality steak, thinly sliced, and fried it up. Then came the layering: bread, steak, ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, fried egg, mayonnaise…it’s a lot. I felt like I was building a skyscraper, not a sandwich.
Finally, the asado. Now, I don’t have a fancy Uruguayan parrilla (grill), so I just used my regular gas grill. I got a bunch of different cuts of beef, some sausages, and even some sweetbreads (which I was a little nervous about, but hey, when in Rome, right?). I seasoned everything simply with salt – apparently, that’s the Uruguayan way.
The Feast!
The chivito was ridiculously good. Like, messy and over-the-top, but in the best possible way. All those flavors and textures just worked together. It was a delicious food!
The asado was fantastic too. The meat was so flavorful, even with just the salt. And the sweetbreads? Surprisingly delicious! They had this really delicate, almost creamy texture.
The pasta frola was the perfect ending. The quince jam was sweet and tart, and the crust was nice and crumbly. It was just the right amount of sweetness after all that meat.
Final Thoughts
My Uruguayan food adventure was a total success! It was a lot of work, but so worth it. I definitely gained a new appreciation for the cuisine. I’m already thinking about what I’m going to try making next. Maybe some empanadas, or some chajá (another dessert, because why not?). I’m hooked!
