Recipes

The World’s Best Culinary Secret

Posted: 1/7/2012

This deliciously filling dish from Argentina is best enjoyed with a glass of rich Malbec wine. The winery’s Reserva Malbec burgeons with the distinctive dark fruit flavors and aromas they are famed for.

(NAPSI)--One delicious way to savor the holiday season is to sample the food and wines of Argentina.

Many food and wine aficionados say some of the best wines in the nation are found in the province of Mendoza. About 700 miles inland from Buenos Aires, Mendoza rests in the high desert on the eastern slope of the Andes Mountains, where it has offered a welcoming home to Malbec grapes for more than 150 years. The high-altitude vineyards produce grapes with distinctive color, body, aroma and structure. The result is an elegant wine with concentrated flavors and exceptional balance.

Established in the heart of Argentina’s wine capital in 1884, Don Miguel Gascón® is the oldest continuously operating winery in Mendoza. The winery’s exceptional Reserva Malbec burgeons with distinctive dark fruit flavors and aromas. The wine opens with deep, complex flavors of dark blackberry, ripe plum and black cherry, which are complemented by hints of chocolate and mint. Rounded tannins and final notes of brown spice and oak combine to create a firm, persistent finish.

Malbec is even more delicious when served with Argentinean specialties, such as Pastel de Papas. Some food lovers call Argentina the worlds best-kept culinary secret, as family traditions have guided unwritten recipes for generations.

Waves of immigrants populated Argentina’s vast landscape, blending culinary traditions and creating a cuisine that is now uniquely Argentinean.

To sample the cuisine at its best, try this Pastel de Papas recipe prepared in the acclaimed 1884 Restaurant located in the Bodegas Escorihuela Winery where Don Miguel Gascón wine is made. Enjoy with the rich Malbec.

Pastel de Papas

3½ pounds of mixed pork and beef-diced into ?-inch cubes

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

3 onions, minced

2 teaspoons of thyme

1 liter of white wine

2 pounds of potatoes

¼ pound of unsalted butter

¼ pound of Parmesan cheese

¼ pound of smoked bacon, chopped

4 hard boiled eggs, minced

3½ ounces of pitted green olives, chopped

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325º F. Place meat in a baking dish; add olive oil, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Add a ½ liter of wine, cover and bake for 2 hours. Add additional wine as needed to prevent mixture from drying out.

In a pan, sauté olive oil, onions, red and yellow bell peppers over medium heat. When the onions are translucent, add a little salt and pepper. Turn off the heat and add the meat.

Prepare mashed potatoes and add the Parmesan cheese, butter, bacon, salt and pepper.

Final Preparation:

Line the bottom of a baking dish with a layer of the meat; place the minced boiled eggs and the green olives on top. Next, layer the mashed potatoes. Bake at 350º F until the mashed potato layer browns.

For more information, visit www.gasconwine.com.

Argentinean Table Wine © 2010 Gascon USA Hayward, CA. All rights reserved.