Achuras de hoy y siempre

Qué sería de nosotros los grandes amadores del asado si no tuvieramos las gloriosas achuras? Esas diversas partes del interior de la vaca que los aborígenes tiraban ya que no les daban ningún uso, hoy son parte importantísima en los mejores Asados Argentinos. De hecho, el nombre ACHURA viene justamente de las tribus Mapuches o Araucanos que no aprovechaban todo lo que la gran vaca tenía para darles, estos llamaban “achuraj” a todo aquella que “no se usa y se tira”, de ahí la palabra que luego vino en Achuras. Todo aquello que no usaban de la res eran: Los intestinos delgados o Chinchulines (o chinchus) como son popularmente conocidos en Argentina, el intestino grueso conocido hoy como Tripa o Tripa Gorda, los riñones, las mollejas (de corazón o de garganta). Luego se agregaron a las achuras, y de hecho hoy son la pareja infaltable en todos los asados argentinos: El chorizo (CHORI) y la morcilla (MORCI). El chorizo a base de carne triturada y grasa de vaca o cerdo o mixto, y la morcilla a base de sangre de cerdo o vaca con grasa también. La última, también puede consumirse fría.

Chinchulines

Mollejas

Generalmente estos manjares suelen servirse como entrantes antes de los cortes de carne como la tira de asado, la bondiola, el matambrito de cerdo o los ya famosos Bife de Chorizo u Ojo de Bife. Pero hay quienes podrían vivir a achuras (como mi amigo Luis, confeso amante de las achuras con mollejas y chinchus como sus favoritos, o Emmanuel, que si fuera por él viviría a Chinchu, Molleja y Riñón) y de hecho en más de una ocasión he realizado choripaneadas (Juntadas en donde sólo se sirve el tradicional ChoriPan, el sandwichito de chorizo clásico Argento!) o he ido a parrillas y sólo pedí un tablita o porción mixta de achuras.

CRIADILLA

Hay más achuras aparte de estas? Y…. que las hay las hay! Ahora…Hay que ser un poco más corajudo para comerlas. De hecho, confieso que aún no he probado la criadilla, no porque no me anime, sino porque que yo sepa, muy pocos lugares la venden y aún no conozco carnicero que me haya ofrecido… Qué misterio no!? Qué será la criadilla? Pues, nada más ni nada menos que “Los huevos del Toro”, si señor! Los testículos del Bos primigenius taurus. Apa! En este caso podríamos decir que hay que tener muchos huevos para comerse esos huevos.

UBRE

Y claro….Cómo se van a poder comer los huevos y que no haya una versión hembra de esta achura? Y si. La ubre!! Ubre de vaca, otra achura muy poco vista, pero esta achura si tuve el gusto de probarla. Y digo el gusto, porque si bien la vi amarillenta y megarecontraremil grasienta, no me pude resistir y la tuve que probar. Fue en una parrilla de San Telmo hace ya muchos años a la cual nunca volví porque ya ni recuerdo como llegar, pero tengo que averiguar definitivamente dónde volver a probar Ubre, porque me encantó y es el día de hoy que aún puedo sentir ese manjar en mi paladar. Es deliciosa! Pero claro, yo creo que si bien todas las achuras son un sinónimo de colesterol, la Ubre debe ser sinónimo de “A comer ensalada por una semana seguida porque ya tenemos grasa para rato”.

Para cerrar voy a decir que estas Achuras de Hoy y Siempre son prácticamente una obligación en cualquier asado argento y hasta me atrevo a decir que SIN ACHURA no se puede concebir un buen asado. Podremos obviar alguna que otra, pero siempre una tiene que haber, para ir preparando el estómago para lo que se viene o simplemente sacarle una sonrisa al ombligo. Chinchu, Molle, Chori, Morci, la que venga! Que nunca falte la Achura en el Asado!

Achuras Time!!!

 

 

Como suelo decir: Achurame las Achura’ o me pinta la amargura!

Un abrazo para todos y que viva el asado canejo!!!

 

Steak Buenos Aires: The Infamous Parrillada Revealed!

One item that you’re sure to run into exploring the various steak restaurants in Buenos Aires or anywhere in South America is the famed parrillada.  The parrillada is a plethora of the most famous selections of meats, sausages, and other items most characteristic to the asado style of the local area.  Every place is different, and to be honest all parrilladas are a real treat to be shared with friends and family.  But here in Argentina we take pride in assembling parrilladas fit for the taste buds of the most supreme meat lovers, and today I’m going to walk you through exactly what this wonderful platter of meat entails!

Lets start with the Sausages! An Argentine parrillada isn’t complete without the two characteristic sausages of the region: El Chorizo (Pork Sausage with spices) and Morcilla (Blood Sausage).

The Chorizo is vibrantly red in color and contains a sweet yet spicy flavor with a tougher more contained consistency where as the Morcilla is mushier on the inside containing very bold and contrasting flavors.  The combination of the two is something to die for as you get to experience both ends of the sausage spectrum in one sitting, and remember this is just the beginning!

No parrillada is complete without a helping of pork as well! Now many places will serve a typical cut of pork with the consistency of a pork chop, but that really isn’t the true Argentinian way.  If you want quality and authenticity then your parrillada better contain Matambre de cerdo (Pork Flank Steak). This is a cut of pork that is not very well known or bragged about in other parts of the globe, but it damn well should be.  When salted and tenderized correctly there is no pork better than this succulent slab of pig!  (Oh, and they also use this as the crust when making a matambre pizza, but that is a tale for another day!)

Now for the beef, the star of the show!  Many different cuts of steak are highlighted in the typical parrillada. The most common of them all is Tira de Asado de ternera (Beef short ribs).  When cooked correctly this is one of the most flavorful cuts of beef on the entire cow. Surrounded by the fat of the ribs the meat stays moist an dripping with flavorful juices.

Then there is the Bife de Costilla (small t-bone like steaks) which also hug the fat near the bone to draw their intense flavor into the meat.  These don’t always appear on the parrillada, but again if you’re trying to do this right, make sure they make an appearance.

The other popular cut is Bife de Lomo (Beef tenderloin).  While this cut doesnt contian as much flavor giving fat as the others, it wins the battle of tenderness by a mile and for this reason it is an excellent accent to the other fat bearing cuts.  The Bife de Lomo is all meat no muse, and is an absolute must have on the parrillada.

But steaks aren’t the only part of the cow used on the parrillada.  As scared as you may be to try the next two items, the parrillada really won’t be a parrillada at all without them.  Chinchulin are the small intestines of the cow and when marinated with lemons and salt then grilled to a crisp they are delicacy amongst Argentinians.  I’ll admit that for some these are an acquired taste, but will no doubt arrive on your parrillada and it would behoove you to give them a try.

Then there is Mollejas (sweetbreads).  These are a heart gland of the cow that contain more flavor than any other part of the animal in my opinion.  They are probably the most unhealthy thing for you that comes from a cow, but hell, you’re not exactly thinking about health benefits if you’re ordering a parrillada.  These are much more liked amongst newcomers than the Chinchulines, and if you can get over the shock of what they really are, you are sure to enjoy your first encounter!

This is what makes up the typical Argentinian parrillada and although you may receive a few more items than this in addition, as long as the above make an appearance you can consider it an official representation of Argentine Asado! Dig in!

 

Argentina Steak: Mollejas

In a way, the entire asado concept is an exercise in guilty pleasures. The repeatedly excessive amounts of meat, wine and good times shared with friends and family can only be described as an indulgence. Asados are not particularly friendly to waistlines and so are usually accompanied with some self-recriminations to do some exercise. Mañana, of course.

Now, in terms of guilty pleasures, you can’t get more shamefully guilty than tucking into some perfectly cooked molleja (sweetbreads in North America and the UK or ris de veau in France). While perhaps not for the slightly squeamish, mollejas have a unique taste that is down to the fact that it is in fact a gland and not muscle tissue like the other cuts that go on the parrilla. Of course, because this is Argentina, there are two different kinds of molleja, and there is contradictions within the folk wisdom about their anatomical differences. Both appear to be cut from different parts of the thymus gland, which is part of the immune system. Molleja de corazon (surrounding the heart), is perceived to be better for the grill as it is fattier and usually thicker so they stand up to the heat better. The molleja de garganta (from the throat) is thinner and naturally less fatty, and so is best for pan-frying with spring onions. Because our priorities run towards anything on the parrilla, the focus will be on the mollejas de corazon.

Just like with almost any other element of an Argentine asado, there are as many recipes for mollejas as there are parrilleros. However, with more than any other piece of meat that goes onto the grill, the recipes for molleja really do have a dramatic impact on the final product. The controversies about salting for example, rarely result in a bad steak. But because mollejas are naturally very strong tasting and fatty, need to be grilled basically well done and can take a long time to cook, the differing approaches will be apparent in the result.

Mollejas are served as starters and so their preparation is one of the first things that a parrillero will take care of. Some parrileros will salt and then throw them onto the grill as is, eventually butterflying them after browning them for some 30 minutes over some medium heat on each side. This will result in the most intensely flavoured molleja. Other approaches include boiling the mollejas in either water or milk along with lemon juice and salt from anywhere from 10 minutes to a few hours, and either letting the mollejas cool before putting them onto the grill or alternatively pressing them and storing them in the fridge overnight. The thinking is that boiling the mollejas strips them both of their fattiness and their more potent flavours as well as pre-cooking them to an extent, making life easier for those running the grill. Again, the idea is to grill the mollejas over persistent medium heat and butterflying when golden on each side and adding more lemon juice as the molleja cooks.  The lemon juice makes an appearance because it naturally fits the flavor of the molleja. The variety of recipes reflects the fact that mollejas are difficult, that they are fickle and can let a parrillero down. I choose to boil them for 10 minutes before grilling, but I’ve had great mollejas done a variety of ways. They do need to be absolutely fresh as well, and preferably from a reliable butcher and the less fatty the better. Smart portenos will also be able to recommend which parrillas have great mollejas and where you should avoid them.

I have avoided defining the flavor of molleja because I find that they are unique and more or less incomparable. They are undoubtedly gamey, but not in the same way that duck or wild boar is. They absorb lemon juice and the smoke off the grill very well but also retain their specific flavor, which is like a savoury butter, kind of. It is certainly a delicacy, as it is pricey and hard to get right. It is also very filling. I remember that at one my asados I picked up 500 grams for a group of about six of us. That is plenty, especially because we also had some provoleta and chorizos as starters. Half of some pretty amazing molleja was left and a friend of mine refused to accept that it wasn’t going to be eaten so he polished it off. He was so full afterwards that he didn’t make it to the main steak portion and went to sleep at 9pm.

If you have a chance, try some mollejas. Be prepared to not like them, but there really isn’t anything else like it. And if you like them, you’ll join a very large group of those who sheepishly enjoying mollejas whilst scrambling to justify such a guilty pleasure. Try it. Join us.