On vacation

We spent wonderful days on our vacation in Uruguay. In La Pedrera La Pedrera is a small, quiet and exclusive seaside resort, located on a rocky margin of the Atlantic coast of Uruguay, 230 kilometres away from Montevideo. Owing to the coastal cliff it is said that La Pedrera is a truly beautiful balcony facing the sea. Moreover, watches and mirrors are useless in this relaxing place since people eat whenever they are hungry and wear whatever clothes they wish to.

We rent a beautiful and cozy house on the woods , quite near to the beach. We read books, play games and rest a lot. Without TV or Internet connection (for some weird thing , the connection failure) And of course I cooked in a small and beautiful kitchen. I found a lovely and delicious blue potato that want to share with you the recipe of a tasty blue soup. Soon I will post it Have a wonderful week

A friend, a birthday..and a wonderful time

We spent a wonderful time in a house in the country side, very near from Buenos Aires. Our dear friend and my husband’s best man celebrate his 40´s birthdays. The party was lovingly organized and planned for nearly a year in advance, for your dear wife ,super A, which took care of every detail and hid him (barely) the surprises that she prepare for that special day. She, also, organizes a show with friends who tried for month; I mean the choreography, very funny and hilarious. The day was spectacular, sunny and clear. The main course of course was grilled meat (asado) and delicious. Everything was very nice, very touching at times, but always full of happiness So much joy ….that we spend significant time in this very dear and close friend of ours

Pastry shop

It has been a real find. I found this pastry shop some time ago and is now one of our favorite places to buy tarts , cakes and sweet treats . Their products are a truly delight to the palate and eyes. You can watch the kitchen and how they work and bake trough a large large window moldings. Their products have a very good quality and very fresh. It's worth the distance. I left for some photos for your appreciation.Very yummy, indeed

An outing to the country : Carlos Keen

May 25th is a national holiday and we decide enjoy having an outing to the countryside Near Buenos Aires, only 85 kilometers longer, we found a small and charming country town: Carlo Keen. The morning was sunny and warm, totally unusual for autumn. Good for us .We starts the day having breakfast out in a restaurant close to home .I order coffee and milk and a croissant. It was incredible good and well done. Ending the meal we take the road toward to the country. Arriving earlier, we had time to walk around the town and thought I'd take the opportunity to take pictures to show you. The town was founded around an old train station, presently works as a museum. We fund there ancient native tools as a native loom above. After the walk we take lunch in one of many restaurants that we found in thee town. Carlos Keen at present moment is the hot spot of country restaurants; it became trendy after a note in an important Argentine newspaper I can’t say the food is amazing, is just Ok and the prices are good, in fact nice prices, you can eat start, main dish and dessert for less that you normally pay in some restaurant in Buenos Aires Is a good example of Argentine real country and homemade cuisine and the outing was great How to arrive: National Route 7 km 83

A walk by the riverside and Fried quince pastries

I spent a fabulous week with my parents and one of their favorite places was Tigre a beautiful and green city localized on Tigre’s bank on Parana’s river Delta. I want to share with you our walked by the riverside and the adorable place who is Tigre, showing some information and

photos. I hope you enjoy this sight seen as we enjoyed.

The Delta of Parana is the fifth greatest one of the world, that begins in the Diamante Port in the province of Entre Rios (in its neighborhoods is the National Park Pre-Delta) and continues towards the Southeast up until Rio de la Plata, reason why is the only one that ends its course in sweet water Its great extension divides it in sections, the locality of Tigre is the first and most developed touristic section (the second section belongs to the delta of San Fernando declared Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO). It is thus, that the Tigre’s River Station, located on the river of the same name, at north of the province of Buenos Aires

The City of Tigre is a destination neither foreigners nor local people should miss. But beyond all activities, its main attraction is the Fruit Market, a different, almost magical world. The central docks concentrate the grocer's boats, which supply the inhabitants of the islands with the most varied products.

In the last harbor, the timbering boats full of poplar and willow logs from the forested islands of the Delta are unloaded.

The port of Tigre lodges the open market with streets full of the colors of rustic fabric, furniture and accessories made in cane and willow, delicious jams and honey, brilliant flowers, and of course, all the variety of native fruit co-existing in absolute harmony.

You also can found regional food in many restaurants in the riverside or around the city who offer typical Argentine dishes and grilled river fishes and wonderful bakeries too. We bought some fried pastries filled with quince jam knew as Pastelitos dulces

Fried Quince Pastries (or quince turnovers)

They are a frequent company for the cooked mate of the evening or for the brewed mate. They are made in several ways and with different kinds of dough.

Today you can make them with puff pastry that you can buy in the stores. Cut in big squares, some 8 cm. each side. For each pastelito you will use two squares of dough, in one of them you will place a little cube of sweet potato jelly or quince jelly.

You have to cover this sastequare with the other one, seeing that the corners of the botto

m square do not coincide with those of the top one, so that you make an eight pointed star. You must moisten the part around the cube of jelly with salty water in order to stick the dough’s, pressing with your fingers to mark the cube. They are fried in abundant lard and then sprinkled with sugar or light syrup

Summer on the beach. Uruguay

We spent two wonderful weeks in the beautiful beaches of Uruguay. But, let me introduce something more about this small and beautiful country.

Localizing between Argentina and Brazil, Uruguay have magnificent beaches, with white sand and warm water. In the other side, the country counts with large praieries where the cows (especially aberdinangus and red Angus), lambs and goats grows free in green prairies. Also the country produce cranberries, olives, grapes (They had a strong, powerful and delicious red varietal tannat wine, also Uruguayan viognier was nice and floral, more body than most Amer. viognier.) sunflower’s plantation and the most juicy and delicious peaches and that I ever tasted

The capital Montevideo and only large city sprawls along the banks of the Río de la Plata, almost directly opposite Buenos Aires.

Montevideo a picturesque place of colonial Spanish, Italian and Art Deco styles. Most attention is focused on the Ciudad Vieja, the old city built on a peninsula close to the port and harbor, and the commercial center, located around Plaza Independencia to the east. Take a walk from Plaza Independencia, the grandest of Montevideo's squares, through the Ciudad Vieja to the port. On the plaza is the black-marbled Mausoleum de Artigas, topped by an enormous statue of the national hero, and the 26-story Palacio Salvo, the tallest building in South America when built in 1927. The Plaza Constitución, neoclassical Cabildo and the Iglesia Matriz, the oldest public building (1799) in the city, are further west. Other important sights in the area include the Museo Histórico Nacional, which consists of four different homes filled with historical effects, and the Museo del Gaucho y de la Moneda, which houses an impressive display of artefacts from Uruguay's gaucho (cowboy) past.

Also, don't miss the Mercado del Puerto, once the finest port in South America, and now a colorful, lively center filled with markets, restaurants, artists and street musicians. The Feria de Tristán Narvaja is an outdoor market peddling groceries, antiques and souvenirs. A handful of sandy beaches stretch along the metropolitan waterfront and are popular excursions for the city's residents on summer weekends. Inexpensive accommodation, eateries, nightclubs and theaters are found in the Ciudad Vieja,. The Uruguayan Littoral West of Montevideo, and covering the portion of Uruguay which fronts the Río de la Plata and the Río Uruguay, is the country's most important agricultural area. Its outstanding attraction is the lively colonial city of Colonia (del Sacramento), an under-appreciated gem of narrow cobbled streets flanked by whitewashed buildings. The boating, fishing and swimming are good along the beaches of Mercedes, and there are many excellent museums in Paysandú, Uruguay's second largest city. The Uruguayan Riviera. The area east of Montevideo is one of the most Westernized places in Uruguay with innumerable beach resorts, plenty of water activities and lots of well-groomed, narcissistic tourists sporting hibiscus shirts.

Immediately east of the capital is the major resort of Atlántida, and Piriápolis is a mere flick of the towel away. From here, you can venture into the surrounding countryside and climb the 493m (1617ft) Cerro Pan de Azúcar or visit Minas, a lovely town set in wooded hills.

The largest and best known of the resorts is Punta del Este, one of South America's most glamorous and exclusive destinations. The place is awash with yacht and fishing clubs, golf courses, casinos and beautiful holiday homes. If that's not enough, there are excellent bathing beaches, perfect for swimming and sunbathing. Just offshore are Isla Gorriti, which has more superb beaches and the ruins of an 18th-century fortress, and Isla de Lobos, a nature reserve that is home to a large sea-lion colony.

Jose Ignacio is very close to Punta Del Este, only a 1/2 hour drive. This village contains wonderful examples of local architecture. The houses here are stucco and each one is a different, vibrant color. But don’t be fooled, the houses are fancy and modern

In the old days, José Ignacio was a fishing village but it started growing as many tourists began visiting the place to spend the day at its fabulous beaches and eat at its seafood restaurants. With time it turned out into an ultra exclusive retreat where celebrities and wealthy people have their summer residences overlooking the sea.

Enjoy the beaches and the lighthouse

Eat in Jose Ignacio and Punta del este

I have to say that Los Negros was quite unbelievable. It's a Francis Mallmann restaurant, and he has restaurants in Buenos Aires (Sur) and Mendoza (Francis Mallmann). We dined at Sur last year and it was spectacular. These are not cheap but they are worth the splurge (if you are a foodie)

. Fantastic steak sandwiches – Uruguayan chivito. They are huge and can be divide for two people

Also in Jose Ignacio - Las Huellas - the fish "stew" in a very hot skillet is excellent, fresh, as is really most everything on that menu.

Hernan Taina, a cool little bistro just north of Barra. Funky and fun red decor, but a serious wine cellar. Make sure to get narancello, a version of limoncello made out of small locally grown oranges, not much bigger than a kumquat.

Best panqueque de dulce de leche is at the Lapataia factory just before Punta (near the point where the whales hang out). These crepes are amazing.

In a corner of the Mansa beach you can find the local fishermen, their orange boats and flocks of seagulls crying to be fed. Fresh fish is readily available here.

Casa Pueblo

Casa Pueblo is an art museum situated on a outcropping of rock 5 minutes from Punta del Este. The museum represents the work of one of the most famous Uruguayan painters whose name is Carlos Paez Vilaro. He traveled the world, experiencing different cultures and learning different techniques. He was fascinated by the island of Tahiti, which has a great influence on his work. The architecture of the museum, also created by Vilaro, is absolutely fabulous, built of adobe and rising out of the topography of the rocks in wierd formations and curves. The view from this site is breathtaking and the sunset amazing . By the way all sunset in Uruguay is spectacular

If you can read more about Punta del Este, Garzon and Jose Ignacio go to this article in wine and food by Dan Halpern He has written for the New York Times Magazine and the New Yorker.

http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/south-americas-riviera

A little walk

As I commented previously, last week was a quite busy week

It was my husband’s youngest brother wedding. It has been a

pretty happy moment for all us. My mother came mainly for the wedding and we had the opportunity to chat a lot and go for a walk a little also

This time I took her to the Chinese neighbourhood; it is not very big if compared at another Chinatowns that I know. They are only 4 or 5 blocks in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Belgrano, it is, at least until where know, the place that can buy Thai coconut milk, that is better than other and I have used in recipes. There the fish is pretty fresh, as well as the papayas, litchis, green vegetables, and many spices. It is in the groceries of the Chinese neighborhood I discover infinity of flours. I bought one, corn extra fine flour that calls Semite of corn and algarroba flour, an excellent substitute for the chocolate. Not I resisted and I bought rice moti, basmati and sushi. rice I also bought kombu and Nori, because I like to prepare sushi in summer.

In another supermarket I found ducks and I finished it to bring, I prepared with the classic French recipe, Canard à l’orange, later will publish the recipe.

Then we were to take lunch in Puerto Madero in La Paraloccia casa tua An Italian restaurant right prices and good food. I order a padded chicken with ham and gruyere and steam vegetables. The sauce was delicious, but the chicken was poor in flavor, my mother's requested gnoqui that was already fantastic. And I wondering that the strong of the restaurant are pastas.

The desserts are big and they can be divided, my mother requested strawberries with zabaglione sauce with meringues wrapped in a vanilla tuille. My husband doesn't leave the chocolate mousse, as always, of course.

We accompany the food with a Lurton Pinot Grigio a fresh and flavorful wine. And the week passed whit happiness and party. With sadness everything returned to the routine on Monday. My mother comes back on Sunday and I already miss her.

Lazzy Days

Last week we took a small trip for Uruguay, but we had a small problem to solve. We have a dog that we have found for three years ago in the street run over him. We operate him and we gave him a house and a lot of love, in fact it was made want and we reward it to him. We had won one week in a resort and spa, but they didn't accept my pet. Of anything it served to send e mails or to speak telephonically with the manager. Just cancel the invitation, and look for hotels that accepted it. And in that way we leave. Johnny (dog) was the happiest, but soon it became tired and it was sleeping in my feet in the car for the 500km.

We were for the field and in contact with the nature, drinking fresh milk, retired of the cows, without conserving and I made cream combing of the kept cream of the boiled milk. We spent time looking at the fire in a firewood chimney and to rest a lot. Going by small and pleasing towns .We also visits a national park almost to the border with Brazil( Parque deSanta Teresa reserve and national park) with 1050 hectares of extension and an immense variety of flora, one of the biggest Rosedale are there with more than 100 species, unhappily it is winter and they didn't have roses. We saw free ostrich and incredible beaches. For more information clik http://www.parquesantateresa.com.uy/index.htm

The department of Rocha is a natural paradise, in the oceanic of coast of Uruguay. With wonderful beaches, white sand and transparent waters.

http://www.aguasdulces.com.uy/modules/inicio/mainFrame.php









The sunset ,view of the boat during the crossing of Rio de La Plata