Don’t Cry for Meat, Argentina : Even in a Steak Lover’s Heaven, There’s Something Other Than Beef

Fabian Lopez looks as if he just stepped off a ranch in the pampas. Black beret on his head. White handkerchief knotted around his neck. A coin-studded rastra (leather belt) slung around his waist, securing a faca (South American bowie knife). He stands next to a blazing campfire around which roast whole sides of beef and splayed open baby goats on chest-high metal stakes.

Lopez is an asador--an Argentine pit master. Despite the rustic trappings, I did not meet him on a ranch in the countryside, but at La Estancia restaurant on crowded, fashionable Lavalle Street in the heart of Buenos Aires. And there’s more to his get-up than tourist appeal. For the 33 years he has been an asador, Lopez has been a living link between the ranches where Argentine barbecue was born and the Buenos Aires steakhouses where it reaches its apotheosis.

To say that Argentines love meat would be an understatement. This nation of 31 million consumes beef on a scale our country hasn’t seen since the 1950s. Buenos Aires fairly bulges with grills (parrillas) and chop houses. Statistics are hard to come by (misplaced, I was told, during the last change of government), but a casual poll of the people I met in Buenos Aires found them eating meat 10 to 12 times a week.

And what meats! Crusty mollejas (grilled sweetbreads). Meltingly tender kidneys (rin~ones). Creamy chinchulin, a type of tripe. Handsome coils of the spicy sausage longaniza. Crisp-skinned morcillas--aisin-studded sweet blood sausages that taste a lot better than they sound.

And that’s just for starters. These and other items are commonly served together as a parrillada (mixed grill) on a tabletop hibachi stoked with blazing coals.

This would be enough food for four in North America, but in carnivorous Argentina, parrillada is often just a prelude to the main course. There are Bible-thick T-bone steaks to be savored; massive matambres (rolled stuffed flank steaks whose name literally means “hunger-killers”) to be dispatched. My personal favorite asado is a long, slender steak that includes a cross-section of the ribs and quite literally buries the plate.

Actually, Argentina offers two very different grilled meat experiences: asado and parrilla. The former is traditional ranch-style barbecue: whole baby goats, suckling pigs, sides of beef ribs and briskets (vacios) roasted upright on stakes in front of a fire.

The parrilla (pronounced “par-EE-zha” by Argentines) corresponds to what we would call a grill in North America. Sausages, innards and belly-bludgeoning steaks are the specialty of a parrilla and, as is not true with asado, the meats are cooked to order. If you like kid, pork or beef ribs roasted to fall-off-the-bone tenderness, your best bet is an asado. If succulent steaks served sizzling and rare are your fancy, head for a parrilla. Actually, most asado restaurants also have grills, so you can, er, have your steak and eat it, too.

At a restaurant called La Cinacina, the asado comes with the traditional accompaniments: salad, salsa criolla (onion and tomato relish) and a vinaigrette-like concoction called chimichurri. The latter is Argentina’s national steak sauce, and there are probably as many versions as there are individual pit masters. At its simplest, chimichurri consists of olive oil flavored with a little dried oregano, hot pepper flakes, salt and pepper. This is the sort of chimichurri served at La Cinacina.

In the cities, one finds a more elaborate chimichurri: fresh parsley, garlic, olive oil and wine vinegar pureed to a pesto-like paste, sometimes with hot peppers. There’s even a red chimichurri made from tomatoes and bell peppers.

Back in Buenos Aires, I set out to investigate the other branch of the barbecue family tree: parrillada. My destination was the granddaddy of Argentine steakhouses: the venerable La Caban~a. Founded in 1935 and gastronomic home away from home for no less a personage than the king of Spain, La Caban~a is to the kingdom of barbecue what Windsor Palace is to the royal family of England.

You can warm up with an organ meat mixed grill or a surprisingly intricate salad, but the specialty here is clearly the beef. A ranch in the Junin district west of Buenos Aires supplies La Caban~a with specially raised steer, each weighing half a ton. A bife de lomo (filet mignon) at La Cabana would probably dwarf a grapefruit. A single costilla (bone-in rib steak) tips the scale at more than 3 1/2 pounds. Aficionados reserve their highest compliment for a steakhouse for the food at La Caban~a: “They treat the meat well.”

Accompanying the beef is one of the most unusual chimichurris I’ve sampled in South America: a tangy red paste brewed from garlic, peppers and tomato sauce. The addition of anchovies suggests association with two other of the world’s great steak sauces: A-1 and Worcestershire. The presence of tuna in La Cabana’s chimichurri recalls Italy’s great tonnato sauce, which is traditionally served with cold roast veal.

Here, as at most Argentine steak houses, dessert is a simple affair. A wood-fired oven-baked apple, or perhaps a flan with dulce de leche--dark, thick milk caramel--whose burnt sugar flavor echoes the smokiness of charcoal-seared meat.

Today, the epicenter of this style of grilling is an area called the Costanera Norte. Thirty years ago, there was nothing here, save a sea wall along the Plata River. The Costanera lies on the road that Porten~os (people from Buenos Aires--the great port city of Argentina) would take driving back from weekend trips to the country and seaside. About 30 years ago, a few enterprising cooks began setting up makeshift grills and serving steak dinners out of the backs of their cars.

Today, the Costanera is lined with dozens of stylish restaurants, with such names as Happening and Los An~os Locos. The decor varies from retro to modern, but the bill of fare is pretty much the same. Which is to say that every imaginable type of steak and organ meat is expertly grilled and served without artifice. Well-dressed Porten~os flock here for lunch on the weekends. After lunch, you can work off the calories (at least some of them) strolling the promenade along the river.

As you’ve probably guessed by now, Argentina can be a forbidding place for a vegetarian. But it’s worth noting that a few non-meat dishes have crept into the steakhouse repertoire. Most places serve grilled eggplant and grilled whole red bell peppers, which are generally eaten as appetizers. The simple seasonings--oregano, olive oil, salt and pepper--recall the Italian heritage of many Porten~os.

More offbeat is a grilled provolone appetizer that seems to defy the laws of culinary physics. The cheese is cooked long enough for the surface to bubble but not so long that it melts between the grates. The trick is to use a hard, aged provolone, which holds its shape during grilling. Visit almost any steakhouse in Buenos Aires and you’ll see huge platters of provolone slices, stacked as if they were chips at a casino.

LA CABAN~A SALAD

SALAD

1 small or 1/2 large head iceberg lettuce

1 bunch arugula

2 tomatoes

2 hard-boiled eggs

1 red bell pepper

1 cup diced cooked beets

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

1 (14-ounce) can hearts of palm, drained and thinly sliced

Core lettuce and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Gently toss lettuce with arugula in mixing bowl. Arrange in bottom of 6 shallow salad bowls, mounding greens toward center.

Cut each tomato into 12 wedges. Cut each egg into 6 wedges. Cut pepper into 18 thin strips. Arrange tomato, egg wedges and pepper strips on top of lettuce in sunburst pattern (radiating away from center like spokes of wagon wheel), alternating colors.

Rinse beets under cold running water in strainer. Blot dry. Mound beets, celery and hearts of palm in center of salad. (Salad can be prepared a few hours ahead to this stage.)

DRESSING

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

4 to 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together mustard, vinegar, lemon juice and salt in mixing bowl until salt is dissolved. Whisk in oil and pepper. Correct seasoning, adding salt or vinegar to taste. Pour over salad and serve at once.

Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

131 calories; 289 mg sodium; 71 mg cholesterol; 11 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.70 gram fiber.

ARGENTINE-STYLE GRILLED EGGPLANT

3 small eggplants (4 to 6 ounces each)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Cut eggplants in half lengthwise, leaving stem ends intact. Mix garlic and olive oil in small bowl. Combine oregano, basil, thyme, paprika and pepper flakes in separate bowl and stir to mix.

Lightly brush cut sides of eggplants with garlic-oil mixture and grill over medium-high heat, cut side down, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Lightly brush skin sides with oil mixture.

Invert eggplants and brush tops with remaining oil. Sprinkle tops with dried herb mixture and salt and pepper to taste. Continue grilling eggplants, cut side up, until very tender, 6 to 8 minutes, or as needed. (Eggplants can be grilled ahead and reheated at last minute.)

Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

58 calories; 52 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.72 gram fiber.

VEAL AND CHICKEN KEBABS

1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks

6 to 8 ounces thick-cut (1/4 inch) pancetta or bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 to 1 1/2 pounds veal chops, leg or shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks

2 red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch squares

2 onions, cut in half, then into wedges

24 large pitted prunes

1 lemon, cut into wedges

1/2 cup olive oil

Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper

Thread chicken, pancetta, veal, peppers, onions and prunes onto 12 skewers in that order. (Placing pancetta between chicken and veal bastes meats with melting fat.)

Squeeze lemon wedges into olive oil in small bowl. Stir in lemon peels.

Grill kebabs over high heat until meat is cooked, 2 to 3 minutes per side, 8 to 12 minutes in all, turning as necessary. Baste kebabs with lemon oil and season with salt and pepper as they cook. Serve kebabs with Salsa Criolla and Chimichurri.

Makes 6 servings.

Each serving, without sauce, contains about:

549 calories; 299 mg sodium; 89 mg cholesterol; 38 grams fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 27 grams protein; 0.84 gram fiber.

ARGENTINE TOMATO RELISH (Salsa Criolla)

2 tomatoes (about 1 pound), seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 green or red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or to taste

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano, optional

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste

Combine tomatoes, onion, pepper, oil, vinegar, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper in mixing bowl and toss to mix. Correct seasoning, adding vinegar or salt to taste. (Mixture should be highly seasoned. Salsa can be prepared up to 6 hours ahead of time, but adjust seasoning just before serving.)

Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

101 calories; 408 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 9 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 1.12 gram fiber.

GARLIC-PARSLEY SAUCE (Chimichurri)

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley

1 head garlic, broken into cloves and peeled (8 to 10 cloves in all)

1 carrot, coarsely grated

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup white wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place parsley and garlic in food processor and chop as finely as possible or chop by hand. Add carrot, oil, vinegar, salt, hot pepper flakes and black pepper and process until mixed. Correct seasoning, adding salt or vinegar to taste. Chimichurri tastes best served within few hours of making but it will keep several days in refrigerator; you may need to adjust seasoning just before serving.

Makes about 2 cups.

Each 1-tablespoon serving contains about:

63 calories; 76 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 0 protein; 0.09 gram fiber.