Good News for Gauchos

If you consider yourself familiar with Argentine cuisine because you’ve visited the Gaucho Grill a couple of times, think again.

Although there’s nothing wrong with the popular chain of eateries, a visit to Buenos Aires would convince you that true Argentine food just doesn’t taste like the Americanized fare.

For many immigrants who abandoned the pleasures of asado (grilled meat) and the traditional Sunday ravioles for a piece of the American Dream, like me, finding restaurants that duplicate authentic flavors is worth being obsessive about. As in other Latin American countries, food is an essential part of life in Argentina--something to enjoy, talk and think about.

Years of obstinate searching have brought their rewards. Depending on the specific Argentine food you seek, there’s a restaurant or market in the Valley that serves it as it is meant to be.

Luckily, my country’s menu is pretty basic. Not the most health-conscious of people, Argentines eat mostly meat and pasta, washed down with wine or bubbly water. A very sweet dessert and a cup of strong coffee are the coup de grace.

But let’s not jump ahead. First, there’s the ultimate South American appetizer, the empanada. A hot, juicy turnover filled with meat (empanada de carne), cheese and onions (empanada de queso y cebolla) or corn (empanada de humita), it can easily turn into a main course.

Empanadas are fried or baked, but the latter are recommended because baking enhances the flavor of the filling. Two small markets in the Valley serve them the way they taste back home.

First, there’s Carniceria Latina in Glendale. At 75 cents a piece, the empanadas are a bargain, and they are always straight from the oven. Besides the obligatory meat and chicken choices, you’ll find an interesting variation: the spinach empanada (empanada de espinaca), not to be found in Argentina but inspired by the more traditional torta pascualina, a traditional spinach pie with cheese and hard-boiled eggs.

A great place for meat empanadas is the Carniceria Argentina in North Hollywood. At 80 cents each, the turnovers here are a tad intense for the sensitive palate, but a highly recommended alternative.

It’s no coincidence that the Argentine menu is filled with pasta: ravioli, gnocchi, agnolotti, sorrentini, cappelletti, cannelloni, lasagna--the list is endless. A large percentage of the country’s population is of Italian descent.

If you’re in the mood for a good plate of pasta with Parmesan cheese and marinara sauce (salsa de tomate, as we know it in South America), you should place yourself in the hands of Senor Ruco Gramajo.

This diligent Argentine spends most of his days in the kitchen of his family-run restaurant El Obelisco in Woodland Hills. The quaint eatery offers a wide variety of homemade pastas. Ask for the sauce on the side so you can better taste the delicious ricotta cheese or chicken filling of the stuffed pasta.

Finally, there’s one item that would be impossible to find in all of Los Angeles--Argentine pizza--if it weren’t for a Glendale restaurant. I spent years searching for this staple of Argentine cuisine, until El Morfi opened.

Just the name of the place should give you a hint. In Buenos Aires, morfi is a colloquial expression for food, a word that upper-class people would consider too common to utter.

But I wouldn’t entrust an upper-class Argentine with the delicate endeavor of baking a pizza, whereas El Morfi owner Rene Vildoza does the job just fine.

A careful balance of contrasting textures, El Morfi pizza has a thin, tasty homemade crust, Italian mozzarella cheese that preserves sweetness without losing its biting character, and judiciously applied toppings of imported Italian ham, Spanish red peppers and tangy green olives.

If you’re in a sinful mood, ask Vildoza to add hard-boiled egg to the mix. The tiny pieces of egg will take a little acidity off the olives and red pepper, making the overall flavor fuller and sweeter.

Then there’s the matter of dessert. You may be familiar with the overwhelming sweetness of dulce de leche, the thick, addictive caramel sauce that results when you boil milk and sugar for hours. It’s so addictive that Haagen-Dazs recently launched a dulce de leche-flavored ice cream.

But dulce de leche tastes better when hot, wrapped by the fluffy texture of a crepe. Panqueques con dulce de leche is the name of such a heavenly confection, and El Morfi serves it, though is a bit stingy with the caramel.

Still, it is the best way to end an Argentine meal, just before running to the gym. But don’t allow feelings of guilt to creep in. It’s all in the name of pan-culturalism.

BE THERE

Carniceria Latina, 1375 E. Colorado St, Glendale; (818) 246-4562.

Carniceria Argentina, 11740 Victory Blvd, North Hollywood; (818) 506-9772.

El Obelisco, 22140 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills; (818) 712-0105.

El Morfi, 241 N. Brand Blvd, Glendale; (818) 547-4420.