Cooking with Teresita

Tu 2.12.13

• just after moving here last year I had heard of an empanada cooking class, Cooking With Teresita, that looked like something I would like
• so in an attempt to fit it in before I started teaching, a friend and I decided to go during our long weekend
• we took the recommended shuttle bus from Teatro Colon, and after ~45 minutes and a 10 minute walk, we were south of Capital Federal in the neighborhood, Adrogue at the home of Teresita
• after chatting a bit in her beautiful, green backyard

• we put our aprons on and got to work
• first task on our recipe, chop the onions

• today we were making traditional carne empanadas (meat) and humita empanadas (corn)
• we chopped up various vegetable like corn, red bell peppers, green onions, and green olives

• then it was time to cook the meat and corn fillings

• once the filling was well-seasoned and cooked, it needed to be refrigerated for a bit to let the flavors meld together
• while melding, we went back outside for a little wine tasting, or "recess" (Teresita used to be a school teacher :)

• we tasted Trapiche Origen Torrontes, the white of Argentina 
• when recess was over, we returned to the kitchen to start on the dough, or tapas
• instead of using butter or oil, the secret ingredient to a good empanada dough is some good ol' pork fat, or lard

cute little piggie

• the other secret might be an old-fashioned scale to measure your flour (and I got to be the flour measurer!)

now this thing is an antique!
I think Teresita said it used to be in her Grandma's house

• we mixed together the perfectly measured flour, a little brine, and melted lard, formed little dough balls, then lined them up to get a head count

• then using a good ol' wooden dowel cut into rolling pin length pieces, we rolled out our dough balls into flat circular tapas

added raisins and chopped hard boiled egg to the meat as well

• then Teresita showed us how the magic happens

• she so effortlessly filled her tapa and twisted her little empanada into a perfect little bundle with a beautiful decorative edge 

• we tried to follow suit, but maybe ours didn't look quite as nice as hers
• the not so nice looking one should go into the oven to be baked

the humita empanadas were sealed simply with a fork, the carne with the special twist

• and the better-sealed ones go into the pot of sizzling oil to be fried

• the fried ones received a little sprinkling of sugar

• and that was it! time to dig in!

• and of course, these were some of the best empanadas I've had...we thoroughly enjoyed several over several copas de vino
• we wandered around the beautiful backyard for a bit, admiring the plants, flours, a green BA park bench (I want one!) and their stone outdoor oven (I want one of these too!)

• and after a few shots with our teachers

Teresita with her granddaughter (aka sous chef)

all of the students: me, Yayoi, couple from US travelling S.Am., couple from US studying in BA,
then Teresita's husband, and granddaughter

• we shuttled our way back to BA
• my review: great, organized website, good communication through e-mails, organized class, quality ingredients and instruction, laid back, relaxing feel in a typical Argentine home setting, REALLY enjoyed our afternoon! would highly recommend!
• *only complaint: she wanted us to pay in dollars.  we earn in pesos and do not have dollars, so she was willing to accept our pesos.  we wanted to pay the official exchange rate, she wanted more...we settled somewhere in the middle.  I know she gets a lot of tourists from overseas who could pay in dollars, but for people living here, she should also post her rates in pesos on her website