Exploring Uruguay

Expat & Travel Resource Guide

Recipe of the Week

Recipe of the Week: Santa’s Snickerdoodles

by

Cookies

These are the cookies we made to leave for Santa this year. Santa enjoyed eating them very much on Christmas Eve, and Zoë enjoyed eating them for breakfast on Christmas morning (and so did we ☺).

Coating Ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoon white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Cookie Ingredients:

  • 2 ½ cups flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups white sugar
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 150° C (300° F)
  2. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon for the coating and set aside
  3. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; mix well and set aside
  4. In a large bowl, blend sugar and softened butter to form a grainy paste
  5. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and mix until fluffy
  6. Add the flour mixture and blend until combined (do not overmix)
  7. Shape dough into one-inch balls and roll each ball in the cinnamon and sugar coating
  8. Place on ungreased cookie sheets, 2 inches apart
  9. Bake for 18-20 minutes
  10. Immediately transfer cookies to a cool, flat surface

Tips and Modifications

  1. You can substitute brown sugar for half of the white sugar
  2. This recipe makes 3 dozen cookies



Recipe of the Week: Buttermilk Pie

by

Buttermilk pie

I know what you're thinking, Buttermilk Pie? Yes, Buttermilk Pie. It's basically like a yummy vanilla custard. And, it's super easy to make. Give it a try!

Ingredients:

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of flour, plus a little extra for dusting
  • ½ cup melted butter
  • 1 ½ cups buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 160° C (325° F)
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat eggs slightly
  3. Add sugar and flour and mix
  4. Add melted butter and mix
  5. Add buttermilk and vanilla and mix
  6. Dust the unbaked pie shell with a little bit of flour
  7. Pour batter into pie shell
  8. Sprinkle a little more flour on top of the batter
  9. Bake for about an hour, or until custard is set

Tips and Modifications:

  1. You can get a recipe for the pie shell from our recipe of the week post, Blueberry Crumb Pie
  2. You can get a recipe for buttermilk in The Expat Cookbook, still on sale for 50% off through the end of 2009



Recipe of the Week: Peach Strawberry Crumb Pie

by




Two weeks ago, we posted a recipe for Blueberry Crumb Pie. Since it was such a hit, we decided to experiment with some of our other favorite fruits.

So, we swapped out the blueberries for half strawberries and half peaches. Then, we doubled the recipe for the crumb topping, and this is what we got… As Zoë would say, “Tasty!”

Peachstrawberrypie

Crust Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • ¼ cup lard
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1/3 cup cold water

Filling Ingredients

  • 2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
  • 2 cups ripe peaches, peeled and sliced
  • 7 tablespoons corn starch
  • 2/3 cup granulated white sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Crumb Topping Ingredients

  • 1 cup flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup butter

Directions:

Crust

  1. Combine the flour, sugar, butter and lard in a mixing bowl until well blended
  2. Sprinkle in the water a little at a time and mix just enough to make it hold together – don’t over mix
  3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
  4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface
  5. Place the dough into the pie pan (don’t worry if it breaks; you can patch it in the pan)
  6. Press the dough into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan
  7. Seal any broken areas and shape the top edge into a pattern if you like

Filling

  1. Preheat oven to 190° C (375° F)
  2. Slice strawberries
  3. Peel and slice peaches
  4. In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar, corn starch and cinnamon, and mix well
  5. Add lemon juice and water and mix well
  6. Add the peaches and strawberries to the pie crust
  7. Pour the liquid mix over the peaches and strawberries

Crumb Topping

  1. Mix the sugar, butter and flour in a bowl
  2. Sprinkle mixture over the fruit   

  3. Place pie in oven and bake for one hour
  4. The pie should be bubbling and golden brown; if not cook for 3-4 more minutes and check again
  5. Serve warm with a heaping scoop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Tips and modifications:

  1. Pie will keep for 1 week in refrigerator
  2. You can find a recipe for whipped cream in The Expat Cookbook, which is on sale for 50% off through the end of 2009



Recipe of the Week: Spicy Meatloaf

by



Meatloaf

This Spicy Meatlof is one of our family's favorites. It's very easy and fast to make, and goes great with mashed potatoes.

It's best if you use homemade ketchup (recipe can be found in The Expat Cookbook), but it's still good if you use store bought ketchup.

Meatloaf Ingredients:

  • ½ cup onion, diced
  • ½ cup red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 tablespoon jalapeño, minced (optional)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
  • 1 kilo (2.2 pounds) very lean ground beef
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons red Tabasco sauce (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 2 teaspoons Oregano
  • 2 teaspoons Basil
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • ½ teaspoon rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)

Meatloaf Glaze Ingredients:

  • ½ cup ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1-2 tablespoons red Tabasco sauce (depending upon your desired spicyness level)
  • Dash Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 180° C (350° F)
  2. Heat grapeseed oil in sauté pan
  3. Add onions and bell pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes
  4. Add jalapeño and garlic and cook for 2 minutes
  5. Set aside to cool
  6. Add remaining ingredients to a large bowl
  7. Add pepper, onion and garlic mixture to bowl
  8. Mix thoroughly with your hands until everything is well blended
  9. Transfer to a loaf pan
  10. Mix meatloaf glaze ingredients in a small bowl
  11. Spread glaze over meatloaf
  12. Cook in oven for about 1 hour
  13. Serve

Make sure to get your copy The Expat Cookbook while it's on sale for 50% off through the end of 2009.



Recipe of the Week: Blueberry Crumb Pie

by

Pie

Blueberries are in season in Uruguay, so we’ve been using them to make lots of yummy treats in the last few weeks. I thought I would share one of our favorite blueberry recipes this week, for Blueberry Crumb pie. If you’re like us, this one won’t last long in your house!

Crust Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • ¼ cup lard
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1/3 cup cold water

Filling Ingredients

  • 4 cups fresh blueberries
  • 7 tablespoons corn starch
  • 2/3 cup granulated white sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Crumb Topping Ingredients

  • ½ cup flour
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup butter

Directions:

Crust

  1. Combine the flour, sugar, butter and lard in a mixing bowl until well blended
  2. Sprinkle in the water a little at a time and mix just enough to make it hold together – don’t over mix
  3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
  4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface
  5. Place the dough into the pie pan (don't worry if it breaks; you can patch it in the pan)
  6. Press the dough into a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan
  7. Seal any broken areas and shape the top edge into a pattern if you like

Filling

  1. Preheat oven to 190° C (375° F)
  2. Rinse blueberries in a colander, removing stems and mushy berries
  3. In a mixing bowl, combine the sugar, corn starch and cinnamon, and mix well
  4. Add lemon juice and water and mix well
  5. Add the blueberries to the pie crust (if they are taller than the pan, it’s okay – they’ll cook down)
  6. Pour the liquid mix over the berries

Crumb Topping

  1. Mix the sugar, butter and flour in a bowl
  2. Sprinkle mixture over the berries   

  3. Place pie in oven and bake for one hour
  4. The pie should be bubbling and golden brown; if not cook for 3-4 more minutes and check again
  5. Serve warm with a heaping scoop of whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Tips and modifications:

  1. Pie will keep for 1 week in refrigerator
  2. You can find a recipe for whipped cream in The Expat Cookbook, which is on sale for 50% off through the end of 2009



Recipe of the Week: Peanut Butter and Honey
Granola Bars

by


Special Note: Seasons Greetings Everyone… We wish you all a happy and safe holiday season… 

From now until the end of 2009, we would like to offer you The Expat Cookbook with a 50% price reduction.

DSC_0007

This week's recipe for Peanut Butter and Honey Granola Bars is for one of our readers. Thanks for the suggestion Inga! 

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups oats
  • 3 tablespoons flax seed
  • ½ cup smooth peanut butter
  • ½ cup honey
  • ½ cup nuts or dried fruit
  • ¼ cup of protein powder (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon salt (optional)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 200° C (400° F)
  2. Line a 9×9 square baking dish with parchment paper and set out a cooling rack
  3. Place the oats and flax seed in a baking pan and place in oven
  4. Watch the oats carefully; if they burn you’ll have to start over
  5. Take oats out of oven when they are a golden brown (5-10 minutes)
  6. While the oats and flax seed are toasting, add honey and peanut butter to a small saucepan
  7. Turn the saucepan on low to med-low heat until the mixture is warm and smooth (be careful not to burn or simmer)
  8. Place the nuts or dried fruits in a medium sized mixing bowl
  9. Coat the nuts or dried fruit with protein powder if using
  10. Carefully add oats to the bowl of nuts or dried fruit
  11. Add the peanut honey mixture to the blow
  12. Mix well with a wooden spoon
  13. Place the mixture into the baking dish and spread evenly
  14. The bars will be about ¼” in depth when spread correctly
  15. Carefully lift out parchment paper from baking dish and let cool on rack
  16. After about 30 minutes flip the block over to cool more evenly
  17. After they are cool down, place the bar on a hard surface and cut

Tips and Modifications:

  1. Do not use salt if you are using salted peanut butter or salted nuts
  2. Should take about 20 minutes to prepare
  3. Makes about 10 granola bars
  4. If you don’t have parchment paper, you can oil the baking dish with grapeseed oil, but you’ll need to be careful when removing the block from the dish to cool
  5. Can substitute millet, flax seed meal, wheat germ, etc. for flax seed
  6. Ideas for nuts or dried fruit: peanuts, almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, raisins, cranberries, dried blueberries, etc.

Notes: You can find a recipe for Peanut Butter in The Expat Cookbook, on sale now for 50% off.

I was able to find flax seeds at the Disco at Punta Carretas Shopping in Montevideo. They are in the section with the dried beans.


Recipe of the Week: Crustless Chicken Quiche

by



Quiche

Making a crustless chicken quiche is a quick and easy way to use up any extra meat or veggies you have in the fridge. It makes a good breakfast, or goes well with a nice salad for lunch.

Ingredients:

  • 8 eggs
  • 1 cup shredded chicken breast
  • ½ red bell pepper, diced
  • ½ small onion, diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon jalapeño, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon basil
  • ¼ teaspoon rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 180° C (350° F)
  2. Beat eggs in a bowl and set aside
  3. Heat oil in a medium oven-safe frying pan until hot
  4. Add bell pepper, onion, jalapeño and garlic and sauté 3-5 minutes
  5. Add chicken, sea salt, black pepper and rosemary, and sauté an additional 2-3 minutes
  6. Pour eggs into the pan and transfer to the oven
  7. Cook 15-20 minutes or until egg is set

Tips and Modifications:

  1. You can add ½ cup of shredded cheese with the egg before placing in the oven
  2. You can substitute butter or other types of oil for grapeseed oil
  3. If you don’t have an oven-safe frying pan, you can transfer the chicken and vegetables to a casserole dish before adding eggs



Recipe of the Week: Thousand Island Dressing

by



DSC_0045

This week’s Recipe of the Week for Thousand Island dressing is especially for one of our readers, Urufish. Thanks for following our blog. We hope you enjoy your Thousand Island dressing!

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 3 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 ½ tablespoons sweet pickles, minced
  • 1 teaspoon onion, finely minced
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • Dash black pepper

Directions:

  1. Place all ingredients in a small bowl
  2. Mix until blended
  3. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use

Tips and Modifications:

  1. Makes about 1 ½ cups of Thousand Island dressing
  2. Optionally add 1 teaspoon of minced celery for more crunch
  3. Optionally add 1-2 teaspoons of minced hard-boiled egg
  4. Optionally substitute chili sauce for ketchup

To make a preservative-free Thousand Island dressing, use the from scratch mayonnaise and ketchup recipes found in The Expat Cookbook.



Recipe of the Week: One-Day Sour Dill Pickles and One-Day Sweet Pickles

by


A few dishes we make require pickles, and we also like to eat pickles with hamburgers and sandwiches from time to time. We’ve found that there isn’t a good selection of pickles in Uruguay (or pickle relish for that matter).

Since produce is so inexpensive in Uruguay, we decided to make pickles from scratch. But, we didn’t want to go through the canning process and wait weeks or months to enjoy our pickles.

So, these recipes are for “quick” pickles. We’ve included a recipe for sour dill pickles (my favorite) and another recipe for sweet pickles (Brian’s favorite).

And before the jokes start, no, I didn’t make these pickles to eat with ice cream… I may be pregnant, but I’m not crazy ☺

One-Day Sour Dill Pickles

DSC_0009

Ingredients:

  • 1 large cucumber (or 3 small pickling cucumbers)
  • 2 cups white vinegar
  • 1 small bunch fresh dill
  • 3 cloves coarsely chopped garlic
  • 2 tablespoons sea salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

Directions:

  1. Thoroughly wash the exterior of your cucumbers
  2. Slice into uniform, thin rounds
  3. Place your dill, garlic, salt and peppers in a 1-quart canning jar or other container of similar size
  4. Add cucumbers
  5. Add vinegar to cover the pickles
  6. Seal jar or container and refrigerate for 24 hours
  7. Serve

Tips and Modifications:

  1. The skin of these pickles will retain a fresh green color and the flesh of the pickles will be fairly white
  2. These pickles are very tart; to reduce tartness, dilute vinegar with ¼ to ½ cup of water
  3. Sour dill pickles will keep for about 10 days in the refrigerator
  4. Optionally add some sliced pepper and onion with the cucumber in step 4


One-Day Sweet Pickles

DSC_0028

Ingredients:

  • 1 large cucumber (or 3 small pickling cucumbers)
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 ½ tablespoons salt
  • ¼ teaspoon mustard powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric (optional)

Directions:

  1. Thoroughly wash the exterior of your cucumbers
  2. Slice into uniform, thin rounds
  3. Loosely pack in a 1-quart canning jar or other container of similar size
  4. Combine apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard powder and turmeric in a small saucepan on medium-high heat
  5. Bring to a boil and allow to cook for 5 more minutes
  6. Pour hot liquid over the vegetables in the container
  7. Seal jar or container and refrigerate for 24 hours
  8. Serve

Tips and Modifications:

  1. Sweet pickles will keep in the refrigerator for about 10 days
  2. Optionally add one sliced sweet onion or sweet pepper with the cucumber in step 3
  3. Add some crushed red peppers for a little spice



Recipe of the Week: Empanadas from Scratch

by



Empanadas

Ever since we moved to Uruguay, we find ourselves picking up Empanadas frequently. Il Lolo is our favorite, but MLCalentitas seems to be open more frequently, so we often go there.

Empanadas are great, but we are tired of going out for them. We decided we wanted to make Empanadas from scratch. We’re sure glad we did, they came out fantastic. 

Here’s the recipe… we hope you enjoy.

Empanada Dough Ingredients:

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ cup cold water
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 teaspoon white vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons lard (or vegetable oil)

Empanada Filling Ingredients:

  • 1 cup steak or chicken, pre-cooked and chopped
  • 1 cup red bell pepper, minced
  • 1 cup onion, minced
  • 1 cup Magro cheese, grated
  • (or your favorite fillings)

Other Ingredients:

  • Vegetable oil
  • Extra flour for work surface

Directions:

  1. Beat the water, egg, egg white and white vinegar in a bowl and set aside
  2. Mix the flour and salt in a separate bowl
  3. Cut the lard into the flour mix (use a pastry blender or two butter knives)
  4. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix with a fork until it becomes stiff
  5. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth
  6. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (do not keep longer than 24 hours)

  7. Make several small balls out of your empanada dough
  8. Lightly flour your work surface
  9. Place a ball of dough on your floured work surface
  10. Roll the dough out into a 1/8-inch thick layer
  11. Cut the dough into circles with round cookie cutters or a bowl (we used a 5.5 inch round Tupperware bowl)
  12. Remove the excess dough from the circle
  13. Place filling in the center of the circle
  14. Fold the circle and contents into a semicircle (the dough is stretchy, so don’t worry, it shouldn’t break easily)
  15. Crimp the edges with a fork (If the edges won’t stick together, wet your finger and rub it along the inside edge of the dough and try again)
  16. Continue until all of the dough is used up

  17. Add 1-2 inches of vegetable oil to pan and heat to 180° – 200°  C (360° – 400°  F)
  18. Deep fry the empanadas for 1 to 2 minutes per side (they should be lightly golden)
  19. Drain on paper towels and serve warm

Tips and Modifications:

  1. You can freeze the dough if you want to keep it longer than 24 hours
  2. Makes about 16-18 empanadas
  3. We like dipping our empanadas in hot sauce

Share a comment about your variations and modifications for empanadas.