I hate when I’m trying to find a recipe in a blog and I have to scroll through page after page, but I do want to give a little backstory, so I’ll keep this brief:

A few years ago my friends and I started a monthly themed friendship dinner we dubbed, “Cultural Cooking with Friends” where whoever was hosting picked a country or food type that we would all adhere to. This is something I feel like became a big inspiration for me to try new foods and I actually made a point to mention it in my Woodbury Magazine interview earlier this year:

In her early 20s, Gazdik says she traveled via food; her group of friends would host monthly “Cultural Cooking” dinners, where one country was chosen, and everyone would bring a dish from that country. “Now, having actually been to some of those countries, it’s obvious that our attempted replicas paled in comparison, but it all ties back to the love of creating an experience with food,” she says..

“Foodie Shares Her Inspiration Behind the Blog” – Woodbury Magazine

It not only helped us poor 20somethings travel the world through our stomachs, but it gave us a chance to try techniques and recipes in a safe space where our friends weren’t judging us for trying haha.

The consistency has wavered a bit over the years with COVID, friends moving, pregnancies, etc but we generally do still get together a few times around the holidays so this was the perfect time for a resurgence and since I was hosting I chose Argentina!

The host of the dinner usually picks an entree as they have their kitchen to use and the other guests bring a side, dessert or beverage.

Argentina Asado

We (and by “we” I mean I found the recipes, went shopping and husband did the actual cooking haha) decided on asado. Asado comes from the spanish word asar – “to grill.” In my most ignorant explanation, this is basically an Argentinian BBQ plate.

Meats that are great for Asado:

• Chorizo (small pork sausage)
• Morcilla (blood sausage)
• Tira de asado (short ribs)
• Vacío (flank steak)
• Bife ancho (rib-eye steak)
• Lomo (tenderloin)
• I also saw another list suggest kidneys or intestines, etc…. that’s pushing me a bit too far lol

“We” ended up picking rib-eye and chorizo and served it with homemade chimichuri and salsa criolla (an Argentinian salsa).

Fun fact: we live in an apartment so we don’t have a traditional grill. Husband makes these masterpieces on our Ninja Indoor Grill which is also an air fryer 🤯

Chimichurri Recipe

I found the initial ingredient list HERE, but husband always adds things to taste as he goes so I can’t guarantee what the actual end quantities are haha.

Chimichurri Ingredients:

• 1 cup olive oil 250 ml
• 1 tbsp white-wine vinegar
• ½ cup fresh parsley 30 g, finely chopped
• ¼ cup fresh oregano 15 g, finely chopped
• ¼ cup fresh thyme 15 g, finely chopped
• ¼ cup onion 30 g, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• salt and cayenne pepper to taste
• Optional: husband also used half a lemon to add some citrus

Chimichurri Directions:

1. Husband combined everything in the food processor EXCEPT the olive oil, salt and cayenne pepper
2. As he blended he slowly added in the olive oil to even out the consistency
3. Add in salt & cayenne pepper to taste
4. Cover and refrigerate for a couple hours minimum (this would be a great thing to do the night before if possible so it can marinate together).

Salsa Criolla Ingredients & Recipe

The below is actually the amounts for a double batch, which made a TON so in addition to serving with the steak, we also pulled out some vegetable crisps to use it as a hors d’oevre. Combine all the below ingredients, mix and then let sit in the fridge for a couple hours to properly marinate.

• 2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 Onion, diced
• 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons oregano, chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
• Optional: squeeze lemon over it

Here’s a look at the finished product. We also served a side salad, my friend made homemade empanadas (recipe for those below, too!) AND of course we had to get some Malbec, because it is THE wine of Argentina. Their vines are planted in high-altitude, mountain vineyards, which are widely considered to the produce the best Malbecs in the world.

Beef & Cheese Empanadas:

My friend Lisa found the below recipe on Pinterest for easy beef and cheese empanadas. She has two small daughters so finding a recipe that used store-bought pie dough rounds instead of calling for making the dough from scratch was a very needed time saver!

Like I said, we do our best to keep it as authentic as possible, but we’re all VERY pro time saving hacks if possible haha.

Empanadas Ingredients:

• Two 9″ pie dough rounds
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (measured separately!)
• 6 ounces ground beef
• 1 shallot, peeled and minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup monterey jack cheese
• 1 tabelspoon cilantro, minced

Empanadas Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425
2. Cut out 10 rounds of dough using 3 3/4 inch biscuit cutter (discard dough scraps) then place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place in the fridge until needed
3. In a skillet combine beef, shallot, tomato paste, garlic, cumin, salt and cook until beef is no longer pink.
4. Pour 1/4 cup of water into the skillet and cook until the mixture is thick but not dry (1-2 minutes). Place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes until chilled
5. Once chilled mix in cheese and cilantro
6. Next up assembly!
   • Place 1 tablespoon of mixture in the rounds
   • Shape the empanadas by folding in half and “crimping” the edges.
   • Extra water will help the edges stay closed
7. Once assembled, brush olive oil on tops and sides of empanadas
8. Bake 16-20 minutes

Previous Countries

I was told some people may be interested in past countries we’ve done, so below I’m sharing all the ones I can remember!

• Ireland (done during March one year, duh): Ruebens, Cabbage Soup, Colcannon (traditional Irish Potatoes), & mashed peas
• Germany (during oktoberfest!): Sausages, blood pudding, homemade pretzels, schnitzel and cabbage.
• Brazil: Chimichurri steak, grilled pineapple & Farofa
• Russia: Beef stroganoff, eggplant paste, buckwheat, borscht, so many beets & strawberry comput
• Greece: White Bean Greek Soup, Gyros, Greek olives, pitas, charcuterie and baklava
• Italy: Gnocchi and homemade pasta sauce, Caprese skewers, focaccia, Tiramasu (I very much cheated on this one and bought it haha)
• China: Sesame chicken, Egg Drop soup, Lo Mein (which our friend purchased haha)
• Texas (I know I know, not a “country” but a really fun theme!): Shrimp & grits, fried chicken, ribs, baked beans, cornbread, and sweet tea
• Spain: Bocattos, Yukon fries, and arroz con leche
• Thailand: Coconut curry with air fryer tofu, spring rolls with peanut sauce, and noodle salad
• All-American Fest: Burgers, brats, jello salad, and hotdish