This week we are studying the lovely country Uruguay. When I think of Uruguay images of beautiful beaches, South American dishes, Soccer, and Luis Suarez' teeth sinking into my Italian player Gorgio Chiellini during the World Cup are honestly my first thoughts. It is also the birthplace of famous soccer player Diego Forlan(One of my favorite Players), authors Juan Carlos Onetti, and Horacio Quiroga, and Actor/Singer Carlos Gardel.
Bordering Argentina to the west and Brazil to the North, Uruguay shares a lot of cultural similarities to these countries. It is very unique however in many ways. It is the only country in Latin America completely outside the Tropics. The name ‘Uruguay’ comes from the Uruguay River which is thought to mean ‘river of the painted birds’ in the Guarani language.
It is the only country that keeps track of 100 per cent of its cattle. And in December 2013, Uruguay became the world’s first country to legalize the marijuana trade.
Uruguay is heavily influenced by significant numbers of European Immigrants in the last 50 years, particularly Italians and Spanish and to a lesser extent German and French. There are many pasta dishes eaten throughout Uruguay. Also quite bountiful is the empanada. This is a staple dish eaten all throughout this South American country. It can be made in many different ways with numerous fillings.
We cooked Empanadas two ways this week. One with a savory Beef Filling with Braised Leeks, Bell Peppers, Onions, Olives, Hard Boiled Eggs, Raisins, and Tomatoes. The other half, Serrano Ham and Monchego Cheese. We made the dough from scratch, cut out circles and folded them into half moon shapes. You can fry or bake them. We decided to bake them.
They were delicious! Pillowy and delightful. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, so good! The ham and cheese were gooey and creamy. We will definitely cook these again.
Here are the recipes we cooked this week:
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