Camacho Watcho

It’s no secret that I absolutely loved the three months I spent in Uruguay! I shared many a story last year on my blog about it and I continue to long for the good times and good food that I had there. Therefore, when I heard that Anthony Bourdain had travelled there this past February and No Reservations would be airing the show in late July, I was excited! I DVR’d the show and sought out some friends for an Uruguay party!

The scene was set to happen at my house this past Sunday with our friends Ed and Carly. They had joined Kyle and me for the last ten days of our trip and had travelled in Uruguay and Argentina with us. We were prepared to eat and drink like Uruguyans and to enjoy the show! In true Uruguayan fashion, we started out the night with some beverages and appetizers. The wine was a Sauvignon Blanc from Pulenta Estates in Mendoza, Argentina. We had drank that wine in Mendoza as we stood under a trelise in the dappled sunlight, looking out at the Andes Mountains in the distance. Ahhh…that was the life. Our appetizers were twofold, a chorizo wrapped date wrapped in bacon and the typical melted provolone with oregano. Sweet and salty – I love that combination! If you’re wondering, the provolone platter was a purchase in Uruguay; you see these everywhere there!

We then started the show and began our asado (the Uruguayan terminology for grilled meat fest…my translation). A few tears came to my eyes as I watched Anthony drive around La Plaza Independencia, where I ate lunch every day when I was there. And we were overall happy with his choices for locations – Punta del Este, Jose Ignacio, Cabo Polonio, Montevideo (of course). I longed to be there with him. I was a little disappointed, however, that he kept hooking up with non-Uruguayans to get his tours and information. He made a comment at one point that he had not met any true Uruguayans…uh, try talking to some of the locals. I promise, they are very friendly and many speak English. The best part of it all was he and his brother eating at el mercado del puerto…at the same parilla where Carly, Ed and I had eaten just eight months prior! The show ended and our food fest began.

A quick overview of the food we grilled and how we prepared it. A true asado is not really a grill like we know it. I wrote about it last year when I was invited to an asado by an Uruguayan, so if you’re interested in the grill and technique, I’ve linked to it here. In true Uruguayan fashion, however, we did keep the preparations simple. Just sliced some veggies (peppers, onions, sweet potato) and threw them on the grill (parilla) along with corn on the cob, a large steak and some sausages. Although we were missing the typical blood sausage and sweet breads, we were pretty proud of how our asado turned out.

We broke open the second bottle of wine, a cabernet sauvignon from Finca Familia Cassone and again we were taken back to our wine tour in Mendoza. We had wondered if the wine would taste as good as it did that day in the sun, and we were not disappointed. Wow. For dinner, we served up our food family style, with a big platter of veggies, a platter of meat and, of course, a side of chimichurri. I am in love with this chimichurri (I’ve included a link to the recipe here). The food was simple and delicious.

The only non-South American part of the evening, besides the fact that the party ended at 10pm instead of the usual 4am that would happen there, was the dessert. I had previously bought some key limes that I didn’t want to go to waste. So, although this is not typical to Uruguay, we ate homemade key lime pie for dessert. And I have to admit that it was good!

A trip down memory lane on a wonderful Sunday night. Both Kyle and I said that we can’t wait to go back to Uruguay. Punta del Este…here we come! Well, maybe not now…but soon.

No, this isn’t some reference to the Saturday Night Live skit. Fish in a box is actually one of the foods that I absolutely crave from my experience in South America. The actual title on the menu was pez en un caja hierro, translated ‘fish in an iron box’. And it was just that. Simple and delicious.

This dish is served in a restaurant right next to the hotel where I stayed in Montevideo called S. de Sarten. From the outside this restaurant was unassuming however, upon entering the courtyard, you realize it is anything but. Open, modern, and decorated with warm lights and natural materials, I loved this restaurant immediately for its atmosphere. Then I read the menu and the pez en un caja hierro demanded my attention right away. Although I didn’t quite know what this would exactly turn out to be, I was sold.

The dish arrived, served in a caste iron box (of course) with a lid and fitted inside a wooden holder. They placed it in front of me and removed the lid, letting the steam rise from the box and fill the air with smells of fresh fish and vegetables. I was in love from the first smell and enjoyed every bite. I also enjoyed it on the several other occasions when I returned to S. de Sarten during my life in Montevideo.

The other night I was craving ‘fish in a box’ so I decided to try to replicate this recipe, using my large stainless steel saute pan with lid instead of an iron box. I was surprised at how simple it was to make and how similar the results were to the original. The original recipe called for linguado (sole), onion, pumpkin, and green and yellow bell pepper. I used orange roughy, green bell pepper, onion, snap peas, sweet potato and carrots. In reality, any mix of veggies that meets your fancy will work just fine. I used olive oil to grease the bottom of the pan, then placed the fish inside with the cut up vegetables on top. Then I lightly drizzled more olive oil and a generous amount of fresh ground pepper and course ground salt. Placing the lid on top, I steamed this on the stovetop for 9 minutes over medium-high heat.

Tasting the light but rich flavors and experiencing the varied textures, I again enjoyed every bite. A little trip down memory lane and a new favorite recipe for me. And, hey, if you’re ever in the neighborhood don’t forget to try the original at S. de Sartens in Montevideo, Uruguay.