For food lovers like me, there are few things better than a savory handheld pie. Growing up in south Louisiana, we ate delicate crawfish-stuffed ones called pistolettes. Then I moved to the UK, where I found hearty sausage pasties at every bakery. In Brazil, I fell in love with a delicious fried version stuffed with cheese, called pastel de queijo.

Other Latin American countries have empanadas, and Argentinians make some of the best. Empanadas are their #1 street food, and there are as many variations in Argentina as there are cooks.

Our neighbor from Buenos Aires made traditional beef empanadas with raisins called porteñas at our annual block party. He made about 100 of them, and his kitchen looked like an empanada factory. My daughter’s soccer coach (and our close friend) gave me the recipe for empanada Mendocinas, a classic with sliced olives and boiled egg.

“I hold telephone meetings when the children have gone to bed. And I give speeches via video links so I don’t have to fly.”

– Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti, Argentinian-born investment banker who became Queen of the Netherlands

For World Geography Wednesday in Argentina, we started by looking at our maps of South America, Argentina, and the capital city of Buenos Aires.

Then we watched a video on Patagonia, the southern-most region known for its glaciers and snow skiing. Since Argentina is in the Southern Hemisphere, it gets colder the further you travel south. We were shocked to learn that Argentina has the largest population of Magellanic penguins in the world!

Then, because my kids are old enough to appreciate it, we watched a performance from the Mundial de Tango, the annual competition of Argentine Tango held in Buenos Aires. The tango was invented there in the 1800’s by working class people as a way to escape the grim realities of their jobs. My kids had never seen anything like that before and thought the dancers were beautiful.

Known as the beef-eating capital of the world, Argentina’s culture centers around grilling meat, known as asado. (By all accounts, vegans would find life in Argentina pretty bleak.) Asado is more than barbeque; it’s a cultural tradition of sharing meat around an open fire and is the national dish of Argentina.

Argentinian cowboys, called gauchos, have even become folk heroes. Their legends and ballads from the 19^th century sparked a wave of literature called la literatura gauchesca.

Another huge cultural tradition in Argentina is drinking mate. Mate is a tea-like beverage made from the yerba plant. It’s traditionally drunk from a gourd, but modern Argentinians use a rounded cup made of metal or wood. It’s sipped through a metal straw called a bombilla. Drinking it is a daily ritual – especially at family gatherings where it’s passed around and shared with everyone.

While I would LOVE to grill half a pig on a spit over an open coal-fire (!) that’s not very practical on a school night. For World Geography Wednesday in Argentina, here’s what we ate instead.

Drinks and Nibbles

We started with a creamy pumpkin soup, followed by homemade guava jelly and white cheese. The cheese and jelly were served on two types of flatbread: onion and plain. Gaucho flatbread is traditionally made with chickpea flour, but I didn’t have any.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that Argentina is also famous for its wines. My husband and I tried an Argentine malbec rosé. It went well with the cheese and later the steak.

Main Course

The main attraction was, of course, cowboy steak with chimichurri sauce. I seared it on the stove, then grilled it in the oven. This is quicker than firing up an outdoor grill and produces great results. I’ve included the recipe below in case you’re interested.

I served the cowboy steak with grilled vegetables and beef empanadas. The empanadas were made at a local Argentine café, but I did learn how to make them from scratch. Here’s my video on how to make empanadas Mendocinas.

Dessert

For dessert, I was a little extra and made a caramelized banana and dulce de leche tart topped with toasted coconut. It was sweet, but wonderful.

We also had alfajores, a classic Argentinian shortbread sandwich with dulce de leche and coconut. These particular ones were dipped in chocolate. I regret nothing.

COWBOY STEAK Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

ribeye or sirloin steaks

olive oil

Paul Prudhomme’s “Meat Magic” seasoning

chimichurri sauce  

TOOLS:

casserole baking dish

heavy-bottom skillet

meat tongs or fork

oven mitts

PROCESS:

Take the steaks out of the fridge about an hour before you begin cooking. Pre-heat the oven to 450˚.

Put the steaks in the baking dish. Rub them with olive oil and season them on both sides. (Be careful not to put too much seasoning, or it’ll be too salty.)

Turn the stove on High to get the skillet really hot. After a few minutes, sprinkle water in the skillet to test if it’s hot enough. When the water sizzles, the skillet is ready. Lower the heat to Med-Hi, then put the steaks in. Sear them for 1-minute on each side (1 ½-minutes if they’re over 1” thick).

Place them in the baking dish and put it in the center of the oven. For 1”-thick steaks, bake them for about 7 minutes for medium-well. If they’re over 1” thick, increase the time to 10 minutes for medium-well. Check one by cutting through the center. If it’s too bloody, put them back in for a few more minutes.

I hope you enjoyed this post on teaching kids about Argentina! Check back here for more ideas on teaching geography to kids through delicious international recipes.

Also, check out my YouTube channel, World Geography Wednesday. Hope to see you next week!