4 minute read
A melding of flavors a nd tradition
ASADO STYLE!
A melding of flavors and tradition
by PhIl KIrKWood Photos by Eliot Cowley
When the Spanish began colonizing Argentina in the 1600s, they brought with them cattle and a cooking method called asado, which literally means roast or roasted . The asado-style BBQ can be a 10-hour, slow roasting of beef, pork, or lamb over an outdoor fire pit of oak coals . Santa Barbara private chef Aimee Cornejo is an experienced veteran at cooking large-scale asado-style events . The most recent was a late-summer grill in the Santa
Barbara foothills at the home of David and Wendy Laub, both longtime members of the local medical community .
“I would say my style of barbecuing comes from my
Chilean culture roots around food as well as my time spent in Greece,” she said . “These experiences have opened my eyes to my love for cooking outdoors with family and friends . I have some South African friends and every year we get together and celebrate Braai Day by gathering and grilling a whole lamb or pig over a wood fire all day long .
It doesn’t matter what I am cooking outside, a big paella or a shrimp boil, I very much enjoy sharing the process with others .
For the Laub party, Cornejo featured asado-style lamb and pork and served with Argentine chimichurri . She also utilized the hot ashes of the fire pit to bury and cook whole vegetables, including sweet potatoes, eggplant, peppers, and onions . This cooking method is called “rescoldo .” Wendy contributed fresh summer salads and homemade sausages braised in tomato sauce and a crudite platter with grilled pita bread as a starter . For the spices, Cornejo used fresh
Italian parsley, cumin, crushed garlic, and lots of lemon juice as the core of her go-to spice mix . “They seem to go into just about everything I cook,” she said .
Cornejo graduated from the Culinary Arts School at
Santa Barbara City College . For the last 20 years she’s been working as a chef in various locations, including owning her own catering company in California and in Chile, as well as head chef position in a resort town on the Island of Corfu in Greece . For her favorite “side gig,” she enjoys gardening and creating intimate sit-down suppers with seasonal menus for friends when they can truly relax, taste the food, and enjoy the company . “It doesn’t get much better than that .”
CHIMICHURRI RECIPE The key to this day’s asado menu was the chimichurri sauce and here is how chef Aimee prepared it .
“My go-to recipe for a traditional Chimichurri comes from none other than Francis Mallmann, author of ‘Seven Fires, Grilling the Argentine way .’ I find his recipe sticks to the traditions . He uses fresh parsley and oregano instead of dried, which is what the Gauchos would use . This recipe calls for a ‘salmuera’ for salt seasoning . A salmuera is a brine solution . Simply salt and water . In Argentina, they use it to season their meats while grilling them and for use in sauces . This recipe is not mine .
Chef Aimee Cornejo tends to the lamb and vegetables roasting over a bed of oak wood coals. Opposite: The fruits of a nine-hour cooking day, which included pork, lamb, vegetables, herbs, and traditional Argentine chimichurri sauce.
ChImIChurrI
The salmuera: 1 cup water 1 tablespoon coarse salt 1 head of garlic, separated into cloves and peeled 1 cup packed fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 cup fresh oregano 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
To make the salmuera, bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan . Add the salt and stir until it dissolves . Remove from heat and allow to cool .
Mince the garlic very fine and put in a medium bowl . Mince the parsley and oregano and add to the garlic, along with the red pepper flakes . Whisk in the salmuera . Transfer to a jar with a tight-fitting lid, and keep in the refrigerator . Best made at least a day in advance . The chimichurri can be kept refrigerated for up to 2 to 3 weeks .
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