More than just Asado

Anyone who associates the small Latin American country of Uruguay, south of Brazil, with the culinary term Asado is not doing it justice. Here, as everywhere in South America, where the livelihood has been largely made from raising cattle and sheep for generations, social meals over an open charcoal fire are a tradition and meat is an essential part of it. But Uruguayan cuisine has its roots in Italy and Spain and this southern European influence is strongly present everywhere.

The “Crandon Institute”, based in Montevideo, was the first to put these various culinary styles into a comprehensive written form in 1957 and published a standard work, the “Manual De Cocina Del Instituto Crandon”, which is now considered a classic cookbook of Uruguayan cuisine with more than 30 editions.

For FIRE&FOOD, graduates of the school prepared a buseca over the embers, a type of stew that originated in Lombardy in Italy. The main ingredients are tripe, parts of the stomach or intestines of ruminants (e.g. cattle or sheep) cut into thin strips, as well as parts of the pig, such as skin and feet.

This is accompanied by a dry, strong red wine - the Uruguayan Tannat. A classic that has recently been rediscovered by young Uruguayans and is experiencing a renaissance.

Recipe: Winter sausage

Ingredients:

• 2 onions
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 500 g Bondiola de cerdo (Italian pork sausage)
• 200 g bacon
• 1 Chorizo ​​(South American, light pork sausage)
• 1 Chorizo ​​colorado (spicy Spanish pork sausage)
• 100 g Cuerito de cerdo (pork skin marinated in vinegar)
• 1 Manita de cerdo (pig’s feet)
• 500 g tripe, pre-cooked and cut into strips
• 200 g Porotos de manteca (thick white beans), soaked
• 200 g chickpeas, soaked
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• some cooking oil
• Beef broth
• Salt
• Pepper

Preparation:
Heat some oil in a large pan, chop the onions and garlic cloves and sauté in the oil. Dice the bondiola de cerdo and bacon, add to the pan and fry until golden brown. Slice the two chorizos, add them along with the other ingredients and add beef stock until everything is covered. Bring to the boil and cook until the beans are tender, adding more stock if necessary. Then remove the pig's feet, remove the meat and put it back in the pan, let it cook briefly again and then season with salt and pepper. Serve with rice as a side dish.

A traditional Uruguayan meal always ends with a sweet dessert, which requires a little dexterity to prepare. You can find the right recipe for "Torta alfajor" in our recipe database!

The "Crandon Institute" in Montevideo was originally founded as a home economics school in 1879 by the young Methodist teacher Cecilia Güelfi. Since 1999, the institute has been training specialists for the catering industry, who are in great demand on the job market due to their in-depth knowledge. After their training, the aspiring chefs, patissiers and confectioners are well versed in traditional, local cuisine and, despite all their professionalism, grilling and cooking with the help of a wood fire are of course also part of it. www.gastronomia.crandon.edu.uy

Eduardo Lanza (sommelier), Leticia Ciuffo (coordinator), Ignacio Reborati (chef), Nicolas Merlano (pastry chef)