Chayote empanadas

Mostly as an excuse to go to C-Town, the famous Latin grocery in Pawtucket, R.I., we decided to cook up some empanadas, turnovers with a savory filling that resemble the Indian samosa. Though Providence, R.I. has become super Latino in recent years, none of the local supermarkets carry empanada shells. (Surprisingly, even at C-Town, the only shells available were frozen.) For the fillings, we chose canned corn-shredded cheese-sauteed onions and roasted chayotes-roasted eggplant.


For an appetizer, we had Mexican tostada casera from Charras ("El Real Sabor Mexicano") and queso blanco from Wisconsin. Our friend Paco from Buenos Aires brought over a bottle of 2006 Trapiche Broquel Malbec.

C-Town's motto: "El Gigante de Pawtucket!"

Asado in the oven

The guests at Lara and Paco's apartment in Providence included Colombians, Ecuadorians and Argentines. So not surprisingly, the menu was heavy on delicious, high quality meat and pork, prepared and presented with traditional simplicity and abundance.


For appetizers, Lara and Paco served choripán using pork chorizo from Armando & Son's Meat Market in Pawtucket, R.I., served on fresh bread with chimichurri sauce. They also prepared bacon-wrapped asparagus.




The main course was asado, a popular, relatively inexpensive, uniquely Southern Cone rib cut. Because it was raining, they roasted all the meat in the oven, including the chorizo. My wife, Keryn, prepared the salad, chopping lettuce, red bell peppers, grape tomatoes and avocado.




Among the gallons of red wine consumed was a great bottle of Malbec from Altos Las Hormigas in Mendoza, Argentina.