You might
think that when the mercury soars above 100°F (38°C), the idea of a hot meal
would be unthinkable. Alas, for this cook, it is not.
We are very
fortunate to have air-conditioning so dishes that might normally be winter
comfort food, can comfort us year-round.
Heating up
the kitchen in summer is not something I like to do. Even with the AC, it gets
stuffy. However, we have found a really great solution that doesn’t involve a
$40,000 outdoor kitchen.
We bought a propane
grill with a side burner. Honestly, it is a marriage saver!
First, one of
us (no names, but his initials are Markipedia) hates it when I cook onions in
the house. The smell, and the idea that there are tiny fat globules floating
through the house – through the ventilation, lodging themselves in our clothing,
in our hair, in the upholstery, on the paintings, – is unacceptable. Now, I simply
sauté the onions outdoors – especially if there is a large quantity.
Second, that
burner allows us to make wonderful stove-top comfort dishes like today’s Argentinian
Carbonada Criolla without heating up the kitchen.
You might
well ask, “Why are you making something so wintry in the summer?”
It’s a great question. The answer is pretty simple: look at the ingredients and
ask yourself, “When are these ingredients in season?” Summer. If you
use frozen or dried corn, and dried mango, most other ingredients hold well
into the fall and winter. But, pretty much, this is a summer stew.
Our
recommendation? Make this stew (indoors or on your patio), put on some tango
music, and enjoy the summer heat.
¡Bajá un cambio¡ (Chill out! in
Argentinian slang.)
Carbonada Criolla
Developed and maintained by Inspiratech LLC.
Design by Themeshift.
Bizzy Lizzy's Good Things
June 26, 2016 at 12:23 amOh David, this sounds amazing. Thank you for sharing.
Cocoa & Lavender
June 28, 2016 at 1:08 pmThanks, Liz!
Ahu @ Ahu Eats
June 26, 2016 at 11:40 amWow, the flavors on this sound unreal! And I woulod love to eat this any season – for some reason sometimes hot food in hot weather is extra soothing.
Cocoa & Lavender
June 28, 2016 at 1:10 pmAhu – so many people say they like soup in the summer! I thought it was only me!
Anonymous
June 26, 2016 at 5:13 pmYum! I do so love a bowl of "stew" or "soup."
I made a green lentil and vegetable soup the day before yesterday and we really enjoyed eating it out in the garden for dinner. I would make this one and would have to leave out the meat because we went totally vegan a month ago. Eating a plant based diet just might reverse heart disease. Hubby says that after his next checkup he will consider eating elk from time to time so then I could make this delicious sounding recipe with elk meat.
Cocoa & Lavender
June 28, 2016 at 1:12 pmCaterina – this would be wonderful with Elk, but you could also make it with more vegetables, too. I hope your husband's next checkup has a good outcome.
Inger @ Art of Natural Living
June 26, 2016 at 6:35 pmWe got our fancier grill with the side burner before we remodeled our kitchen. The last really brutal (yes, I know you are chuckling at the idea of a Wisconsin brutal summer), I used it a lot. I also took the slow cooker outside (and regretted giving away the breadmaker). I can see why you wouldn't want to wait for cool weather for this stew!
Cocoa & Lavender
June 28, 2016 at 1:14 pmI really do love that side burner, Inger – regardless of the heatwaves! I have also made waffles outside, and pancakes using our electric skillet.
Marcelle
June 27, 2016 at 6:23 amLooks really good, David! I'm a summertime soup-lover too and that outdoor burner sounds like a great idea. 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
June 28, 2016 at 1:14 pmThanks, Marcelle.
Andrea_TheKitchenLioness
June 27, 2016 at 7:37 amDear David – summer time soups and stews will always be a hit – especially with the kind of weather we are having this year. Rain, rain, and more rain…this would be a most welcome lunch then…
Liebe Grüße,
Andrea
Cocoa & Lavender
June 28, 2016 at 1:15 pmWell, this is quite the different summer from the one we had in Germany, isn't it? I hope you get some sunshine soon!
Gerlinde de Broekert
June 27, 2016 at 7:52 pmThis soup would be perfect here in Switzerland where there is rain on n the weather forecast every day😒.
Cocoa & Lavender
June 28, 2016 at 1:15 pmI just heard the same forecast from our friends in Germany – so sorry to hear that, Gerlinde!
Caroline @ Pinch Me, I'm Eating!
June 28, 2016 at 12:03 amI wouldn't want to be outside grilling right now in AZ! I love the smell of cooking onions – but I cracked up at "His initials are Markipedia"! This stew looks great, and so unique!
Cocoa & Lavender
June 28, 2016 at 1:17 pmThanks, Caroline. You and Mike need to try this! I, too, love the smell of cooking onions but have gotten to the point that I don't like smelling them all night while I am trying to sleep. Maybe Mark has changed me, like I conned him into liking my carrot cake!
John - heneedsfood
June 28, 2016 at 7:40 amI'm not use that I could make this and hide the fact that there's mango in there. Dean would put the fork down, get up and make some toast. And you know what? I don't hesitate cooking onions inside. Yes, there's a bit of beautiful sautéed onion smell wafting about the house and perhaps in my hair, but most of it gets extracted through the back wall and into the backyard for the neighbours to enjoy. Mark is so funny!
Cocoa & Lavender
June 28, 2016 at 1:18 pmNo mangos for Dean? So sad, John! Yes, Mark is a riot but, as I said to Caroline above, I have now gotten to the point where I don't like smelling the food in the middle of the night, either!
Frank
June 29, 2016 at 12:01 pmOne thing that surprised me when traveling in Latin America is how substantial many of the dishes are, even in countries where and at times when the temperatures are really high. In Nicaragua, for example, the diet is quite heavy, consisting mostly of what we would call "winter food", and yet it's a tropical country where it never gets anything near chilly, let alone cold. I'm sure there are historical reasons, I've always wanted to look into it…
Cocoa & Lavender
June 29, 2016 at 1:27 pmI hadn't noticed that about Latin America, Frank – but now that you mention it, I have seen it in the cuisine of the islands (Jamaica, Cuba, Bahamas, etc.) Maybe there is something to the idea that hot food makes you feel cooler? (I don't think so, personally.)
Karen (Back Road Journal)
June 30, 2016 at 1:57 pmI think your soup would be delicious anytime of the year. In the Dominican Republic, they serve sancochao a hearty soup like this year round.
Cocoa & Lavender
July 8, 2016 at 5:52 pmThanks, Karen – I will have to look up sancochao!
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com
June 30, 2016 at 7:14 pmDavid, I could enjoy this pot of deliciousness any time of year. I like the idea of cooking onions outside because I've gotten to really not like the cooking odor that lingers long after the onions are gone. Maybe I'll set up a little hotplate on the patio.
Cocoa & Lavender
July 8, 2016 at 5:53 pmJean – it really does make a difference cooking them outside. Speaking of hotplates, I am dreaming of a magnetic induction hotplate…
Cheri Savory Spoon
July 1, 2016 at 4:14 pmHi David, we enjoy soup all year round, love this summer masterpiece. Last year I started using a crock pot, only made a few things but it is another great way to keep the heat down. Have a wonderful 4th!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 8, 2016 at 5:54 pmThat's so funny, Cheri – my very first crockpot dishes were last summer, as well! Great minds…
Provence WineZine
July 6, 2016 at 10:22 pmThis looks great…here, without AC, I think that fall may be a better time but, if I had AC…
Cocoa & Lavender
July 8, 2016 at 5:54 pmAC does help, Susan, but it would be worth putting up with a little extra heat for this dish!
giaonhan247
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