25 January 2015

Pizza alla Argentine. Girls just want to have fun

- Ah! so... you have been invited too! Jackie exclaimed with surprise.
- Well, no, not really, this is my house, I smiled, but wanting to laugh.

Last November my husband and I hosted a farewell party at the residence for my friend Olga and her husband Kevin, the Consul of our embassy. Their posting was ending after four and a half years. Olga knew Jackie, a Peruvian mum from San Silvestre school, and they became friends through their daughters Rafaela and Siena, who went to the same classroom as my daughter's, Aurelia.  Friends of my friends are my friends, it couldn't be more true.

Despite moving homes very often, every three years, I count on a few, but not many, marvelous friends in my life, from different countries and backgrounds. When I met Jackie during that cool evening in my house, through a simple but genuine laughter, I had the sense that that sparkle extended my short list of dear friends instantly.

A good friend is not easy to find, don't you agree? In my case, sometimes I honestly need to go beyond the language barrier and perhaps diplomatic boundaries and only when I go through those limits, I feel myself comfortable. My friend is someone who likes me just as I am. She shares my happiness  when something great occurs in my life but she supports me and helps me when I struggle.

Back to more arduous present, school holidays are eternal when you stay in town while most of your friends are away. I keep hearing comments from my mum-friends who complain about having grumpy kids, boring days and resentful mothers. I include myself.

My days are thirtysix hours long thanks to the early start of my kids who unfortunately take it from their mum. During these summer months of December, January and February I have a goal and it is to keep my three children occupied and if possible, knocked out by the end of the day - despite my efforts, I get the opposite effect, they want to keep partying and I am dead-tired by eight o'clock. I enrolled them in school camp, art, swimming classes and playdates. Sometimes, sleep overs.

Our Peruvian friends, Jackie and Rafaela, spent last weekend with us, while Nick was in Cusco looking after eight a delegation of Senior Australian politicians. We played everything that our imagination could think of. We "swam" over a slippery mat covered with soap and water; created figures with clay and houses with lego; run in the garden and jumped in the trampolin, made bubbles in a warm bath; ate homemade margarita pizzas and had a disco party with music and dance in Aurelia's bedroom.

When the children finally went to bed, Jackie and I celebrated a peaceful and relaxing moment with a bottle of Malbec. Pop! That funny noise from the cork marked the beginning of our adult PJ's party . We wanted to turn tired mothers into invigorated teenagers. Call us childish, who cares, we were girls who just wanted to have fun - and we well deserved it.




Haven't you seen Julie & Julia? Let's watch it! I suggested excited to Jackie - probably the wine was making its magic effect. I pressed play, but my friend and I couldn't keep our lips zipped.

I knew the secuences of this comedy by heart, anyway, so I soon lost track of Julie's life to follow Jackie's.We barely knew each other after all! I discovered, for example, that she was the best friend of Josefina Garcia, the daughter of the Peruvian former president Alan Garcia (his first Presidence was from 1985 to 1990 and then he was reelected in 2006 to 2011). Jackie told me amusing stories about her adventures  in palace with her friend. What interesting playdates they used to have!

From time to time, during a couple of lapsus in our conversation, with feet up and our lazy bodies laid on comfortable sofas in the tv room, I had glimpses of the screen when Julia Child decided to enrol in the Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris, her diplomatic posting. She was bored of the social activities that the spouses of diplomats did in those years of 1950. She was my age. Then, in 2001, Julie was also suffering a lack of professional motivation so she made the decision to write a blog about cooking all the recipes of Julia Child's cookbook - Julia graduated in the Cordon Blue in 1951 and wrote The Art of French Cooking.

A thought bothered me. My life was a juxtaposition of both, Julie and Julia's. I was writing a blog and also enrolled in a two year career of Patisserie in the Cordon Bleu cooking school. I was excited but concerned, will it be too much on my shoulders to do this intensive career, on top of looking after the children and the demands of my diplomatic position? 

I sensed a  little voice within to tell me I was doing just fine, going right at my own pace. I was wrong. That voice wasn't from my inner soul, it was from my lovely friend Jackie who suddenly squeezed my hand, reading my thoughts. Because friends are for you, in moments like this, when they mean a lot without words. 


 Pizza alla Argentine

My favorite butcher is an Argentinean and has a great shop not far from my house. When I crave chorizo parrillero I know where to go, to the counter and see through the window how the meat and spices go through the carcass in a long delicious sausage. The carcass is removed again when I get home for Diego to make pizzas. He places little amounts of the sausage meat on top of the secret tomato sauce that covers the pre-cooked pizza dough made early in the afternoon.

The recipe of the pizza dough comes from also my favorite cookbook The cook's companion, by Stephanie Alexander. I have tried many recipes in my life but this one never fails. And if it does for you, try it again - I faced a disaster when I made the pizza for Jackie and Rafaela, the base too thick and it never got crunchy - don't worry, I am sure there was a lesson. 

Cooking is all about learning and having fun, especially if you have a friend to share it with. 

Good luck!



Base dough (makes enough 2x26 cm pizza trays)

  • 1 tablespoon instant dried yeast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 400g plain flour
  • olive oil
  • 1 cup lukewarm water
  1. Mix yeast and salt with flour. Mix 1 tablespoon olive oil with the water and beat into dry ingredients using a dough hook.
  2. Knead until mixture is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes (or by hand 15 minutes)
  3. Grease a bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil. 
  4. ransfer dough to bowl, then cover with plastic film or a tea towel and allow to rise in a draught-free place until doubled in size (about 1 1/2 hours). Knock back dough, then fold gently in 4 and allow to rise again, covered for 35-40 minutes. 
Tomate sauce (Diego's recipe)
  1. In a small saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add 1 chopped onion and 2 garlic cloves finely chopped. Cook gently until soft. 
  2. Add 450g tomato can (we blend whole tomato can into pulpa) and 100 g pasatta pure. Cook in low heat until the oil rises the surface and the sauce has been reduce and is thick, about 30 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
Pizza alla Argentine
  1. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 220C 
  2. Grease two trays with oil. Knock back dough and press thinly onto the trays. Allow dough to recover for 5 minutes. 
  3. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove them from the oven and spread a thin layer of tomato sauce. Add grated mozarella cheese, small drops of chorizo and slide the pizzas off trays onto oven racks for 10 minutes to crisp bases.
  4. Remove and scatter some chopped basil.



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