Special Series: Estancia Monte Dinero, Part 5 (Final Installment!)

© Christophile Konstas 2009

Departure

By Elizabeth Ellen

Sharon came back a few moments later with a gourd in one hand and a kettle in the other. “We must take tradition of Maté!” she exclaimed.

We had heard of this drink and seen many Argentines consuming this tea all over the region, but never knew quite what to make of it. We gathered close around the table eager for our lesson about this Argentine tradition.

Drinking maté with friends from a shared hollow gourd with a metal straw is a common social practice in Argentina. The infusion called maté is prepared by steeping dry leaves of yerba maté in hot water, rather than in boiling water like black tea. The flavor of brewed yerba maté is strongly vegetal, herbal, and grassy, reminiscent of green tea. It is very bitter if steeped in boiling water, so it is made using hot but not boiling water. Unlike most teas, it does not become bitter and astringent when steeped for extended periods, and the leaves may be infused several times. In a group, the person who prepares the maté traditionally takes the first brew. That person drinks the mate until there is no water left then refills the gourd with hot water and passes it to the next person, sharing the same bombilla. The gourd is refilled as it’s passed around (one brew per person) until it loses its flavor. To signal that you don’t want any more maté, give thanks to “el cebador” (the server). Only give thanks after your last mate. Once you give thanks it will be understood that you do not want anymore.

In short, the Argentines revere maté the way the British do their tea, and Americans their instant coffee. We shared a few laughs as we carefully passed around the gourd looking to Sharon and each other for confirmation that we were partaking the right way. She explained some of the traditions and origins of the brew as well as some of the rules and faux pas of sharing the beverage, teasing us that were guilty of several of them.

Realizing it was already late afternoon, we agreed our time at the farm had now come full circle and it was time to depart. We were eager to use the last few hours of daylight to head out to the nearby lighthouse and Cabo Virgenes penguin colony still another 30km toward the coast, realizing we would still have to make the rough trip back out, and then make it to another city in darkness. We said our goodbyes and exchanged emails with Sharon, promising to write and let her know how the recipes turned out. Waving from the car, we set out toward the coast, sighing with content, each of us with huge smiles pasted on our faces, changed by our time on the farm, delighted to have made a new friend.

Directions for enjoying Maté:

1.Obtain a gourd and bombilla. Mate is traditionally steeped and served in a hollow calabash gourd and drunk through a metal straw called a bombilla (pronounced bome-bee-ja). There are also mate cups made from metal, ceramic or wood.

2. Pack the dry, loose yerba mate into the gourd just over half full.

3. Insert the bombilla into the gourd.

4. Pour hot water into gourd. It is important that you use hot water (70–80 °C, 160–180 °F) not boiling water, as boiling water will make the mate bitter.

5. Drink from the bombilla. Newcomers to mate tend to stir the herb. Resist this temptation, or you’ll end up clogging the bombilla and allowing herb into the straw. Drink the entire mate when it’s handed to you, don’t just take a small sip and pass it back.

Special Series: Estancia Monte Dinero, Part 4

© Christophile Konstas 2009

Lunch

By Elizabeth Ellen

After the farm excursion, we went back to our room to pack up and get ready to head out for the next adventure. Gathering our belongings, we couldn’t help but notice the most wonderful aromas wafting up the stairs.  As we head down to settle our bill for room and board, Sharon saw us with our bags and stated, “surely you will join us for lunch!”  We all looked at each other unknowingly and between the stutters and giggling we all piped up “sure!”

We dropped our things, and took our usual places at the table watching the cook carefully stoking coals in the brick oven also stationed in the dining room.

As we patiently waited, we quizzed Sharon further on topics such as how her kids were educated, how her family originally acquired the farm, and how often she took the 2-hour drive into town on those rough rocky toads. Her life seemed a million miles away from the lives of us city girls; so hearing about her day-to-day life fascinated us to no end.

Our inquisition was interrupted suddenly as the chef announced that lunch was ready while carrying out steaming bowls one by one and placing them in front of us. “Lamb stew,” he grinned.

My travel companions squealed with delight. Lamb was one of their favorites. I had never had lamb, and had always heard you will feel decidedly one way or another about it as it is a stronger tasting meat. I will happily try anything once, and knew by the expressions as they took their first bite, I too was going to become a fan.

It was divine. The lamb was so tender and fresh, not at all the gamy taste everyone had always warned me about. Opting to use the warm crusty bread placed in front of us as utensils, we tossed our forks and spoons aside and dove in sopping up the delicious sauce with our bread and grabbing the lamb pieces still on the bone tearing the meat off.  Included in the stew were the potatoes, carrots and onions, picked from the garden we had just explored! The stew couldn’t have been a more perfect conclusion to the cool crisp weather outside.

As the cook came around to gather our dishes, he laughed at his discovery chiming in, “you liked it!” Looking down at our bowls you would never know anything had been served in them. Blushing, we all shook our heads in agreement with wide eyes. We all had a good laugh and thanked everyone for the wonderful food and hospitality; we felt so lucky to have found such a gem on our travels.

After packing up the car, we came back for final goodbyes, when Sharon exclaimed, “wait, I almost forgot there is just one thing left we must do before you go. I’ll be right back!”

Special Series: Estancia Monte Dinero, Part 3

© Christophile Konstas 2009

Farm Tour

By Elizabeth Ellen

Sharon introduced us to her older sister Caroline, who also lived in one of the houses on the farm property. We found out she was the resident dog trainer as she introduced us to her “crew.” The dogs were so excited to have visitors; they couldn’t get enough of all the attention that we were gushing on them.  After introductions, Caroline explained how she had learned the techniques of dog training in Australia, and had brought dogs back for breeding; pure bred Australian border collies that now called Patagonia home. As part of her job, she now travels around to different farms to train other dogs the tricks of the trade of sheepherding.

The star of the days show was Chocó, named for her color. After a few commands and whistles, she set off and showed us her skills. She quickly transitioned and became extremely focused and serious about the task at hand, never making one false move and always bringing back the herd. We couldn’t believe it when Caroline explained that she only needed a few sheep dogs to manage their whole property.

After the sheep herding show, Sharon walked us to the barns where the sheep were corralled in for shearing. Her husband was already in the shed ready to explain how it was done. He explained that they use old school techniques (literally a pair of shears) to shear the sheep because it is more humane. The bonus is that they get better quality wool and the sheep weren’t sick as often because they were left with a layer of wool as opposed to electric shears, which cut right to the skin, often burning the sheep. Apparently there are a handful of farms that still use these practices, while most use electric shearers that are faster and more efficient.

It was amazing to see the before/after transformation. After a sheep was sheared and rejoined the pen full of sheep with full, fluffy coats of grey, the newly sheared sheep seemed so naked and sparking white by comparison! Apparently, the proper way to shear a sheep is to cut so that the pelt remains in one full piece.  Showing us they had accomplished this delicate task, they then laid it out on the racks for us to see and feel. The wool was silky smooth and oily to the touch. Sharon and her husband then continued showing us the rest of the process the wool went through; cleaning and packaging it for shipping.

Sharon then finished the tour around the rest of the farm showing us all the various sheds and buildings explaining all the various purposes they served. Our final stop brought us to the vegetable garden, which was magical. Potatoes, carrots, rhubarb, and other various fresh vegetables were sprouting up at every turn. With the several greenhouses and gardens, chickens, and abundance of lamb, the farm was almost fully sustainable. Little did we know, we were about to taste this firsthand, as Sharon insisted we stay on for lunch before heading out.

Special Series: Estancia Monte Dinero, Part 2

© Christophile Konstas 2009

Breakfast

by Elizabeth Ellen

The room we stayed in that night reminded us of what we envisioned summer vacations at grandmas house to be, 3 single beds lined up in a row in the attic part of the house. The numerous blankets and down comforters adorning each bed made it an extremely cozy night. As we all lay in our beds beckoning sleep, we heard the wildest winds howling outside. Having never heard such powerful winds before, we were convinced the roof would fly right off! It definitely enhanced the allure of how remote and off the beaten path we were.

The next morning, we padded down to the dining room sure not to disturb the quietness of the house. The place settings were laid out as they were for dinner the night before. Wasting no time, we dove into the fresh juice and coffee to get us energized for the day. Already set out for us were cereals, toast with various jams and dulce de leche toppings, and alfajores.

Sharon soon came out to greet us good morning, and asked us how our night was. We all agreed that we slept heartily, but that we had never heard such wild winds before. She smiled and said coolly that the winds we experienced were calm by comparison to what they normally experience. She casually commented, “the winds last night were maybe 50mph winds, we are used to 75 mph winds!” That sure put us in our place.

She then asked us if we were interested to see the behind-the-scenes workings of the estancia, how it was run and operated daily. Of course we were more than delighted to participate! She replied simply, “bueno,” but said that first she had a surprise coming out for us. She left and came back quickly with a piping hot rhubarb cake! Fresh and hot right from the oven; made with rhubarb grown right outside in her garden. What a treat! However, the real surprise came when she shared with us a notebook with all of her family recipes including of course, the one for rhubarb cake! Looking over the recipe, we noted how few and simple the ingredients were, must be the secret!

After filling up with breakfast treats, we bundled up to head out for a farm tour, first stop, sheepdogs!

Special Series: Estancia Monte Dinero, Part I

© Christophile Konstas 2009

*I’m sorry it has been forever (a month) since I last posted, but there is good reason for it!  I promise to let you in on it soon.  Until my appetite comes back and I start cooking again I will be posting a special series written by my friend and travel companion Elizabeth Ellen that chronicles our visit to Estancia Monte Dinero in eastern Patagonia back in February.  Elizabeth, Grace and I were lucky enough to visit this “off the beaten track” working Estancia during our trip to Argentina and we all agreed it was one of our most favorite memories.  Hope you enjoy!

Arrival

After negotiating a rather worrisome car rental contract in our best broken Spanish/broken English that made us liable for everything, (apparently that’s how its done down there) we stocked up on empanadas at the local supermarket in El Calafate and head out on a 3 hour journey to the eastern side of Patagonia. Once in Rio Gallegos, we stopped at the local bus station to ask for directions, noticing the sun was creeping lower in the sky. We filled up on gas and set off down a rocky dusty road that promised a gratifying dinner upon our arrival. Since we were all new to Patagonia, it was hard not to stop and take pictures at every turn. There were countless sheep families running around together asking to have their pictures taken as they paused in the middle of the road before scurrying off. The landscape was so flat, as the sun set it seemed you could see forever; the steppes off in the distance magically lit by the sunsets’ brilliant hues. Finally, as the last bit of daylight was setting, we saw the sign for Monte Dinero!

Sharon, one of the daughters who lived on/helped to run the farm, greeted us warmly. She showed us our room and asked us to come down for dinner when we were settled.  We were too excited to see what treats were on the menu for the evening so we washed our hands and ran back downstairs.  For appetizers we had a selection of five pickled offal’s served tapas style. Sharon came over and offered us a bottle of Malbec to go with our meal, which tasted even better after such a long car ride. As she explained some of the details of a working sheep farm, she admitted she had never seen a group of girls come for a visit to the farm. We got the biggest kick out of that! We also happened to be the only tourists staying on for lodging for the evening, just to give you an idea of how remote the Estancia was! Next, for the main course, the chef brought out crab enchiladas! Who knew crab would be on the menu at a farm!  They were absolutely delicious and the crab so fresh, we had to stop ourselves from going back for seconds (though we did indulge in a second bottle of wine!) After dinner there were 3 choices for desert, and we decided to get one of each so we could try them all. The desert menu consisted of tiramisu, cheesecake, and crème caramel. Decadent, yet simple.

After the meal, we talked to Sharon about plans for the following day and mentioned that we had discovered the Estancia in the Lonely Planet book (and snuck in a mention that we read she had a great recipe for rhubarb cake!) Late into the evening we said our goodnights and head off to bed, little did we know what would be waiting for us the following morning….