Day Six. At breakfast we will talk about the origins and use of dulce du leche (milk jam) in Argentine cooking. Sample homemade dulce du leche with milk from our own cow. After your maté circle we will make the classic Argentine sweet, scrumptious alfajores – two butter cookies with rich dulce de leche sandwiched in between.

 Lunch is Georgie’s famous Rocket Pizza, homemade pizza with arugula. Then saddle up and ride with Sky, Horacio and Georgie to the Confluencia (the meeting of the Rio Trocoman and Rio Picunleo) to learn some traditional gaucho camp cooking. First swim, siesta and relax by the river. Then we will make tortas fritas (fry cakes). Gauchos make tortas fritas out in the cordillera (mountains) as a substitute for bread because no oven is required. As evening falls, watch as Horacio prepares an asado of baby goat. Gather around the fire with wine as Horacio stokes the coals and the meat sizzles. The goat will be served on slices of fresh bread – no plates! Ride back to the lodge at night under the stars. 

Day Seven. After breakfast and your maté circle, we will unmold the cheese we began on Monday and prepare a simple ravioli filling of cheese and spinach. Then we will prepare pasta dough from scratch. After rolling out and filling the pasta, we will make an simple sauce – a cream and butter sauce with pine mushrooms from the area (hongos de pino).

After lunch and siesta, we invite you to experience superb fly-fishing in one of the best trout rivers on Earth – the Rio Trocoman – just below the lodge. If you make a catch, Georgie will prepare poached trout in butter, milk and white wine with capers. If you don’t… it’s guest cook night and you will have to dive into her pantry and whip something up. In either case, enjoy pre-dinner drinks on the terrace with a traditional tablas spread – venison, smoked boar, cheese, olives and marinated white beans.

Day Eight. After breakfast and your maté circle, those who want to will walk up to visit the gaucho who keeps our goat herd and watch a traditional goat slaughter. Learn how we use goat skins and hide. Return to Ranquilco and watch a gaucho carefully slice the fresh goat leg into the thin filets we will use for traditional milanesas. Return to the kitchen with Georgie and pound the meat slices and marinate them in oil, egg, garlic and parsley. Later, Georgie will finish them by breading them.

Lunch on a traditional dish inherited from the Spanish, tortilla de papas (not to be confused with the Mexican flatbread, this is an egg omelet with fried potatoes, onion and garlic). The afternoon is spent at your leisure or watch Georgie in the kitchen as she prepares Arroz con Leche (rice pudding), a traditional dessert in Patagonia. Then relax on the terrace before our dinner of milanesas con pure (milanesa with mashed potatoes).

Day Nine. At breakfast we will talk about the origins and use of rosa mosqueta (rose hips) in Argentina. We are fortunate that the plant grows wild in our area and you can sample our homemade rosa mosqueta preserves.

After your maté circle, we will pretend it is the 29th of the month and celebrate Argentina’s national Ñoquis (Gnocchi) Day. On the 29th day of each and every month it is a tradition in Argentina to get together and eat ñoquis. Some say the tradition is in honor of Saint Pantaleon, the patron saint of Venice, whose feast day is on the 29th. The saint is said to have eaten a simple meal with farmers on one of his pilgrimages. The farmers had a record crop the next year and the miracle was credited to the saint. We will prepare traditional ñoquis dough together and while you roll individual ñoquis over the backside of a fork, Georgie will make a simple salsa de tomates (red sauce) as an accompaniment. When you sit down to our at Feliz ñoquis del 29! Celebration at lunch, place a small amount of money under your plate for good luck as per tradition.

As a fitting ending to your stay on the Estancia, we will celebrate with a huge asado. One of our gouchos will prepare cordero a la cruz (lamb on the cross). After packing, sit around the fire pit to watch him work. After our meal, the guitars will come out and the traditional folk dancing can begin.

Day Ten. After breakfast, watch as your luggage is loaded up onto a mule and then ride out to Buta Mallin. There, try traditional ñaco, wheat berries mixed with beer to keep you going until we arrive by truck in the small town of El Huecu. We will rest at a chakra (small land holding) for lunch and eat chorizo’s off the grill before continuing on to the city of Zapala. There, we will say goodbye. You can either take the overnight bus back to Buenos Aires, or better yet, continue your culinary journey through Patagonia by going on to San Martin de los Andes.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Price Includes:

- Nine nights accommodations in double occupancy
- Daily breakfast, lunch and dinner including local wine and beer
- Buenos Aires market tour and wine lunch
- Buenos Aires walking tour
- Buenos Aires Tango night
- Bus transfer from Buenos Aires to Zapala and to the estancia by horse
- Hands-on cooking lessons and cooking demonstrations
- Horse riding and fly fishing excursions on the Estancia