Ruben “German” Montenegro

CHORI & CHIMI

12

ARGENTINA

German Montenegro found out about the Queens Night Market in 2018 when one of his best food-biz friends, Lenin Costas, invited him to check out his ceviche tent there. When German saw how well his friend’s business was doing, and took in all the exciting smells, sights, sounds, and tastes of dozens of other international food vendors selling that night, a thought occurred to him: Nice; this would be a cool place to sell Argentinian food. So he wrote John an email. Just like that, Chori & Chimi was born.

“I love the restaurant business—love—so I hope in the future to open my own restaurant here: Argentinian with other South American food, with my business partner, Roberto. He’s from Peru. The vending business is a way to get into the kitchen, a step towards running a restaurant—you need experience on both sides.

I was born in 1976 in Mendoza, Argentina. A lot of people know Mendoza ’cause it’s the wine city in Argentina, the Malbec city. My father—the third generation of immigrants from Spain and Italy—worked for the government for almost thirty-five years, controlling the wineries for the INV—Instituto Nacional de Vitivinicultura. My mother’s father was born in Sicily, Italy, and came to Argentina around 1938.

I’m the last one of six—five brothers and one sister—so I remember when my mom cooked, going to the kitchen, taking a look at what she’s making. I tried to learn. I grew up in a very poor family, so we ate meat only one time a week, but pasta maybe five times a week: homemade pasta—ravioli, gnocchi—and sauce. Basil and tomatoes from her garden. Everything from the garden. Pesto, too. Tuco is what we call marinara sauce—put some meat in it. Sunday, we made a parilla: asado steak.

When I was ten years old, I remember the light, the electricity—every three days—blackout. And we had to go to the deli to buy some candles and turn on the candles, because we had no light. It’s OK now, but back then, it was a poor city. It was so difficult to study, because sometimes we didn’t have any light at night.

In University I did graphic design, but to pay my university—it cost $200, which was a lot for us—I worked in restaurants, and I loved the business. In 2001, Argentina was going through a depression—it was crazy, the economy—so at that time I was twenty-four. All my friends: They have no job, they have no future. So a lot of people go to different countries. When I come to this country in 2001, graphic design was very difficult, because you had to learn the language . . . but in restaurants, it’s the same thing around the world.

All my life here—eighteen years—I’ve been working in restaurants. When I came to this country I started working as a busboy, then server, then manager, and now I’m a bartender—for almost ten years.

I put up an Argentinian flag under our tent and always wear my special hat with the flag, so the Argentinians find us. We have a lot of Argentinian customers right now. One guy comes every Saturday. He eats two choripanes, and then takes home four more to his family.

I played soccer—football in Argentina—when I was younger. I love it. So I watch every Argentinian game wearing my hat and shirt. I was in Russia for the World Cup to support Argentina. And I just went to China to watch the basketball World Cup—I know, crazy!”

ARGENTINE CHORIPANES
WITH CHIMICHURRI

Choripanes—or choris, for short—are as Argentine as hot dogs are American. Choris are a staple at Argentine football matches and in Argentine street-food culture. The sausage-in-a-bun is even served as an appetizer while making asado (grilled steak). German’s father’s recipe hails from Mendoza, but the spices can vary according to region. For instance, some recipes call for cloves and cinnamon. If you don’t have a meat grinder or metal grinder attachment at home, ask your butcher to grind the meat or even to make the chorizo for you!

Makes about 12 sausages

CHORIZO

10 feet (3 m) hog casings

2¼ pounds (1 kg) pork shoulder

2 pounds (900 g) venison or beef

12 ounces (350 g) bacon ends (or chopped bacon)

1 tablespoon plus 2¼ teaspoons kosher salt

5 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)

3 tablespoons Spanish paprika

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper

¾ cup (180 ml) red wine

CHIMICHURRI

2 cups (100 g) fresh Italian parsley leaves, minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup (32 g) fresh oregano leaves, minced, or 2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 cup (240 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

2 to 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Baguettes or other crusty bread, toasted

1. To make the chorizo, soak the hog casings in warm water for 10 minutes.

2. Cut the meats into chunks you can fit into your meat grinder. Mix in the salt until evenly distributed. Let sit in the refrigerator at least 1 hour, but overnight is preferred.

3. When you are ready to grind, add the garlic, paprika, and pepper to the meat and mix well. Place in the freezer until it is between 30 and 40°F (−1 and 4°C). Place your grinder parts (auger, dies, blades, etc.) in the freezer as well, and place a large bowl in the fridge.

4. If you have multiple dies for your grinder, grind a quarter of the mixture through a very coarse die; 9 mm will do. Grind the rest through a 6.5 mm die. (If you don’t have anything larger than a 6.5 mm, which is the standard “coarse” die, just use that for all the meat.) As the meat is ground, place it in the large bowl from the refrigerator.

5. After grinding, if your meat mixture is still at 35°F (1.7°C) or colder, you can go right to binding. If it has warmed up above that, place in the freezer again until the temperature is between 30 and 35°F (−1 and 1.7°C).

6. Add the red wine to the meat and mix well with very clean hands for 2 to 3 minutes; it is at the right temperature if your hands ache with cold when you do this. Mix until the meat binds to itself.

7. Stuff into the casing, twisting the casing after each sausage is sufficiently stuffed. Each sausage should be 5 to 6 inches (13 to 15 cm) long and about 1½ inches (3.8 cm) thick.

8. To make the chimichurri, combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well to blend. (Leftovers can be stored at room temperature for up to 5 days. Otherwise, store in the refrigerator.)

9. To make the choripanes, grill the chorizo on a charcoal grill or grill pan for about 10 minutes, flipping as necessary, until cooked through.

10. Serve inside the toasted baguettes, topped with chimichurri.