Between the asado, the milanesa and the empanadas, there are other popular Argentine dishes that are not so well known beyond the Río de la Plata. This is the case of the scrambled Gramajo, a classic that has its place on the menus of Buenos Aires restaurants – and also in other cities in the country – and in home kitchens. These are originally scrambled eggs with cooked ham to which “papas pie” or
paille
(in Spain, better known as “patatas straw”) are added.
Although that is the canonical recipe, and it doesn't hurt to be clear about it, over time other ingredients have been added such as onion, pepper or peas, among others. Purists consider this an aberration, and I understand it; but I am not one of them, so I allow myself here the license to follow popular taste.
The revolted Gramajo seems to have been born in the Buenos Aires of the
dandies, in
the 1930s. It is said that its creators were the brothers Arturo and Horacio Gramajo, sons of Arturo Gramajo, who was mayor of the Buenos Aires city from 1915 to 1916, and that the invention took place after a night of partying at the old Río Bamba restaurant that was located on the corner of Riobamba and Santa Fe.
The important thing about this scramble is, on the one hand, the cooking point of the egg: it must be cooked but creamy, something that is achieved by cooking it over very low heat and constantly stirring. On the other hand, keep the “pie potatoes” crispy, for which it is advisable to add them and mix them off the heat or directly on the table, at the time of serving.
Time:
45 minutes
Difficulty:
Getting it to be creamy
Ingredients
For 4 people
1 medium onion (about 200 g)
1 small red pepper (about 150 g)
The green part of a chive
1 clove garlic
100 g cooked ham
100 g frozen peas
6 medium eggs
fresh parsley to taste
½ kg of potatoes
Oil for frying (sunflower or mild olive)
Olive oil
Salt
Instructions
1.
Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut them into very thin sticks, approximately 3 mm thick and 3 cm long. Rinse them in a bowl of water, drain them and dry them lightly with a clean kitchen towel.
2.
Heat two fingers of oil in a frying pan or pot. Fry the potatoes in batches so that they do not pile up and prevent them from sticking. Remove them and let them rest on a tray with absorbent paper.
3.
Cut the onion and pepper into julienne strips. Sauté them in a large skillet with olive oil until soft.
4.
Add the ham cut into thin strips, the sliced garlic, the green part of the julienned spring onion and the thawed peas. Salt and sauté for a few more minutes.
5.
In a bowl, beat the eggs well. To Salt.
6.
Lower the heat to minimum and add the eggs while continuing to stir. The egg should coagulate but be creamy.
7.
Remove from the heat and mix with the French fries and fresh chopped parsley. Serve immediately.