“I love your jellyroll. It do’s me good deep down in my soul.”
– Lonnie Johnson, from the lyrics to He’s a Jelly Roll Baker
Buenos Aires – This odd looking thing is a
pionono de pollo. The
pionono itself is the cake that’s wrapped around the outside, and, make no mistake, it’s cake – it’s the cake one uses for a jellyroll – equal parts flour and sugar with a little baking powder and some eggs to hold it together. The difference from the classic norteamericano or european jellyroll is that here in Argentina, it’s not filled with jelly or whipped cream or that sort of thing, but this sweet sheet of cake is rolled around chicken or tuna salad. Never let it be said that Argentines don’t have a sweet-tooth.
This particular version comes from the little casa de comida a block from us, they don’t have it often, but I had to sample it when I saw it. The first time I tried it, I’d say it was just sort of palate shocking, but ya know, it kinda grows on you…. I may actually have to play around with this in the kitchen.
Now, I wonder if anyone’s topped one with dulce de leche….
Hi Dan! First of all, I have to say that I find your posts very interesting. I’ve been following your blog for a while, though this is my first comment. What you mention about “pionono” is totally true, it’s an odd looking thing :-).. We (I mean locals) are used to it, and it’s a very popular meal here, specially during Christmas or family events. Personally, I find this “cake-with-salad” thing really delicious. My favorite recipe (which I prepare often at home) is very simple: 4 tablespoons of flour, 4 eggs, 4 tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of baking powder. Just 8-10 minutes of moderate oven, and your pionono is ready!. My favorite filling is tuna salad, but it also matches very well with ham and cheese, some lettuce leaves, cherry tomatoes, anchovies, olives, etc. I hope you can try it soon at CS and then tell us about the experience.. I also hope to visit you guys soon at CS. Best regards, and congratulations for the great job you are doing.
We made this as a first course for a family celebration and it was very good. We had a crowd for lunch, so we did several with different ingredients. There was cream cheese, olives, red and green pepper, ham, hard boiled egg, shrimp, plus seasoning (not all in the same roll!). We served two slices of roll on lettuce at each place. It is visually very attractive and a good starter.
Yep, little kids sometimes take one to school for their birthdays. They fill them with Dulce de Leche; it is usually that or a chocotorta. As you could imagine, I am not really into trying those. They are a bit too sweet for my tastes.
Rolled up with something sweet in it made sense to me. The chicken or tuna salad sounded odd. And when I first tasted it, it was odd as well – but it’s kind of grown on me as an occasional lunch. I mean, if it comes right down to it, in principle, it isn’t any different than a Montecristo sandwich with maple syrup drizzled on it… and that’s one of my favorites of all time!
[…] might remember my short post on piononos, the popular jelly-roll cake filled with, often, savory ingredients. Back on day one in […]