Warm Weather Foods: South America

In the Midwest, we look forward to the hot summer days of grilling our favorite foods, sipping cold, refreshing cocktails and enjoying the warm months with friends and family. Since we only have a few short months of experimenting with “hot weather foods” we look to southern countries for inspiration. Here at Entertaining Company, our chefs always get creative with adding different cultural flavors to traditional dishes. They do this by accompanying dishes with various sauces and seasonings specific to a region.

We have found a lot of inspiration from countries in South America. South America is home to so many bold flavors that are great accent flavors to any menu. One of our most popular Summer waiter-passed hors d’oeuvres is empanadas. They can be either packed with vegetables or a flavorful shredded meat, depending on what your guests prefer.

Chimichurri is another traditional South American item that pairs extremely well with a lot of the dishes we prepare. Our kitchen team makes the best chimichurri sauce from scratch using parsley, cilantro and oregano. We could honestly put it on everything. Drizzled over freshly grilled beef is always a delicious way to incorporate this vibrant green sauce. Chef Matt also uses it to garnish vegetarian plates to add a nice pop of color and added spice.

Inspiration for our desserts come from all over the globe. South American influences are showcased through our warm churros and melted chocolate sauce. Our clients typically like these served bite size in an individual vessel easy for guests to grab and go. But we also serve these family style, shown below, for everyone at the table to enjoy together or to be presented along with other desserts on a sweets table. However you choose to serve these cinnamon and sugar bites of goodness, they’re a “must have” on your next warm weather menu.