Que Es Eso? Es Queso! Melted, Shredded, Crumbled and Sliced

Queso Blanco,  queso de freir(fried cheese) and queso fundido! This blog post is all about queso(cheese)! On occasion we would ask Mom, “Que es Eso?” It translates to “What is that?” Her response. “Es Queso!” It was one of those Mexican ryhmes we grew up with. I still use it today. Queso blanco dip is a warm, silky and creamy cheese dip served in thousands of Tex Mex and Mexican restaurants through out the country. I did not have my first bowl of nachos until I moved to Texas from California in 1979. I was hooked! It was not this queso blanco version, but that bright orange version served over salty, round tortilla chips and topped with jalapeño rings. It was new and exciting, lol! Soon after that, we had Mom preparing nachos for us at home every weekend. I guess you could say, that nachos were not a California thing, but it did not take long to catch on. During my seven years in Texas, I had my fair share of nachos. And have you tried queso de freir(fried cheese)? Wow! Read on!

Queso Blanco Dip

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds american style cheese, diced
8 ounces monterey jack cheese, pepperjack or with jalapeño, shredded
12 ounces evaporated milk
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup diced pickled jalapeños, optional

* I found an 8 ounce pack of pepperjack slices and added that as well

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in a sauce pan. Heat to medium/low and let come up to temperature and melt slowly. Stir as needed. Serve right away. Yields about 4 1/2 cups.

Tips~ Make sure the American cheese is not labeled as “Cheese Product” on the package.

Queso de Freir~ Fried Cheese 

Easy Peasy recipe! Lol! Sorry, had to say it.

Ingredients

1 package of Queso Tropical, queso de freir

Olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced thin

1 baguette, sliced at a bias for crostini, toasted(8 half inch slices)

1 cup your favorite salsa, red or green recipe (check out all of my favorite salsa recipes under the category section. Many to choose from)

Chopped cilantro

Mexican oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Slice the cheese into 8 equal slices. In a large skillet at medium/low heat, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and toast the garlic slices until golden. Remove from oil, turn heat up to medium. When hot, add the cheese slices and cook for just a 20 to 30 seconds per side or until golden brown. Remove from oil and place on toasted crostini slices. Garnish with salsa, cilantro and oregano. Drizzle with olive oil and season to taste with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Serve right away. Yields 4 servings as an appetizer. 

Fried Cheese Tacos!! Roasted green chile with queso de freir, cilantro, chiles a little lemon! Oh!! To see a complete recipe on Fried Cheese Tacos, click Here!!!

Grilled Veggie Quesadillas August 11, 2014

Grilled Veggie Quesadillas can be made with a variety of vegetables. After a quick trip to the farmers market last weekend, it was time for a grilling session. One of my favorite things to do is to grill a big batch of my favorite vegetables and keep them in my refrigerator for different meals during the week. And if you are worried about not using up that quickly, just toss them lightly in your favorite vinegar and this will preserve them a little longer, until you are ready to use them. The vegetables  are great for sandwiches, wraps, salads, soups and really tasty for preparing quesadillas. This was my first time grilling broccoli. It was not bad at all. The stem towards the end, was a a little tough, so I think that next time I would just steam them for a few minutes in the microwave before grilling. The tasty, melty Mexican cheese made up for the tough piece of broccoli though, ha, ha, ha!!

Ingredients

1 small head of broccoli 
1summer squash or zucchini

1 small red bell pepper
1 small sweet onion

Directions

Slice or chop your vegetables in big pieces so they are easier to grill. Try slicing the broccoli so it has one flat side.
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 cups Chihuahua, jack or any good melting cheese, shredded
8 Fajita size flour tortillas

Preheat grill to medium/high heat. Drizzle olive oil on veggies and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables directly on the grill or on a pan made for the grill. Grill for 7 to 10 minutes, turning as needed. Chop into smaller pieces before assembling quesadillas. For quesadillas, add about 1 ounce of shredded cheese to one tortilla, 4 tablespoons of grilled veggie mix, more cheese and then top with another tortilla. You can cook on the grill or on the stove top in a non stick pan at medium heat. I cover with a lid so it creates some steam and helps the cheese melt easier. I did not brush the tortillas with any oil or butter, but you can do this while cooking them for a crispier finish. 

Tips~ The recipes for the red and green salsa’s and homemade flour tortillas can be found right on my blog. Just search under categories for ” A Trio of Summer Salsa’s” and “Tortillas” .

Queso con Chiles Toreados

A slightly more complex recipe than the first, but still very tasty!

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup hot turkey or pork sausage (2 links; remove the casings)
4 to 6 large jalapeño peppers, stems removed (I left the seeds in, however)
1/3 cup diced sweet onions
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 cup white extra sharp cheese, shredded
1 cup Oaxaca or string cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon Tabasco hot sauce or to taste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Tips~ You could substitute mexican style chorizo for the hot turkey sausage. 

Directions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil to medium heat. Cook the sausage for 8 to 10 minutes or until nicely browned. Remove from pan onto a plate.

2. To that same pan, add 1 more tablespoon of oil. Cook the jalapeños for a few minutes or until the skins start to blister and blacken in spots. Remove from pan.

3. Again to that same pan, add the last 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the onions and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. While the onions are cooking, dice up the jalapeños. I left the seeds in.

4. Add the flour to the onions and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and continue cooking until it starts to form a thick sauce. Add in all of the remaining ingredients; remove from heat. The cheese will melt right away. Transfer to serving dish and serve with tortilla chips or tostadas. Yields about 4 cups.

Queso Fundido with Peppers and Chorizo

Ingredients

8 ounce block of Monterey jack cheese, shredded
¼ cup roasted, diced poblano
¼ cup, roasted, diced red bell pepper 
½ cup cooked Mexican chorizo (drain on paper towels after cooking)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2. Combine all ingredients in a small casserole dish and bake, covered, at 350ºF for 20 minutes. Uncover and cook under broiler for 2 minutes. Serve with chips, crostini or as a taco filling.