Tag Archives: vegetarian

Fried Cheese

5 Aug

I laughed super hard last week when I was watching some recorded Rocco’s Dinner Party episodes I had on TIVO. In one of the dinner parties, the chefs were presented with a variety of cheeses from around the world… or maybe just France, can’t remember. Well, they needed to pick and serve a cheese course with their suggested party menus.

Rocco was impressed… shall I say very impressed with a FRIED CHEESE bite he was served by one of the chefs. So impressed, he still was bragging about it yesterday during a Twitter thing we had where the viewers/fans can ask him all sorts of questions directly. I laughed all over again yesterday because I replied to him that fried cheese is wonderful… and I knew I had this “recipe”, if we could call it that, in my Pending To Post file. So… let’s Post it along…

I told you about Queso del País… so this is what you do it – you FRY it!!!

Queso Blanco is mild in flavor because it contains still water, or better said, the whey. But as soon as you fry it, the water evaporates, the flavors concentrate and it becomes a salty, delicious bite that can be enjoyed alone as an appetizer or to complement a variety of recipes…

FRIED CHEESE

There’s not a lot of science involved in the frying of Queso Blanco… but here are my pointers:

  • Use a non-stick skillet preferably.
  • You can fry it dry or you can use a bit of canola oil spray. I do not find it makes that much of a difference.
  • For some reason I have not figured out, my fried cheeses always deflate… but when you order fried cheese at a restaurant as an appetizer or at a party, they’re always breaded and still square. Maybe they freeze them before frying to hold their shape… I do not know because I have not tried it. But, the flavor is there even if the shape changes. And I do not think you need to bread it to get a nice color/presentation either…
  1. Just cut your pieces of cheese and place in a medium-hot skillet. The cheese will start of ooze some water/whey… let it. Leave it there for about 4-5 minutes until the cheese starts to get a brown, caramelized color.
  2. Flip over and brown the other side. It’ll take less time because most of the water in the cheese has evaporated already.

 

 

Enjoy it in various ways:

Today I am enjoying it with corn tortilla chips…

You could also place a few slices of fried cheese inside a tostón sandwich. Actually that’s the original way I was taught to make it and eat it. The tofu solution came afterwards when we had to go dairy-free for a while.

sand-toston-copy.jpg

It’s the best topping for Mangú… a Dominican dish made from mashed boiled plantains with lots of onions. I will have to make that one for you sometime soon.

Also, you can add pieces to some stewed peas and convert this to a Guiso Ananda or Mattar Paneer, an Indian dish made with paneer.

Any other ways you like to eat fried cheese??? Any other ways you like to eat it??? Please share all in the COMMENTS section… we love to hear from you.

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Puerto Rican Cheese / Queso del País

4 Aug

Every country has their signature white young cheese… Mexico has Queso Fresco… Greece has Mild Feta… Italy has Ricotta Salata… India has Paneer… I am sure there are many other examples out there. Here in Puerto Rico, we have Queso Blanco or what we also call affectiously – Queso del País… meaning made here, in THIS COUNTRY.

I love Queso Blanco… it’s a white, hence the BLANCO in the name, mild and almost bland cheese. The most famous brand is Indulac, whose factory is very close to where I grew up in Hato Rey, a section of San Juan. But most Quesos Blancos are made by smaller producers and many times sold on the side of the street when you go outside the Metro Area.

 

 

A few weeks ago I took a trip to Camuy, on the Northwest side of the Island, and had the chance to buy some great Queso Blanco made right there in Camuy. The Nortwest part of Puerto Rico is well known for its dairy farms and its milk… so it’s no wonder they make great cheese too.

My granddad was from Isabela, very close to Camuy and his favorite was Quesito de Hoja – sold wrapped in folds of paper, hence the name too. Unfortunately, I have not bought Queso de Hoja lately because for some reason they’re adding artificial colorants and the moment I read FD&C on a label, I longer need to continue reading and I leave the cheese right where I took it.

 

Now that you know about Puerto Rican Queso del País… I will share a few recipes where you can enjoy it. Don’t get me wrong… this cheese can be fully enjoyed right out of the package – with a slice of guava paste or on the side of a dulce de papaya. But there are a few other ways you can also enjoy this delicious cheese… let’s explore them next.

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Eggless Potato Soufflé

22 Jul

Purists out there will lynch me… I know this is not a traditional egg-based potato soufflé, but it sure rises in the oven just like a soufflé does. I believe it’s the power of mashing and whipping the potatoes by hand that gives them that airy and fluffy consistency. Even though they have lots of cheese, they still feel light and airy.

This is a nice twist to a regular mashed potato dish… hope you enjoy it too.

 

EGGLESS POTATO SOUFFLÉ

3 large russet potatoes, scrubbed, peeled and cubed
¼ onion, grated finely
1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
½ cup sour cream
4 tbs melted butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Olive oil Spray
  1. In a medium saucepan, place the potatoes with water going about ¾ of the way up the potatoes. Do not cover them completely with water, I find they cook faster with less water. Salt the water generously. Boil the potatoes until fork tender.
  2. Drain the cooked potatoes and return them to the same hot saucepan and add the grated onion, ricotta, sour cream, butter. Mash until the potatoes and mix-ins are fully incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I sometimes add a little bit of olive oil… but only sometimes if I feel the mixture is too dry.
  3. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
  4. Take a 9” x 11” glass baking dish and spray with cooking spray. I sprinkle the parmesan cheese on the baking dish and shake it around so the parmesan sticks to the spray in the pan creating a coating. If there is any excess parmesan cheese, add it to the mashed potatoes.
  5. Pour the mashed potatoes onto the baking dish. Smooth out the top and sprinkle some additional parmesan cheese on top.
  6. Bake for about 30 minutes for the cheeses to fully blend and melt into the potatoes. You’ll see how the potatoes will fluff up just like a soufflé does…

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Strawberry Sorbeto

15 Jul

During my recent trip to Las Vegas I learned the Italian word for sorbet… SORBETO. Kind of funny because in Spanish, or at least here in Puerto Rico, “sorbeto” is what we call a drinking straw.

People at the Yoga Center go crazy for ice creams or frozen desserts of any kind. They’re a nice welcome change from the traditional cake they usually serve. And me, I’m not the cake-lover type. I rather eat a cookie or an ice cream any day before I crave a slice of cake.

So for our Italian Dinner at the Yoga Center I was asked to help out, specifically with desserts… who doesn’t like ice creams, no?? But to make it easy on me I decided to make a very traditional and natural SORBETO. I made a HUGE batch of this, but let’s just scale it down as if I was making it for a dinner party at home…

STRAWBERRY SORBETO

4 cups frozen strawberries
4 tbs of agave nectar

Yep… that’s it. 2 ingredients. That’s why its soooooo good.

  1. Cut the strawberries in quarters, it’ll be easier for the food processor to puree them. Place the cut strawberries in a food processor as you cut them.
  2. Drizzle the agave nectar over the cut berries.
  3. Pulse a few times to get the berries going. Process until the berries turn into a slushy puree. Transfer to a glass or plastic container and freeze until ready to serve.

 

This is soooo refreshing on a hot Summer afternoon…

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Once Steamed/Once Baked Potato Casserole

13 Jul

Mashed potato is a definite go-to in my recipe repertoire. You’re hungry… potatoes available… make a potato mash. But sometimes you want something more substantial that feels more like a main course, rather than a glorified side dish.

The other day I saw the Idaho potatoes in my sister’s fridge and we were all hungry now… what to do? I wanted to do some twice-baked potatoes, but we just didn’t want to wait to bake and re-bake. So this is a quicker alternative with the same flavor punch of the original.

I do not bake the potatoes first… but I do not boil them either, like for regular mashed potatoes. I steam them. To me is a faster method to cook potatoes and yields the same delicious result.

 

ONCE STEAMED /ONCE BAKED POTATO CASSEROLE

3 large russet or baking potatoes
1 large onion, diced finely
1 small carrot, grated or chopped finely
2 large garlic clove, minced or grated
2 tbs butter
2 ounces of plain yogurt or sour cream
2 ounces of cream cheese
2 scallions, chopped
2 tbs of Vegan Bac’n – optional
2 generous handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
  1. I steam the potatoes in a medium pot with just a few inches of water. I season the water with salt. And let them steam for about 10-15 minutes.
  2. While the potatoes are cooking, in a medium skillet over medium-high heat sauté the onions, garlic and carrot in a little bit of olive oil. Cook them until they’re softened.
  3. When the potatoes are cooked, strain them and add all the fixin’s… the butter, sour cream or yogurt, cream cheese, the cooked onions/carrot mixture, scallions, shredded cheese and veggie bacon if using. Mash it all well until smooth and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a drizzle of olive oil if you feel the mixture needs some moisture.
  4. Take the potato mash and spoon it into individual ramekins. I like to mound the mixture so it looks luscious and abundant. Place what’s left of the shredded cheese on top.
  5. Place in a toaster oven on 450F or broiler for about 10 minutes to melt and brown the cheese on top.

 

 

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