Queso Fundido con Chorizo - 215

¡Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias! Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Before you sit down to the turkey and mashed potatoes, read about another Mexican menu ~

Yesterday morning we looked in the refrigerator to see what we could possibly have for dinner in the evening that 1) wouldn't be poultry with Thanksgiving coming up, and 2) would be something different to eat and write about. We found a brand new, still-in-the-wrapper queso fresco and decided to build a dinner menu around cheese. Hmmm...

I had once seen a recipe in one of my cookbooks for a round of cheese (as this was) that was marinated in olive oil and seasonings for 24 hours, then baked quickly before serving. The baking brought out the flavors in the marinade while softening the cheese to a point where it was spreadable. I also remembered being served a softened queso fundido in Mexico one time with cooked chorizo on the side. Queso fundido (or the Mexican version of cheese fondue) is typically made with another kind of cheese which I didn't have, but I did have some chorizo in the freezer.

I decided that I'd mix the two recipes together and see what we could come up with in less than a 24-hour marinating period. The "I" in this equation had to run off to work for the day, so I wrote things down and left Javier to sort them all out. When I got home from work, I discovered that he'd done a wonderful job of putting it all together. He'd marinated the cheese in a zipped plastic bag all day, then put it into the oven to bake 20 minutes before I got home. He'd cooked up the chorizo and had also prepared what we call an avocado relish. Not exactly guacamole, but made with the same ingredients. The only difference is that you don't mash the avocados. You just dice everything, season, and toss lightly.

Dinner was served with hot corn tortillas. The queso fundido con chorizo was in the middle of the table with the avocado relish and the basket of hot tortillas. We made up tacos using a thin slice of the seasoned and softened queso fresco, slices of chorizo, and spoonfuls of the avocado relish. It was another unique meal, one we'd overlooked making for most of our married years, but had enjoyed on trips to Mexico. It wasn't exactly economical considering the cost of the queso fresco, chorizo and avocados this time of year, but if you factor in the leftovers we'll be eating for a day or two, maybe so.