Everything You Need to Know About Mexican Cheese

Most of us in the US have not had much, if any exposure to Mexican cheeses. When we see cheese in Mexican dishes, it is usually familiar types like cheddar or Monterey Jack rather than a queso fresco or cotija. While these common cheeses may indeed pair well with some dishes, they are by no means the only options out there for cooks looking to add a little something to their Mexican recipes.

However, Mexico has many cheeses to try for yourself and thankfully; many of these products are becoming increasingly available here as well. Ever since Mexican farmers began making cheese, it has been an important part of the country's culinary heritage, just as it is in the US; but of course, with its own unique spin.

Cheese (or queso as it is known in Spanish) came to the New World along with the conquistadors. The European colonists brought cows and goats before long, dairy products began being produced in the country, which were uniquely Mexican. There are now a wide variety of different Mexican cheeses, each with its own character and flavor. You will find these cheeses used in many different authentic Mexican recipes, which showcase them with ingredients, which complement their flavors and textures perfectly.

Quesadillas are one of the more familiar Mexican dishes in the US; however, queso Oaxaca, the cheese customarily used to make them is far less so. This cheese is a mild flavored string cheese, which is great on its own as a snacking cheese as well as being ideal for quesadillas, enchiladas, and other Mexican recipes with melted cheese. If you can find this cheese in your local markets, give it a try the next time you are thinking of making quesadillas at home.

Some have called Cotija Mexico's answer to Romano and Parmesan cheeses. Cotija is a hard, sharp, salty cheese, which can be crumbled or grated into salads or used to top soups and refried beans. The texture and flavor of this cheese are very much like that of the aforementioned Italian cheeses and it does indeed also make a good accompaniment to pasta dishes. Named for the town of Cotija in Mexico's Michoacn state, this is one cheese you should certainly consider trying for yourself.

Queso criollo is a mild, nutty yellow cheese, which is not dissimilar to Munster. This cheese hails from the Mexican state of Guererro, is excellent on tortas (Mexican sandwiches), and grated for use in quesadillas and other Mexican recipes where cheese is to be melted. Try it anywhere you would use Munster cheese as well as in Mexican dishes.

A Spanish cheese, which is almost more strongly associated with Mexico, since it has been so widely brought into use in Mexican cooking, is queso fresco. This is a soft, mild cheese, which is traditionally made using a mixture of cow's and goat's milk. This cheese is excellent crumbled as a topping for tacos, as a filling in chiles rellenos and is wonderful with salads or served with fruit.

It would take a lot more space than we have here to go into detail about all of the many delicious Mexican cheeses, which can add little something extra to your favorite Mexican recipes. If you like to cook Mexican food at home, be sure to pay a visit to your local Mexican grocer and explore some new tastes.

Everything You Need to Know About Corn in Mexican Cooking

Corn is one of the most familiar of grains on both sides of the US/Mexico border. Although actually a grain, corn is often cooked and eaten as a vegetable as well. Even though corn may hardly be a stranger to those of us in the US, it does not have the importance in American cuisine that it does in Mexican cooking. Used to make flour for tortillas and tamales as well as being an ingredient in salsas, soups and more, corn is something you will find in a great many quick authentic Mexican recipes.

This grain has been a staple food in Mexico since long before the arrival of Europeans on the continent. Used to make flour for tortillas, tamales and a variety of other dishes, corn was already central to Mexican cooking centuries, if not millennia before the Spanish came over in search of gold. The corn-based flatbreads acquired the name "tortillas" upon the Spanish conquest of what is now Mexico, after the Spanish word for "little cakes" (a name also given to omelets in Spain).

Tamales and tortillas are the most well known corn-based Mexican foods in the US; while flour tortillas are more common here, corn tortillas are now widely available in grocery stores nationwide and are becoming more popular. If you have never tried making tacos with corn tortillas, you are in for a real treat - the flavor a warm, soft corn tortilla adds to the dish just cannot be equaled by any wheat flour tortilla.

Tamales are a traditional Mexican comfort food, which you may see, served at any meal; these are made from corn flour dough (called masa in Spanish) which may be filled with meats, cheeses, vegetables, or even fruit! There are even sweetened tamales, which make a great breakfast or dessert served with coffee or hot chocolate.

Making tamales is a somewhat time-consuming task, but the end result, most would tell you is well worth the effort. If you make your own tamales, be prepared for a few hours of work; and a dish, which is certain to impress your family and friends when served.

Corn is sometimes used in salsas, where its flavor blends perfectly with tomatoes, herbs, and peppers. One common combination is black beans and corn, which makes a very satisfying salsa; you might have even seen some of these salsas at your local grocery store. Corn salsas are great with tortilla chips and wonderful with a taco (made with a warm corn tortilla, of course) or tamale.

Mexican soup recipes also include some with corn in a prominent role. For example, pozole - a spicy hominy soup with pork, herbs and hot peppers. The flavor of corn works perfectly with the peppers and meat to create a classic soup, which is a satisfying meal in itself.

If you live in a city, which has a significant Mexican population, you may even have a pozoleria (a restaurant that specializes in this soup) nearby. However, if you are not so lucky, do not despair. You can easily make pozole at home. Try this Mexican recipe in the fall or winter and prepare to discover a new favorite; and see corn in a whole new way!

Tempranillo - the Noble Grape of Spain

Native to Spain, the Tempranillo grape is a black grape used in the production of full-bodied red wines. It has also been introduced to vineyards in the US, South Africa and Australia where it is prized because it ripens earlier than other grapes, just as it does in Spain. The wines made from these grapes can be bottled and consumed early, but the best ones are aged in oak barrels for several years. The flavors and aromas range from that of plum and berries to tobacco, cedar, vanilla, leather and herbs.

The Tempranillo (http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Tempranillo) grape has been grown in all areas of Spain, but most noticeably in the cooler northern regions of La Rioja and Valdepenas. The Spanish Conquistadors brought the seeds of this grape to the New World in the 17th century, where it still retains the same qualities of those grown in Spain.

It was not until 1905 that it was introduced to the wine growing regions of California and really did not flourish in favorite wines until the 1980's when wineries were established in mountain areas. Since 1993, production of the wine has really taken off. Tempranillo wine is making an impact in Australia, as well, as a wine with good fruit flavors and low acidity. In Portugal, it is mainly used as a minor component of port wines and red table wines.

Although Tempranillo is widely recognized as a deep red wine, there are also white wine varieties, just like Zinfandel (http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Zinfandel). This developed as a result of the discovery of a cluster of white grapes in a vineyard in La Rioja in 1988. The skins of these grapes were yellow-green rather than the darker blue-black. Testing has shown that they are true Tempranillo grapes with identical leaves, clusters, grape formations and ripening times.

The Tempranillo grape grows best at high altitudes. It needs both heat and cool temperatures. The coolness helps give the wine the elegance and acidity and the heat helps give the grapes high levels of sugar and thick skins.

Tempranillo is bottled as a variety on its own but it also makes up about 90% of other blends of wine. It is blended with Garnacha Tinta, Mazuelo and Graciano and is aged in oak barrels. It is also a component of the more expensive Cabernet Sauvignon from the La Roija region but Spanish legislation does not permit it to be listed on the label. The wine made from this grape has a moderate level of alcohol but it is a long lasting wine that will not lose its taste or aroma.

Fruit is the characteristic taste of Tempranillo wine. You will taste ripe cherries with hints of cocoa and spices. The fact that it is aged in oak barrels adds to its taste and aroma and gives it a soft tannic quality. The scent of vanilla lingers through the pleasing finish it leaves on the palette. When it is consumed at an early age, the wine is very fruity and reminiscent of a fine Grenache (http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Grenache).

However as it ages, it starts to lose the fruity flavor and becomes more complex. After it has aged for a few months, it is suitable to pair with food. If you are nibbling on cheese this is a suitable sipping wine. It also goes well with barbecued food, spicy and Indian foods, chicken, and pork dishes.