LANGOSTINO WITH CREMA RECIPE FOR TODAY

LANGOSTINO WITH CREMA
INGREDIENTS
½ cup Cacique®Cotija Cheese, grated
½ cup Cacique® Crema Mexicana
6 ounces Langostino, picked over, patted dry, flaked
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives, plus additional chives for garnish
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
Juice of half lime
1 Tbsp. of hot sauce
Tostadas

PREPARATION METHOD
For crema fresca: Place Langostino in medium bowl. Fold in Crema Mexicana, ¼ cup chives, white pepper, hot sauce and lime juice. Season with salt. Cover; chill. Can be made 2 hours ahead. Stir before using.

Arrange a spoonful of langostino mixture on tostadas. Top with Cotija cheese. Garnish with additional chives.

Grilled Corn Chorizo Sopes with Queso Fresco RECIPE FOR TODAY

Grilled Corn Chorizo Sopes with Queso Fresco
by CACIQUE

PREP TIME 45 min
COOK TIME 30 min
SERVINGS 4

INGREDIENTS
Corn Filling
2 ears fresh corn, husks removed and kernels cut from cob
4 oz. Cacique® Beef , Pork or Soy* Chorizo, remove from casing
Salt and pepper to taste
Sopes (pre-made sopes may be purchased in Hispanic stores)
2 cups masa corn flour
1¼ cup water
1 quart canola oil

NOPALES PICO DE GALLO
½ lb. nopales (cactus petals), pre-cleaned
1 cup tomato, small dice
1 bunch scallions
1 cup canned pickled jalapeños, small dice with seeds
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp. lime juice
½ tsp. baking soda
Salt and pepper to taste
4 oz. Cacique®Queso Fresco, crumbled

PREPARATION METHOD
For corn filling: In a medium sauté pan, cook chorizo and corn for 10 minutes, crumbling the chorizo with a wooden spoon while cooking. Set aside and keep warm.

For sopes: Place the masa corn flour in a bowl and add about ½ cup of water and mix with your hands for about 2 minutes. Make 3-inch rounds of the masa using the palm of your hands, pinching the perimeter of the rounds to create a little wall. The cooking process is divided into two parts: 1) pre-cook on pan without oil 2) fry crispy. After completing all of the sopes, heat a wide thick bottom sauté pan or comal (tortilla cooker) over medium heat for 5 minutes. Once hot, place the sope on pan or comal and cook for about 4-5 minutes. Begin to preheat another pan with 1 quart of canola oil to 375F. Fry the pre-cooked sopes a couple at a time in the 350F oil until golden brown. Once browned, carefully remove onto paper towels.

For nopales pico de gallo: Fire up the grill or BBQ. While the BBQ is heating, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Once water is boiling, add 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of baking soda to the water and boil the nopales for 10 minutes. Remove the nopales from the water and set aside. Once the grill is hot, lightly oil the nopales and scallions, season with salt and pepper and grill until a bit charred. Remove from the grill and set aside. Once at room temperature, dice the nopales and scallions into small pieces. Place nopales, scallions, tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, cilantro and lime juice in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

For presentation: Place the hot corn and chorizo mix inside the sope, top with a spoonful of nopales pico de gallo, then crumble Cacique® Queso Fresco on top. Serve immediately.

Variation: Use soy chorizo for a vegetarian dish.

SHRIMP AGUACHILE TOSTADITAS RECIPE FOR TODAY

SHRIMP AGUACHILE TOSTADITAS
by CACIQUE
INGREDIENTS
Shrimp Marinade
1 lb. (small to medium sized) shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed and butterflied
1 Tbsp. fine sea salt
½ cup fresh lime juice
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 cup cucumber, peeled and diced
½ cup honeydew melon, small dice
½ cup red onion, small dice
1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh mint, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

TOSTADITAS
1 dz. small corn tortillas, 4" or 6"
2 cups canola oil

ASSEMBLY AND GARNISH
1 avocado, sliced thin
4 oz. Cacique® Queso Fresco, crumbled
4 oz. Cacique® Crema Mexicana Agria

PREPARATION METHOD
For shrimp marinade: Place cleaned shrimp in a shallow dish and cover with 1 cup of fresh lime juice and sea salt. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or until the shrimp is light orange in color.

For shrimp aguachile: Remove the shrimp from the marinade and discard marinade. Place the shrimp in a clean bowl and add the new fresh lime juice (½ cup), extra virgin olive oil, cucumber, melon, red onion, cilantro, mint, jalapeno, salt and pepper. Mix well and check seasonings.

For tostaditas: Place the oil in a small to medium sauce pot and heat to 350ºF. Place one tortilla in the oil and cook for about 60 seconds or until golden brown and crunchy. Remove from the oil onto a paper towel. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas.

For assembly: Spread Cacique® Crema Mexicana Agria on the tostada. Place a spoonful of shrimp Aguachile on a tostada, add a couple slices of avocado, drizzle with Cacique® Crema Mexicana Agria and add crumbled Cacique® Queso Fresco on top. Serve immediately.

SHRIMP CHILAQUILES CASSEROLE RECIPE FOR TODAY

SHRIMP CHILAQUILES CASSEROLE
by CACIQUE
INGREDIENTS
12 6-inch corn tortillas
Vegetable oil for cooking
2 Tbsp. butter
4 scallions, thinly sliced
2 garlic clove, minced
2 Serrano chiles, seeds and ribs discarded, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. ancho chile powder
¾ cup vegetable stock
½ cup Cacique® Crema Mexicana
1 ½ pounds medium shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined
Salt and pepper
1 cup Cacique® Queso Fresco, crumbled

PREPARATION METHOD

Slice the tortilla into strips 1/2-inch wide. Pour 1/2 inch oil in a skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Fry the tortilla strips in batches until crisp and just turning golden, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the scallions, garlic and chiles. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, just until garlic is fragrant and the scallions and chiles are just softened. Add the ancho chile powder and the flour and stir to combine.

Add the stock and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and cook about 5 minutes to thicken. Add the Crema and let simmer for 2 minutes. Add the seafood and cook just until the shrimp is pink, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Layer half of the the fried tortilla strips in the bottom of the prepared casserole. Pour half the seafood mixture over it, and repeat with remaining tortilla strips and seafood. Sprinkle with the Queso Fresco. Put in the oven and bake just until the sauce is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Serve at once.

SPINACH POBLANO CASSSEROLE

SPINACH POBLANO CASSSEROLE
by CACIQUE
INGREDIENTS
2 large poblano chiles
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 (16oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup Cacique® Crema Mexicana
1 package (12oz) Ranchero® Queso Fresco, crumbled
1 lime juice
Salt and pepper
8 8-inch flour tortillas
2 (14oz) cans green enchilada sauce
½ package (10oz.) Cacique® Queso Quesadilla, shredded

PREPARATION METHOD
For all the creaminess of the spinach filling, these hearty enchiladas taste bright and fresh with the smokiness of roast poblano, the buttery flavor of Ranchero® Queso Fresco and a shot of lime juice.

1. Preheat the oven at 400°F and grease a 9 X 13 inch baking dish.

2. Roast the poblano chiles, by placing them on a baking sheet and placing them in the pre-heated oven until the skins are dark, 8 to 10 minutes, or by pressing them flat with a spatula in a cast-iron skillet over high heat, until each side is blackened. When the chiles are roasted, place them in a paper bag, fold it over, and set them aside to cool. After 10 minutes, slough off and discard the blackened skins, seeds, ribs and stems. Chop the roasted pepper flesh and set aside.

3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes, add the natural garlic and sauté one more minute, dont let the garlic burn. Add the thawed spinach and roasted poblano strips. Stir in the Crema Mexicana and heat through. Stir in the Ranchero® Queso Fresco and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Heat a dry skillet over medium heat and soften the tortillas by laying them in the skillet for a few seconds on each side. Pour 1 cup of the enchilada sauce in a shallow pie dish. Dip each tortilla in the sauce on each side, place on a dish and dollop a heaping spoonful of the spinach filling along the center. Roll and lay seam side down, in the prepared casserole. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.

5. Spoon the remaining 2 cups enchilada sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the Queso Quesadilla. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling.

Grilled Cacique® Panela with Mango Habanero Salsa RECIPE FOR TODAY

Grilled Cacique® Panela with Mango Habanero Salsa
INGREDIENTS
For the salsa:
2 small ripe mangoes
1 small red onion
2 habanero chiles
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Juice and zest of 2 limes
Salt
1 10–ounce package Cacique® Panela
Olive oil

PREPARATION METHOD
To make the salsa, dice the mangos and cut the onions a little smaller. Place in a mixing bowl. Discard the habanero seeds and mince them up small, being careful not to rub your eyes (you may want to wear kitchen gloves while cutting). Add the cilantro and the lime zest and juice, stir to combine, and then season with salt to taste. Set aside. To grill the cheese, cut it in 1/2-inch slices and heat a grill pan over medium-high heat or prepare a barbecue grill to medium-hot. Rub the cheese slices lightly with olive oil on all sides and brush the grill rack or pan lightly with oil. Grill the cheese quickly, 15 to 20 seconds on both sides, just until it takes a grill mark. Arrange the grilled cheese on a serving platter and spoon the salsa over and around it. Serve any remaining salsa on the side.

Pan Dulce Waffles RECIPE FOR TODAY

Pan Dulce Waffles

Serves 2-4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 minute in waffle maker

Ingredients

• 2-4 Pieces Mexican Pan Dulce (Conchas work best)
• ¼-cup Cacique Crema Mexicana
• 5-ounces Cacique® Queso Fresco
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Mixer
• Waffle maker
• Non-stick baking spray

Directions

1. Create the cheese filling by mixing together Queso Fresco, Crema Mexicana and sugar. Beat on low until it is creamy, it will be a little lumpy, but that’s fine!
2. Slice the top off of the concha and carefully remove some of the bread. This will create a cavity to place the filling.
3. Place a tablespoon of the filling inside the concha and carefully replace the top.
4. In a pre-heated waffle maker, coat with non-stick spray and place the concha in the center. Close the lid. Because the concha is so thick, you’ll need to hold the lid down and slightly press. After a minute or so, lift the lid and use a spatula to carefully remove the concha.
5. If you don’t want them to look as flat, don’t press down as hard on the lid. You want them to be crispy around the edges.
6. Set on a plate and drizzle with the Crema Mexicana!