Mushroom Queso Fundido

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Mushroom Queso Fundido

Sizzling and gooey, queso fundido topped with chorizo is a staple on Mexican restaurant menus across the country. But the dish likely stems from home cooks along North Mexico and South Texas. Depending on where you go, different cheeses like Monterey Jack, Chihuahua or Oaxaca cheeses are used. Bricia Lopez, an author of “Asada: The Art of Mexican-Style Grilling (Abrams, 2023)” and “Oaxaca: Home Cooking From the Heart of Mexico” (Abrams Books, 2019), and an owner at Guelaguetza, in Los Angeles, was inspired by the salsa de queso and quesillo she grew up eating at her family’s restaurant to create her version of queso fundido, which uses the Oaxaca cheese to create a great cheese pull. She also tops it with mushrooms and epazote (see Tip), a fresh herb she grew up eating with cheese.

Rating

Ingredients

  • ¼cup fresh lime juice (from 1 to 2 limes)
  • ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1garlic clove, grated
  • 4tablespoons finely chopped fresh epazote (see Tip)
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
  • Pinch crushed red pepper
  • 8ounces cremini mushrooms, quartered
  • 1pound/455 grams queso Oaxaca, shredded by hand into bite-size pieces (see Tip for alternative cheese options)
  • Fresh corn tortillas or tortilla chips, for serving
Set base servings to enable scaling:

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk the lime juice, olive oil, vinegar and garlic with 3 tablespoons of the epazote; season the mixture with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Add the mushrooms and toss to coat. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

In a medium cast-iron pan, add the shredded Oaxaca cheese and the remaining tablespoon epazote. Stir to combine and bake for about 20 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted.

While the cheese is melting, add the mushrooms and their marinade to another cast-iron or nonstick pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are deeply bronzed and nearly crispy on the edges, about 15 minutes.

Gently spoon the mushroom mixture in the center of the melted cheese. Serve the queso immediately, directly from the pan, with tortillas or tortilla chips.

Notes

Fresh epazote has hints of basil, mint and oregano, with floral and citrus notes. It can be found dried online and in many Mexican grocery stores. If you have to substitute the ingredient, use 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh basil leaves and 1 teaspoon of dried oregano.Though Mexican cheeses like Oaxaca cheese are essential to queso fundido for both texture and taste, you could substitute a fresh ball of mozzarella in this dish, adding 1 teaspoon sea salt. Others use Monterey Jack or Chihuahua cheese as the base.

Nutrition

Info
Trans Fat: 0 gramsFat: 34 gramsCalories: 406Saturated Fat: 16 gramsUnsaturated Fat: 15 gramsSodium: 499 milligramsSugar: 1 gramFiber: 1 gramCarbohydrate: 7 gramsProtein: 19 grams

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025265-mushroom-queso-fundido