What Is Cotija Cheese?
Cotija cheese is a hard, crumbly Mexican cheese made primarily from cow’s milk.
Named after the town of Cotija in the Mexican state of Michoacán, Cotija (pronounced ko-TEE-hah) is used as an all purpose grating or crumbling cheese. It is White, salty, and somewhat granular, Cotija cheese softens but does not actually melt when heated. When fresh, Cotija cheese bears a resemblance in flavor and texture to feta cheese.
It has at least twice the salt content of most Cheddar cheeses, Cotija is not eaten as a table or dessert cheese. Instead, it is used to garnish and add flavor to refried beans, tostadas, tacos, salads, soups, and chili. In Mexico, a popular street-vended snack is
an ear of roasted corn (elote) spread with mayonnaise and rolled in crumbled Cotija cheese, then dusted with chili powder and sprinkled with lime juice.
Try Cotija cheese in a cold salad for this ....
Arrange sliced cucumbers, quartered ripe tomatoes, black olives, chopped red onion, sliced avocado, and sliced green bell pepper
on a chilled serving plate. Drizzle with olive oil, squeeze a wedge of fresh lime overtop, season with black pepper and a dash of chili pepper, and sprinkle with crumbles of Cotija cheese. Serve immediately.
What is Elote?
Elote is the Spanish word for corn, but it also refers specifically to
a Mexican appetizer or snack of corn on the cob. After being cooked, the cob of corn is coated with tasty toppings to the customer’s taste preferences. This popular street food is commonly sold as one of two common corn-based items sold by Mexican vendors. When the corn is cooked, it is removed and the husk is peeled back so that the cob is exposed. It is generally held by part of the stalk that has been left attached.
A creamy coating is slathered onto the corn so that other toppings will stick to the cob. Traditionally, this coating is Mexican crema, a type of sour cream, but updated versions may use mayonnaise. Lime juice may be added to this creamy coating for extra flavor.
Once this coating is applied, the vendor or the customer may apply a variety of toppings to the customer’s preferences. Cheese is a popular topping in its traditional form of crumbled Mexican cotija.
Spicy seasonings such as hot or mild chili powder are also generally offered.
What Is an Esquites?
Esquites is a dish that gets its name from a native Mexican Indian language called Nahuatl; the dish consists of toasted corn that fashions a handy snack for many of those on the go in Mexico and surrounding areas.
For this dish cooks first boil corn, then sauté it in butter to provide the toasted yet edible consistency for this food.
Cooks may also serve this in the form of whole corn ears similarly garnished with the same elements that the toasted corn recipes include. At times the toasted corn snack, Esquites is often served in small cups, in what some cooks refer to as a “buttery broth.”
What is Tostadas?
Tostadas, a type of Mexican food, are corn tortillas served either fried, toasted, or baked and covered with a variety of different toppings. Typical toppings on tostadas are refried beans, guacamole, beef, cheese, chicken, lettuce, onion, salsa, or tomato.
What is a Sope?
Sope refers to both a type of Mexican fried bread and a dish that uses the bread as a base for different toppings, constituting a snack or street food. Basic sope is made from corn flour, water and sometimes baking soda and formed into a small circle of dough which is fried in oil.
The outer edge of the finished sope is then pinched to create a rim that is used to help hold ingredients on top. There are numerous toppings that can be used, although chicken and refried beans are popular, as are salsa and roasted meats such as carne asada.
Cotija cheese is a hard, crumbly Mexican cheese made primarily from cow’s milk.
Named after the town of Cotija in the Mexican state of Michoacán, Cotija (pronounced ko-TEE-hah) is used as an all purpose grating or crumbling cheese. It is White, salty, and somewhat granular, Cotija cheese softens but does not actually melt when heated. When fresh, Cotija cheese bears a resemblance in flavor and texture to feta cheese.
It has at least twice the salt content of most Cheddar cheeses, Cotija is not eaten as a table or dessert cheese. Instead, it is used to garnish and add flavor to refried beans, tostadas, tacos, salads, soups, and chili. In Mexico, a popular street-vended snack is
an ear of roasted corn (elote) spread with mayonnaise and rolled in crumbled Cotija cheese, then dusted with chili powder and sprinkled with lime juice.
Try Cotija cheese in a cold salad for this ....
Arrange sliced cucumbers, quartered ripe tomatoes, black olives, chopped red onion, sliced avocado, and sliced green bell pepper
on a chilled serving plate. Drizzle with olive oil, squeeze a wedge of fresh lime overtop, season with black pepper and a dash of chili pepper, and sprinkle with crumbles of Cotija cheese. Serve immediately.
What is Elote?
Elote is the Spanish word for corn, but it also refers specifically to
a Mexican appetizer or snack of corn on the cob. After being cooked, the cob of corn is coated with tasty toppings to the customer’s taste preferences. This popular street food is commonly sold as one of two common corn-based items sold by Mexican vendors. When the corn is cooked, it is removed and the husk is peeled back so that the cob is exposed. It is generally held by part of the stalk that has been left attached.
A creamy coating is slathered onto the corn so that other toppings will stick to the cob. Traditionally, this coating is Mexican crema, a type of sour cream, but updated versions may use mayonnaise. Lime juice may be added to this creamy coating for extra flavor.
Once this coating is applied, the vendor or the customer may apply a variety of toppings to the customer’s preferences. Cheese is a popular topping in its traditional form of crumbled Mexican cotija.
Spicy seasonings such as hot or mild chili powder are also generally offered.
What Is an Esquites?
Esquites is a dish that gets its name from a native Mexican Indian language called Nahuatl; the dish consists of toasted corn that fashions a handy snack for many of those on the go in Mexico and surrounding areas.
For this dish cooks first boil corn, then sauté it in butter to provide the toasted yet edible consistency for this food.
Cooks may also serve this in the form of whole corn ears similarly garnished with the same elements that the toasted corn recipes include. At times the toasted corn snack, Esquites is often served in small cups, in what some cooks refer to as a “buttery broth.”
What is Tostadas?
Tostadas, a type of Mexican food, are corn tortillas served either fried, toasted, or baked and covered with a variety of different toppings. Typical toppings on tostadas are refried beans, guacamole, beef, cheese, chicken, lettuce, onion, salsa, or tomato.
What is a Sope?
Sope refers to both a type of Mexican fried bread and a dish that uses the bread as a base for different toppings, constituting a snack or street food. Basic sope is made from corn flour, water and sometimes baking soda and formed into a small circle of dough which is fried in oil.
The outer edge of the finished sope is then pinched to create a rim that is used to help hold ingredients on top. There are numerous toppings that can be used, although chicken and refried beans are popular, as are salsa and roasted meats such as carne asada.
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