One of my all-time favorite foods is, without a doubt, cheese. Of course, we Latinos have many different delicious cheeses to choose from but none make me happier than Manchego cheese–let me tell you why.
It comes from the La Mancha region of Spain and got its name because it is made with the milk of the Manchega breed of sheep. Typically, it's aged in between 60 days to two years and, for me at least, the more aged, the better. It gives the cheese a slight bitter flavor that I absolutely love to pair with something a little bit spicy and something a little bit sweet. That's why I'm sharing my favorite Manchego cheese recipe with you, my fresh kale, grape tomato, and Manchego cheese salad that combines all of the flavors I mentioned.
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Of course, that's not the ONLY way you can have this cheese. You can add it to popcorn for some Latin spice (get the recipe here!), make a grilled cheese with it, add it to other salads, sprinkle it on top of an omelet, or any other way you'd use a cheese. Except, you know, this is a REALLY delicious one. Enjoy!
Fresh Kale, Grape Tomatoes & Manchego Cheese Salad
Prep: 1-2 hours + 15 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh kale
2 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
About 1/3 pounds of aged Manchego cheese
1 pint (10 ounces) sweet grape tomatoes
Directions:
1. Wash leaves of kale and pat dry on a paper towel. Cut off the stems, then put about 5-7 leaves on top of each other, roll them up and slice them into thin strips. Repeat until all of the kale is chopped this way.
2. Put the kale in a large mixing bowl, then pour in the lime juice, hot sauce (to taste, if desired) and sprinkle the sea salt on top. Finally, massage it all together with your washed hands for about 5 minutes. Place the bowl back in the refrigerator to allow the kale to absorb the juices and soften.
3. Once the kale has softened (about 1-2 hours), halve your tomatoes and add them in. Finally, use a cheese grater to grate the Manchego cheese on top, mix it all together and serve!
Image via Irina Gonzalez/Flickr
