I went to Martha's Vineyard recently to visit an old friend and her son. I remember when Isaac was little all he would eat was tofu and burnt meatballs. He's come a long way since that time and has quite a sophisticated palate now. He is also crushing it in the kitchen with some very impressive culinary skills. Isaac planned on making choriqueso one night and I asked if it was okay to film it. So here we are! I give you Isaac's incredibly delicious choriqueso recipe. You're going to love this.
What is a Choriqeuso?
If I'm being totally honest, I never heard of choriqueso before filming Isaac making it. He mentions in the video that Choriqueso is an off-shoot of a dish called queso flameado which hails from Mexico. I did some googling and the flameado version is typically served flambe style which means high alcohol liquor is poured on it and it's served on fire (briefly).
The dish is mainly chorizo sausage and cheese with all kinds of options for add-ons depending on your tastes. Most recipes call for a cheese called oaxaca (pronounced wah-hocka). When I made my plans to go to the Vineyard, I got a text from Isaac asking if I could find oaxaca cheese because he needed it for a recipe. I checked around at my local stores and the only store that had it was Whole Foods. I was so curious what he needed it for and so happy to be part of the process when we decided to film it.
There are a lot of variations of choriqueso, but I really love that Isaac's version involved a corn tortilla and we ate them like tacos. This is a very quick and easy recipe that you can have ready in about 20 minutes.
Substitutions and Add-ons for Choriquesos
At the heart of the dish is the chorizo sausage. You can also use chourico sausage which is all they had at the grocery store when we went shopping. I searched my local grocery stores as well and not all stores carry chorizo sausage, so keep in mind that the chourico sausage is a great alternative.
The cheese. The recipe calls for oaxaca cheese (pronounced wah-hocka) and that might also be difficult to find. Do not fear - any low moisture mozzarella will be an excellent substitute. In reading about the choriqueso it seems a stringy cheese is vital to the recipe for hard-core choriqueso enthusiasts.
The Add-ons for the choriqueso are seriously endless
The plan was to use the oaxaca cheese, onion and jalapeno. Then Isaac's mom had some homemade frozen tomatillo sauce that she defrosted for a topping. It was incredible. She grew the tomatillos and onions in her summer garden and made a batch to freeze for winter use. They also had sour cream on hand which was great. And as Isaac notes in the video, whatever your favorite taco or burrito toppings are will most likely work here too! Here's a jumping off point for you:
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- Onion
- Jalapeno
- Tomatillo sauce
- Sour cream
- Diced tomatoes
- Cilantro garnish
- Sliced black olives
- Avocado
- Black beans
Easy Steps for Making Incredibly Delicious Choriqueso
It's Never Been Easier to Cook Great Food at Home
I want to send a very special thank you to my Vineyard hosts and especially Isaac for being willing to spontaneously film this. Cooking and eating delicious food with friends and family is one of the great luxuries and pleasures of life. There are so many resources and recipes out there - some new, some passed down for generations. I want to make them all and eat them all! And I want to do it in a cozy kitchen with the people that make me want to hug everyone in the world.
So please, get to your kitchens. Chop some things, talk with your people, listen to your people and love your people. Take a step away from all your devices - don't excuse yourself to take a call or make a call. Live in the present moment in a warm kitchen filled with the smell of something amazing.
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Isaac's Incredibly Delicious Choriqueso
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 portions (2 each) 1x
Description
With just a few simple ingredients you can make Isaac’s incredibly delicious choriqueso served in a warm corn tortilla.
Ingredients
- 1 1-lb. package of chourico or chorizo sausage, diced or ground
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1-2 jalapenos, diced
- 1 8-ounce package of Oaxaca cheese (or low moisture mozzarella)
- 1 package of 12 corn tortillas
- a little oil for your pan
Optional toppings:
- Tomatillo sauce
- Sour cream
- Use your favorite toppings here - anything you’d put on a taco or burrito
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Instructions
- Remove the skin from the sausage you are using. We used chourico sausage (you can use chorizo if you have that at your local grocery store). If you’re using a ground chorizo or chourico, you will not need to do this step.
- Dice the sausage down into small cubes. If you’re using ground chorizo just cook it in the pan like ground beef. Chop it continually throughout the cooking process until it’s crumbly.
- Dice the onion.
- Dice the jalapeno. Remember: seeds = spice. Isaac removed a lot of the seeds, but kept some to give it a little kick.
- Shred the ball of Oaxaca cheese.
- Heat a pan with a splash of oil on medium-to-high heat. Add the sausage and onion and cook until sausage is a little crispy. This should take about 7-8 minutes. You can add the jalapenos here too if you like. We added them at the end so they were less cooked which I thought added a nice pop of flavor. It’s up to you and your preference.
- Add the shredded cheese and mix so cheese melts. Add the jalapenos and mix well.
- Set chourico pan aside and heat the corn tortilla on the open flame of your stove top. It just takes a few seconds for each side. Alternatively, you can warm them in the oven a few minutes or in a pan on medium heat – no oil.
- To serve, we put the skillet on the counter and used the corn tortillas to grab the choriqueso mixture and make a little taco. Add any toppings you like. We had tomatillo sauce and sour cream on hand. You can use whatever you normally like on tacos or burritos.
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