Mexican Food Recipes
Sign Up for the Recipe Publishing Newsletter
Mexican Style Bocconcini with Sun Dried Tomatoes
Bocconcini is a small, white, semi-soft cheese. This cheese comes from Naples originally and it used to be made only from water buffalo's milk. Today the cheese is made from a combination of cow's milk and water buffalo's milk. You can also get bocconcini made solely with cow's milk, which is like a soft, liquid-rich mozzarella. Bocconcini can be bought at Italian grocery stores and it is often combined with red onion, basil, and tomato to make a side salad for pasta dishes.
This cheese is packaged in water or whey and it is spongy, which means it can be marinated and it will absorb flavors well. Although bocconcini is an Italian ingredient, its ability to soak up flavors makes it ideal for Mexican food recipes, because you can infuse this tasty, spongy cheese with the best Mexican flavors. If you cannot get bocconcini cheese, you can use mozzarella.
In the following Mexican recipe, the bocconcini are marinated in a mixture of garlic, cilantro, oregano, cumin, lime juice and more, to give them an aromatic Mexican flavor. Cheese is often served as an accompaniment to Mexican dishes or as one of the main ingredients, or indeed used as a topping and then broiled until it goes golden brown, so marinating cheese in Mexican flavors shows you how versatile this ingredient actually is in Mexican cuisine.
Marinated Bocconcini with Cilantro and Lime
Ingredients -
½ teaspoon fresh oregano
⅔ cup chopped red onion
3 minced cloves garlic
⅔ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
8 sun-dried tomato halves
⅔ cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 big Haas avocado, peeled and cut into 16 pieces
8 bocconcini, 1 inch diameter
½ cup lime juice
⅔ cup peeled, matchstick-cut jicama
1 Anaheim or poblano chili
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Preparation:
Roast and peel the chili pepper, then cut it into strips.
Alternatively, you can use soaked, dried chilies.
Combine the oregano, onion, garlic, olive oil, cumin, cilantro, lime juice, salt and black pepper.
Stir in the chilies, avocado, jicama and cheese and toss lightly.
Marinate the cheese for half an hour, then attach a sun-dried tomato half to each one using a toothpick.
Serve with the marinade.
(Makes 8)
Photo Description:
This is an unusual recipe and it makes a wonderful appetizer. At first glance this dish appears to be Italian but once people bite into the bocconcini they will recognize the unmistakable Mexican flavors. This is something of a fusion dish; the sun-dried tomatoes and cheese itself are Italian but the marinade is certainly Mexican. This makes a great appetizer or a tasty side dish alongside a poultry or fish dish. These bocconcini are also nice if you are having a buffet because the toothpicks holding them together makes them easy to eat with the fingers.
