Queso Paraguayo!
Many Paraguayans own a cow or two for milk production for home consumption. A well-loved milk product is the ever-popular Queso Paraguayo, (Paraguayan cheese). I had the opportunity to learn how to make this cheesy goodness and wanted to share this cultural experience with you. So, get your recipe cards out and let’s get started!
1. First, warm the milk up to a little warmer than skin temperature. (We cook over an open fire in our kitchen. The hen in the cupboard raised a healthy brood of 12 chicks, and the duck is setting on 6 eggs in the other corner. This is also a popular hang out for the family dogs.
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2. Second, find a section of cow stomach/intestine, (cleaned), and submerge it into the warm milk. Next, lift it in and out of the pot of milk about 10 times.
3. Third, remove the milk from the heat, remove the cow stomach, and stir the milk with your hands. The curds will gradually begin to form and separate from the whey.
4. Fourth, lift the curds and place in a cheese mold, pressing firmly.
5. Fifth, allow the cheese to drain and remove from the mold in about three hours.
And there you have it! Paraguayans put cheese in many dishes to add flavor, including: soups, empanadas, eggs, corn bread, and chipa. Ah, chipa- chipa deserves a blog post all to itself, so stay tuned!
No comment on the intestines, but I like the picture of the dog by the fire. The dog kind of looks like Piper! We miss you and love you lots.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Amber, Dave, and Piper :)