Melted Cheese with Chorizo

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             FOOD FUNNY
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Readers John Tarvin writes, "This is a joke that goes back to about
1970. I heard it in Paris when I was teaching cardiac surgery techniques
at the Health Institute, and completing my chef courses at the Sorbonne
and the Cordon Bleu courses. I heard it from a friend in Milan, told it
in class, and they loved it."

There was once a snail who was sick and tired of his reputation for
being so slow. He decided to get some fast wheels to make up the
difference. After shopping around a while, he decided that the Datsun
240-Z was the car to get. So the snail goes to the nearest Datsun dealer
and says he wants to buy the 240-Z, but he wants it repainted "240-S."

The dealer asks, "Why 'S'?"

The snail replies, "'S' stands for snail. I want everybody who sees me
roaring past to know who's driving."

Well, the dealer doesn't want to lose the unique opportunity to sell a
car to a snail, so he agrees to have the car repainted for a small fee.

The snail gets his new car and spent the rest of his days roaring
happily down the highway at top speed. And whenever anyone would see him
zooming by, they'd say "Wow! Look at that S-car go!"

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             TODAY'S RECIPE
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This is one of the few dishes you'll find in a typical Tex-Mex-style
restaurant in the U.S. that is also found throughout Mexico. Use Mexican
"queso asadero" if you can find it. Otherwise, any good melting cheese can be substituted.

Melted Cheese with Chorizo (Queso Fundido con Chorizo)

4 oz (110 g) Mexican chorizo, casing removed
1/2 lb (225 g) Mexican queso asadero or other melting cheese such as mozzarella or Monterey Jack, cut into 1/2-inch (1 cm) cubes
Tortilla chips or warm flour tortillas

Heat an 8- or 9-inch (20-23 cm) pie pan or gratin dish in a 375F (190C)
oven while you prepare the chorizo. Saute the chorizo in a skillet over
moderate heat, breaking it up into small pieces, until cooked through.
Drain off and discard the excess fat and set aside. Spread the cheese
cubes in the hot pie plate and bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with the
chorizo and heat for 4 to 5 more minutes. Serve immediately with
tortilla chips or flour tortillas.
Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Sun Jan 13 19:04:16 2008