Cheese Pastries Tequenos Recipes

CHEESE PASTRIES (TEQUENOS)

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix the flour, butter, egg yolk, sugar, salt, and water together.
• Knead until very smooth, about 10 minutes. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough until it is very thin.
• Cut into strips 6 inches long and 2 inches wide.
• Cut cheese into 2-x-1/2 inch sticks.
• Take one stick of cheese, wrap it diagonally(like a spiral), overlapping the dough, and pinch together the ends.
• Repeat with the remaining dough and cheese.
• In an electric skillet, heat 1 inch of oil to 350ºF.
• Drop in a few tequenos at a time and fry until golden, brown on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Remove using a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels, and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
• Uncooked tequenos may be frozen for up to 6 months.

PERUVIAN TEQUEñOS

Steps:

• Preparation:
• Mix flour, butter, egg yolks, salt, sugar and paprika with enough water to make a soft homogeneous dough. Set aside for a few minutes.
• Cut cheese in strips (½ x 2 inches).
• Divide dough in 3 parts, rolling each part very thinly. Then cut 1-inch strips, brush borders with egg white and roll, covering cheese strips completely. Egg white helps in sealing borders.
• Fry in hot shortening until golden.
• Serve hot. Usually served with avocado dressing or guacamole.
• Variation: Tequeños can be also prepared with Won Ton wraps, instead preparing dough.

TEQUEñOS WITH GUASACACA (VENEZUELAN FRIED CHEESE STICKS WITH AVOCADO SAUCE)

Steps:

• Cut the cheese into 3-inch-long planks, then cut them into sticks. Ideally, each one would be 1/2-by-1/2-by-3 inches but the shape of your cheese will dictate the dimensions and number of sticks. If the cheese is hard and crumbles easily, you may want cut it into wider rectangular planks instead of sticks. If using white cheese for frying or mozzarella, heavily salt the cheese, then place on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet and let the liquid release while you prepare the dough.
• Working with one empanada disc at a time (keep the rest stacked with their liners, or they'll start to dry out the when you separate them), cut it into six 1-inch-wide strips. Remove the liners in between the discs and reserve them; they will come in handy if storing the tequeños later.
• Fill a small bowl with water. Dab water onto one end of each of the 2 shortest strips, overlap and press them together to create a strip that's as long as one of the remaining four strips.
• Spread the strips out, then dab the ends of one with water and slightly flatten. Place a cheese stick on the strip at an angle and wrap to cover the top of the cheese, pinching if necessary. Once the top is secure, wrap the dough around the stick, overlapping as you go, until the whole stick is covered with no cheese peeking through. You may need to pull and slightly stretch the dough to completely cover the end of the cheese stick. Cut off any excess dough and reserve it to patch up other tequeños, if necessary. If you need to attach another half strip with some water to completely seal, do so. Give the stick a very gentle roll and a tap on either end to seal. Repeat with the remaining cheese and discs. Depending on which cheese you use, you may have discs leftover. Save these for another use.
• The wrapped tequeños can be stacked in an airtight container, each layer separated with the reserved liners, and frozen for up to 3 months or they can be fried immediately.
• If frying right away, heat 2 inches of oil in a medium heavy-bottomed pot to 325 degrees F. Place a couple of tequeños in the oil, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Fry, flipping once or twice, until golden brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. Bring the oil back up to the correct temperature in between batches.
• Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt. Let cool slightly before serving with the guasacaca, for dipping.
• Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add more salt or sugar, if necessary. The guasacaca can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Makes 1 3/4 cups.

GREEK CHEESE PASTRIES (TIROPITES)

Steps:

• Mix together the cheeses, eggs, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cut the phyllo sheets crosswise into 3 rectangles. Place a rectangle on a work surface and gently brush with melted butter. Place 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the cheese mixture in one corner.
• Fold the rectangles in half lengthwise to cover the cheese mixture.
• Fold the corner with the cheese mixture diagonally to make a point, and continue folding and rolling the triangle until the entire piece of dough is wrapped around the filling.
• Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. (The tiropites may be frozen at this point and baked directly from the.
• freezer.).
• Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and brush with melted butter.
• Bake in a preheated 425F oven until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.