Nicaraguan Quesillo
Nicaraguan Quesillo starts with a warm tortilla wrapped around creamy soft white cheese topped with crema, pickled onions, and a sprinkle of salt. Served in a clear baggie for travel and extra absorption of flavor - it's a street food item that is addicting!
Ingredients
- 8 -10 yellow corn tortillas (homemade is ideal but not mandatory)
- 8 ounces cuajada agridulce /quesillo (may substitute with soft white cheese or whole milk mozzarella)
- 1 small yellow onion roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup black vinegar to desired taste
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Prepare the Pickled Onions
- Begin by roughly chopping yellow onions and boiling them in hot water for roughly 3 minutes. Just until raw crunch texture is removed. Onions should be soft but not fully translucent.
- Remove onions from water and cool. Then add desired amount of black vinegar on top of the onions. Soak for 5 minutes or until desired color and taste is achieved. Onions should have a light to medium brown tint to them.
Prepare the Cheese
- Second work on the quesillo. If using cuajada agridulce cheese, add cuajada rounds into boiling water and soften the cheese until pliable or flexible. Remove from water and stretch cuajada until it resembles a long round cylinder or log.
- If using whole milk mozzarella, cut thick strips and stack them together for more height and body.
Making the Quesillo
- Start by warming the corn tortilla in a skillet or griddle on low heat for about 3 minutes.
- Then place the stretched cuajada or stacked strips of mozzarella on top of the warmed tortilla. Allow the residual heat from the skillet and tortilla to slightly melt the cheese.
- Top generously with the pickled onions and then add several dollops of crema. Roll the tortilla round the quesillo and enjoy!