TEQUEÑOS RECIPES

Steps:

• Combine the flour, oil, egg, salt and sugar in a bowl.
• While kneading, add a tablespoon or two of water.
• At first it just makes a mess, but as you knead it it starts to take shape.
• Keep kneading until it does not stick to your hands.
• If you need to, take the dough out of the bowl and knead it on a floured cupboard, adding flour until the dough does not stick to your hands.
• Let the dough rest for 1-2 hours .
• While the dough is resting, cut the cheese into strips into a finger-like shape.
• They should be maybe 1/2" by 1/2" by 3".
• Don't make the"fingers" too long, or they will be more difficult to use later.
• After the dough has rested, shape it into balls slightly larger than your fist.
• Roll them out until they are 1/4-0.125 inch thick.
• Cut the rolled-out dough into long strips that are 3/4" wide.
• Wrap the cheese"fingers" with the dough strips.
• Make sure you cover all the cheese and seal the dough, because otherwise the cheese will leak out of the dough when you are frying it.
• After you have wrapped the cheese in dough, dust the uncooked"tequeños" with flour and fry them in oil.
• These are (obviously) fattening, but they are delicious!

Steps:

• Prepare cheese by cutting into strips approximately 3/4 inch by 2 3/4 inches long.
• Place flour on large flat surface; shape into circle with hole in center. Combine egg and butter in hole. Mix salt, sugar and cold water together in small bowl. Add mixture slowly to flour, combining everything with hands. Keep mixing and kneading until dough is no longer sticky. When ready, shape into a ball and let it rest 1/2 hour at room temperature.
• Scatter flour on a clean, flat surface. After 1/2 hour has passed, place dough ball on surface and roll into a square approximately 1/8 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut the flattened dough into long uniform strips until there is one strip for each piece of cheese.
• Place a piece of queso blanco at one end of the first strip and roll it up until it is completely covered by dough. Make sure to press any open edges together to seal cheese in the dough completely, so that it does not leak out when it is fried. Repeat this with the rest of the cheese pieces.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan over a high flame. Once the oil is hot, lower the flame to a medium setting. Carefully, fry the tequeños until golden brown and crunchy.
• As you remove tequeños from oil, place on pieces of paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
• Time to eat!