Salchichas a la Mexicana con Quesillo
Salchichas a la Mexicana con Quesillo·(sal-CHEE-chas ah lah meh-hee-KAH-nah kohn keh-SEE-yoh)
La Comida (The Midday Guisado Pot)
A weeknight guisado doesn't demand imported chiles or a three-day mole. Moving directly from fast prep to concrete sequencing, it tastes like scorched tomato skins and the snap of split hot dog casings exactly when your mother had twenty minutes to get a hot dinner on the table. Sauté a standard pack of supermarket beef franks in a hot cast-iron skillet with a quick base of onions until the tomatoes collapse, folding in a sprig of earthy epazote and trapping the residual heat to form a thick, melting blanket of strings of quesillo.
Before you start
Source the right hot dogs.
Standard American supermarket franks are entirely authentic to this working-class dish, though high-quality beef franks offer a slight upgrade without losing the soul of the meal.
Ingredients
- neutral oil1 tbsp
- beef or chicken frankfurters12 oz
- white onion1/2 med
- jalapeño or serrano peppers2 small
- cloves garlic2 small
- Roma tomatoes3 med
- water1/4 cup
- sprig fresh epazote1 small
- chicken bouillon powder1/2 tsp
- black pepper1/4 tsp
- Quesillo or Monterrey Jack cheese1 cup
Method
- 01
Render the spiced fat from the sausages.
Place a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat with the oil, add the sliced sausages, and let them cook undisturbed for a few minutes until a golden-brown crust forms before tossing to brown the other side.
- 02
Sweat the aromatics.
Lower the heat to medium, push the sausages to the perimeter of the pan, and saute the onion and chilies in the center until translucent before stirring in the garlic for thirty seconds.
- 03
Build the stew.
Stir in the chopped tomatoes, epazote, bouillon, and black pepper, combining the vegetables thoroughly with the seared sausages.
- 04
Simmer and break down the tomatoes.
Cover the skillet and cook for about five minutes so the salt draws out the juices, adding a splash of water if your supermarket tomatoes are dry and pale.
- 05
Melt the cheese blanket.
Remove the epazote sprig, sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the bubbling sauce, turn off the heat, and cover for three minutes until the cheese is velvety and completely melted.
Notes
Serve immediately with the proper vessels.
Bring the skillet directly to the table alongside warm corn or flour tortillas and a pot of refried beans to temper the acidity of the tomatoes and the richness of the meat.
Embrace the smart substitutions.
If you cannot find authentic Quesillo, low-moisture mozzarella or Monterrey Jack mimics the creamy, melting profile perfectly, and a handful of chopped cilantro stirred in at the end can stand in for the epazote.
From Cook Oaxacan in America.