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Martín Fierro
Martín Fierro: Uruguay's cheese with quince or sweet-potato paste
Ask for dessert in a Montevideo bodegón or a country parador and you may be offered a Martín Fierro: a thick slice of fresh, mild cheese laid with an equal slice of dense quince or sweet-potato paste, named after the gaucho of the epic poem. It's salty against sweet, soft against firm, and takes two minutes to assemble. Uruguayan fresh cheese is usually made with animal rennet, so choose one with vegetarian rennet if that matters to you. The mistake is serving it fridge-cold, which dulls both flavours. Chef's tip: cut the cheese and paste to exactly the same thickness, about 1 cm, so every bite has both.
- Total time
- 5 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 9 oz fresh mild cheese (queso fresco or colonia)vegetarian rennet if needed
- 4 walnut halves (optional)
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Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Take 9 oz fresh mild cheese (queso fresco or colonia) and 9 oz quince paste or sweet-potato paste (dulce de membrillo or batata) out of the fridge 20 minutes before serving.
1 minStep 2: Cut both into slices about 1 cm thick and of the same size.
3 minStep 3: Lay a slice of paste on each slice of cheese, top with a walnut half if you like and serve.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does martín Fierro take?
- About 5 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
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