The Dish: Queso fundido from Cantina on the Go
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- We're in the kitchen with the celebrated chef from Cantina La Martina in Philadelphia's Kensington section.
Dionico Jimenez and his family recently made the hard decision to close the acclaimed restaurant, but they're still making their authentic Mexican food in the suburbs.
I visited them at Human Robot Brewery in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, to make a fan favorite: queso fundido.
This past November, the two-time James Beard nominee decided to shut the door of his first restaurant.
"We have a lot of mixed feelings closing Cantina La Martina," says Jimenez. "Your first one feels really hard to close. It was a hard, hard decision."
They shifted their attention to the suburbs in Montgomery County.
Jimenez and his wife, Mariangeli Alicea, are now taking Cantina - on the go! At Human Robot, they handle the food, and the brewery runs the bar.
They also have a Cantina on the Go in Cheltenham, and they own La Baja, an authentic, homemade Mexican restaurant in Ambler.
"It's traditional, like what immigrants brought to the borders," he says.
There's one item on all of their menus: queso fundido.
Queso Fundido with Chorizo & Poblano
Ingredients:
- 1 cup shredded cheese (a mix of mozzarella & Monterey Jack)
- 6 oz. Mexican chorizo, crumbled
- 1 roasted poblano pepper, peeled, deveined, seeded, and sliced into strips
- Nonstick cooking spray
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
2. Prepare the skillet: Lightly spray the cast iron skillet with nonstick spray. Add the shredded mozzarella and Monterey Jack, spreading evenly.
3. Melt the cheese: Place the skillet in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and bubbly.
4. Cook the chorizo: While the cheese melts, heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the crumbled chorizo and cook until golden and crispy.
5. Add the poblano: Stir the sliced and roasted poblano into the chorizo and cook for another 1-2 minutes until warmed through.
6. Assemble: Remove the skillet from the oven, top the melted cheese with the chorizo and poblano mixture, and return to the oven for about 1 minute.
7. Serve immediately with warm corn tortillas, flour tortillas, or tortilla chips.
Note: Feel free to use a different topping other than chorizo and poblano if you'd prefer.
Queso fundido is best enjoyed straight from the skillet while it's hot!
