My parents lived in Venezuela in the late 1950s and early 1960s. That’s where my brother was born. Mom brought this great recipe with her from Venezuela. She used to make it for Christmas, birthday parties, or any special occasion.
These little cheese sticks look kind of funny–like little cheese mummies–but they are sooo tasty. There’s no rule as to what kind of cheese to use. I like Gouda because that’s the cheese my mom used. But I also make these cheese sticks with mozzarella, and they are just as good.
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup water ( or more as needed)
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 1/2 lb Gouda cheese cut into 2 x 1/2 inch sticks
Mix the flour, butter, egg yolk, sugar, salt, and water in a large bowl. Knead until smooth about five minutes or more if needed. Let it rest for an hour.
On a floured work surface, roll out the dough until it is very thin. To form the tequeños cut the rolled-out dough into long strips that are 3/4″ wide. Cover the remaining dough with plastic wrap.
Take a stick of cheese and wrap the dough around it, overlapping the dough and pinching the ends together. Repeat with the remaining dough and cheese.
Pour vegetable oil into a large frying pan and heat 1 inch of oil to 350 degrees. Remove from oil using a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
You can make this ahead and freeze them…
