ISO: recipes with Monterey Jack

[JJ40]

I bought some Monterey Jack for the Monterey Jack, corn, and roasted red pepper risotto (April/01). I have quite a bit leftover...does anyone have any recipe suggestions for using up the cheese?

TIA,

Julie http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[ewatkins]

It's a nice mild cheese--lots of mexican dishes call for it. I always freeze my cheese so I have it around for the next dish. It grates really easily after it's been frozen. I've even hacked frozen cheese into hunks and whirled it in the food processor to end up with grated.

[Gail]

In my house, this cheese is a staple. Part of the reason is that I make a lot of Mexican food, as as Ewatkins says, it works well in Mexican food. Often I will mix it and use it in conjunction with cheddar just for a different taste. I'm afraid my suggestions are going to be anything but light. I use it for topping French Onion Soup, in quiche, salads, in omelets, a spidge of it melted over corn sauteed with onions and chiles, and one of my favorites is as a topping for ratatouille crepes. Jack cheese is one of those cheese which seems to lend itself to bubbly, browned coverings. It tastes particularly nice when it gets a bit browned and chewy. I'm sure I have other uses for it, but it's Monday and my brain is down. Sorry.

BTW, just to put in my two cents. Though I note Ewatkins and several others have advocated freezing cheese with success-- I'm going to go against the grain here. IMHP and experience, I don't like what freezing does to the texture of cheese. If you're thinking of doing this with your leftovers, just be aware there are "divided camps" on this practice.

...and if all else fails, send ME your cheese! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif Good luck!

[Kristi]

Julie, I made the Mont. Jack risotto and used the rest of the cheese for the Black Bean Lasagna in the same issue.

[funnybone]

Julie, just go to the CL homepage and do a recipe search for "Monterey Jack". I just tried this and it lists 20 recipes. Hope you find one you like.