Cheese fingers (Tequeños)

With the upcoming birthday of my youngest daughter Anabella, I thought it's appropriate to start my blog with one of the dishes that I had so many times through my childhood in birthday parties, weddings, quinceaneras, graduations or in my lunch box. It's one of the most popular apperitive and finger food in Venezuelan culture, no party is complete without a share of Tequeños. Tequeños are basically a fresh white cheese wrapped in a sweet pastry and deep fried, they are delicious and favorite among adults and kids. This dish can be prepared for lunch boxes and uncooked it's suitable for freezing in an airtight container.

 Let's start with the ingredients for approx. 40 cheese fingers:  

• 180 - 200 gr Haloumi cheese, plain

• 2 cups plain flour.
• 1 Egg.
• 5 tablespoons of soft butter or margarine.
• 5 tablespoons of warm water.
• 2 tablespoons of caster sugar (regular sugar is OK but caster sugar dissolves better).
• 1/2 Salt.
• Oil for frying, lots =). 

The haloumi cheese can be bought from any supermarket, greek market or central/produce market in Australia, please get the plain one, some haloumi come with herbs or pepper. 

Preparation: 

• Cut the cheese into strips.

• Place the flour on the bench and make a well in the middle.

• Mix the sugar and salt with the water.
• 1) Place the eggs and butter or margarine in the well. 2) Mix until the dough looks like crumble, 3) then add the water with the sugar and salt.

1. eggs an butter or margarine

2. Crumble looking

3. with water, sugar and salt

• Flour the bench and work the dough, add flour if needed, let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

• Cut the dough in 5 pieces and make balls, work every ball individually add flour if needed until the dough does not stick to the surface of the bench and your fingers.

• Take each ball and with a rolling pin flatten the dough.

• Cut the dough into half centimeter stripes. Make the stripes thinner with a rolling pin.

• Wrap the haloumi cheese, use one stripe per piece of cheese. Make sure the cheese is completely covered by pastry.

• Continue the process until you've wrapped all the haloumi.

Once ready you can deep fry the cheese finger until golden brown. Or you coud freeze them in an airtight container for another occasion. Enjoy!!!

Since it was a very hot day today in Adelaide, I decided to prepare Papelon con limon (lemonade with cane sugar) to go with the cheese fingers. I bought cane sugar, dissolve it in warm water and then add about 4 lemons. Refrigerate, it's great when cold!!. yum yum =)