Recipe adapted from Seasons of My Heart: A Culinary Journey Through Oaxaca, Mexico by Susana Trilling (Ballantine Books, November 1999, ISBN 0-345-42596-0)

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

For the marinade:
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns
1 small head of garlic, peeled
2/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce

For grilling (vegetables & cheese):
3 medium calabacitas (1 pound) or zucchini squash, slice lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick pieces
1 large red onion, cut lengthwise into quarters
2 small red bell peppers, seeded and halved
1 chile poblano, seeded, skinned, and halved
1/2 pound nopales (cactus) with spines removed (you can use bottled, but rinse well in cold water)
1 medium eggplant (1 pound), sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick pieces
1 pound button mushrooms
3 small beets (3/4 pound), sliced crosswise into 1/2 thick inch pieces
2 – 3 plum tomatoes (3/4 pound), sliced lenfthwise into 1/2 inch tich pieces
1 fennel bulb, cut into thick lengthwise slices

16 oz. pkg. "La Vaquita" Queso Fresco

For the dressing:
Leftover marinade
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

For the marinade:
Grind the salt, peppercorns, and garlic in a molcajete or spice grinder.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the garlic mixture with the olive oil, vinegar, and soy sauce and whisk to create an emulsion.

For the vegetables:
Individually dip the vegetables, starting with the beets, into the marinade, letting the excess marinade drip back into the marinade bowl. Place the beets into a large mixing bowl to marinate and follow with the rest of the vegetables. (It may be necessary to pour the marinade that accumulates in the large bowl back into the marinade bowl, if the marinade runs out.) Refrigerate 2 to 12 hours.

On a 10 inch dry comal, griddle, or cast iron frying pan, roast the vegetables until they are brown in color, turning them to cook evenly on both sides. All the vegetables will require different cooking times. (The beets will be cooked slower than the other vegetables.) Reserve the marinade.

Cut the grilled vegetables into large serving size pieces and arrange them on a platter.

Lightly brush the "La Vaquita" Queso Fresco with olive oil and roast on the same comal, griddle, or coast iron frying pan used to roast the vegetables until the Queso Fresco is golden brown on each side. (Don’t even try to resist slicing off a chunk to pop into your mouth!! This stuff is GOOD!)

Slice the cheese and arrange on the platter with the vegetables.

For the dressing:
Combine the leftover marinade from the vegetable bowl with the lime juice, cilantro, and salt, to taste. Whisk the mixture to emulsify and drizzle the dressing over the vegetables and cheese.

Alternative serving suggestion:
• Instead of grilling the "La Vaquita" Queso Fresco, crumble an 8 oz. pkg. over the finished vegetables on the platter. Yummmm!
• If you are crumbling the cheese and you want a slightly sharper Queso flavor, substitute crumbled "La Vaquita" Cuajada Fresca or "La Vaquita" Queso Fresco Salvadoreño Estilo Campesino for the "La Vaquita" Queso Fresco.
• If you are grilling the cheese, you can substitute "La Vaquita" Panela Fresca.

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