Queso Asado con Mojo Canario

Queso asado con mojo is Canarian: firm goat cheese, often palmero from La Palma or majorero from Fuerteventura, seared on a plancha until it blisters, then covered with mojo verde or mojo rojo. This is cheese with a browned skin and a soft heart, not a melted pot for dipping. The mojo matters, but the cheese decides it.

The method is simple and unforgiving in a useful way. Cut the cheese thick, dry the surface, and put it on a properly hot plancha with almost no oil. If the pan is timid, the cheese weeps and slumps. If the pan is hot, it browns before it has time to run. That is the whole trick.

Far from the islands, look for a firm semi-cured goat cheese that holds its shape when warmed. Halloumi works at a pinch, but it is saltier and squeaks under the teeth, so salt the mojo lightly and know the center will be springier. Make one mojo or both, spoon it over while the cheese is hot, and eat it at once. No hace falta haber pisado España. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.

In the Margin beside this one I keep only one warning: cheese that melts is for another day.