When it hurts

Hello, all.

Oh my, we have had a few long nights in a row here owing, most likely, to our daughter's unforgiving teething. It must be sheer agony and I just hate it for her. We three lie awake, exhausted and hurting and trying to help one another. Because this results in days where I wander around a little glassy eyed, I have to turn to something easy to get us through dinner. Luckily, we had stragglers remaining from the Sunday morning feast for breakfast and we wandered into the clubhouse like lost warriors from the battlefields of new teeth around the lunch hour. But, something had to happen at dinner, and no matter how many times I wiggled the tip of my nose in the direction of the stove, no magical dinner appeared: a source of disappointment since early on (thanks for nothing, Tabitha).

In these moments, I turn to my trusted fish monger, or in this case my new one. He had gorgeous stone crabs which went great with the Cuban Mustard I had been hanging on to, in place of the usual Creole variety which was not immediately available. Perfect. I think it goes really well with a Queso Fundido over which we like a heap of pickled jalapeno's and maybe a bit of sauteed Mexican chorizo. Along side, we just heat up a few soft tortillas and it is international and tres chic! Not to mention, Mexican grilled cheese preceeded by crab in actuality, but it was fast and I was no more exhausted when I was finished than when I began. And on days like these, that helps me to agree to face one more night with courage.

Queso Fundido

Adapted from New York Times

4 servings

3 ounces chorizo, sliced 1/4 inch thick

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 to 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, if desired, and finely chopped

1/2 pound Oaxacan cheese or mozzarella cheese, diced small

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro Corn or flour tortillas, for serving.

In a medium skillet or a flame-proof gratin dish over moderate-high heat, cook chorizo until golden, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving any rendered fat in pan. Stir in olive oil and jalapeño. Cook for 1 minute. Add cheese, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring constantly, until cheese is fully melted, about 3 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and chorizo and serve hot from pan with tortillas for scooping up mixture.