Chef Isabel
Acedías Fritas de Cádiz
Acedías fritas belong to Cádiz: tiny wedge sole, salted, dusted in frying flour, and dropped into very hot olive oil so the rims crisp while the fish stays tender.
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Queso Camerano con Miel y Nueces
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Queso Camerano is La Rioja's goat cheese from the Sierra de Cameros: basket-ridged, clean and milky when fresh, firmer and sharper when cured, best served simply.
Appetizers & Snacks
Spanish
Dinner Party
Picnic
Special Occasion
10 min
Active Time
0 min cook•40 min total
Yield6 servings
Queso Camerano belongs to La Rioja, and more exactly to the Sierra de Cameros, where goat's milk is drained in moulds that leave the little ridges on the cheese. That mark matters. It tells you this is not just any goat cheese cut into a pretty round, but a mountain cheese shaped by draining, salting, and patience.
For this table, don't cook it. Let the cheese come to room temperature, slice it cleanly, and give it only what it can carry: a little good honey, a handful of walnuts, and bread with enough crust to stand up to it. The method that decides it is restraint. Too much honey and you've hidden the cheese. Too cold from the fridge and it tastes of almost nothing.
If you can't find Queso Camerano DOP where you are, look for a small Spanish or Iberian goat cheese, fresh or semi-cured, with a natural rind if possible. A good basket-drained chèvre gets you part of the way, but it will be softer and more lactic, less firm and mountainy. No hace falta haber pisado España, but the cheese has to be good. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Queso Camerano comes from the Sierra de Cameros in La Rioja, a mountain area where goat herding and small household cheeses belonged to the same practical larder. Its ridged surface comes from the cilla, the woven or patterned mould used to drain the curd, a mark so tied to the cheese that it became part of its identity. Traditionally it could be eaten fresh, tender, semi-cured, or cured, with the flavor growing sharper as the water left the paste.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
Queso Camerano DOP
Quantity
300g
fresh, semi-cured, or cured
walnuts
Quantity
40g
lightly toasted
mild honey
Quantity
30g
rosemary or wildflower if you have it
crusty bread
Quantity
1 small loaf
sliced
extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Quantity
15ml
flaky salt (optional)
Quantity
1 pinch
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Queso Camerano DOPfresh, semi-cured, or cured | 300g |
| walnutslightly toasted | 40g |
| mild honeyrosemary or wildflower if you have it | 30g |
| crusty breadsliced | 1 small loaf |
| extra virgin olive oil (optional) | 15ml |
| flaky salt (optional) | 1 pinch |
Equipment Needed
- •Small dry frying pan
- •Cheese knife
- •Wooden board or small ceramic plate
Instructions
- 1
Temper the cheese
Take the Queso Camerano out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving. Keep it covered loosely so it doesn't dry at the edges. Cold cheese is mute; at room temperature the goat's milk comes forward and the texture softens just enough.
- 2
Toast the walnuts
Toast the walnuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan now and then, until they smell warm and nutty. Tip them onto a plate right away so they don't catch and turn bitter.
- 3
Slice and arrange
Cut fresh Queso Camerano into thick wedges, or shave a cured one into firm slices. Set the cheese on a small plate or wooden board with the ridged face visible if you can. Put the bread beside it, not underneath it, so the cheese stays clean.
- 4
Finish lightly
Spoon the honey in a thin thread over part of the cheese, not all of it. Scatter the toasted walnuts around the plate. If the cheese is very fresh and mild, add a tiny pinch of flaky salt or a few drops of olive oil. If it is cured, leave it alone. Pésalo, no lo adivines: 30g honey is enough.
Chef Tips
- •Buy Queso Camerano DOP if you can. Fresh is mild and milky, semi-cured is firmer with more tang, and cured is sharper and drier. Choose the age to match the table.
- •If you can't find it, use a good small-format goat cheese from Spain or Portugal. A basket-drained chèvre works in a pinch, but serve it fresher and use less honey because it is softer and more delicate.
- •Serve with a white Rioja, a young red Rioja, or dry cider. Sweet wine fights the honey and makes the cheese taste flatter.
Advance Preparation
- •Toast the walnuts up to 1 day ahead and keep them covered at room temperature.
- •Slice the bread shortly before serving so it stays crisp at the crust.
- •Do not dress the cheese ahead. Add honey just before it goes to the table.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 105g)
Calories
345 calories
Total Fat
20 g
Saturated Fat
10 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
9 g
Cholesterol
45 mg
Sodium
510 mg
Total Carbohydrates
29 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
8 g
Protein
15 g
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