Tapas: Queso Frito

Queso frito (fried cheese) is simple but delicious as a tapa or as an accompaniment to a larger dish, it is a useful recipe which is pretty quick to prepare, and one can always use up dog-ends of cheese if necessary.

Ingredients for 4 people: 
1/2 kilo (@1lb) fairly young hard cheese, most kinds would do
Milk
2 eggs
Breadcrumbs
Wheat flour
Virgin olive oil for frying

Method
First, cut the cheese into pieces roughly 3cm long by 1 cm diameter (or whatever shape you fancy). Put milk, flour, beaten egg and breadcrumbs into four bowls. Dip the pieces of cheese into first milk, then flour, then the beaten egg and lastly the breadcrumbs, leaving them on a plate. Then once again dip the cheese into egg then breadcrumbs to ensure a leak-proof batter. Once prepared, put the cheese on the plate again and chill for half an hour.

Heat up a frying pan or deep fryer with olive oil, and when good and hot fry the cheese until golden all over. Once cooked, remove carefully from fryer/pan and let cool a little on absorbent paper so it absorbs any excess oil. It should be served hot either by itself or in a tomato or ali oli sauce, perhaps with a little salad.

All you need to do now is enjoy the queso frito with a glass of Fino or a light amontillado Sherry!