Mexican Fideo

Begin by getting a large, deep skillet out, and add the oil. Make sure you cover the base of the skillet with oil. The trick to this dish is that you want to lightly brown the dry noodles in the oil, being careful not to burn the noodles. So bring the oil to medium heat, then add in the pasta. Mix well and continue to stir for a few minutes, not allowing it to burn. Once you get a nice golden, amber-like color on the pasta, add in everything but the cheese. Stir to mix well, bring to a gentle boil, then cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook for roughly 15 minutes, stirring once in between this time.

When you are ready to plate, add the pasta to a plate, or small bowl, and top with the grated queso fresco.

You will be really surprised by not only how comforting this simple recipe is, but also how unique it is. The texture of the pasta has something about it—something really great about it—due to the browning at the beginning. At first you think you are eating a traditional Italian spaghetti dish, until you get a bit of the cumin flavor, along with the Mexican oregano. A real hit, and one I am glad that I asked my waitress at the supermercado what the heck it was. Enjoy.