Manchego cheese

[Mahn-cheh-go]

Manchego cheese is a a Spanish sheep's milk cheese with a natural, inedible rind.  The cheese is traditionally sliced and served with membrillo (quince paste). Manchego adds a nice salty, nutty flavor to dishes.

Serve manchego with a Spanish sparkling wine (cava) or your favorite other sparkling white.  You can alternately serve a big red wine such as Rioja. 

Manchego is sold in various stages (ages):

Fresco - aged for 2 months
Curado - aged for one year
Anejo - aged for 2 years

Where To Buy Manchego Cheese

Manchego is a widely distributed product that you may likely find in your local well-stocked grocery store.  You can find it at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market too.  Look for brands that mark La Mancha origin on the label to indicate a quality, authentic manchego.  The better quality products are typically found in good speciality cheese shop.  You can also purchase good manchego online from at variety of sellers on Amazon.com: Manchego Reserve (Extra Aged)

If you don't have manchego cheese, you can substitute:
For aged manchego use Pecorino Romano
OR> Zamorano cheese
In general you can use: Monterey Jack cheese (very mild)
OR>For grating use Pecorino Romano
You can even substitute a good Cheddar