Chorizo & Manchego Bites

Do you ever host hors-d’oeuvres parties and run out of ideas on what to make?  I love the idea of tapas for a home party and often struggle to make tasty bites while also having the freedom to prepare some of the dishes ahead of time.  The Chorizo and Manchego Bites fulfill the easy and tasty requirements and take so little work to prepare.

Ingredients:

• 4-5 fresh Chorizo sausages (could use other fresh sausages with a bit of heat to them)
• 1/2 pound – 1 pound Manchego cheese, cut into bite-size cubes

Directions:

1. Heat your grill to medium-high heat and grill Chorizo sausages for about 6-7 minutes until the exterior of the sausages show some charred bits.  Let rest for 2-3 minutes then cut each sausage into 5-7 bite-size pieces.
2. While the sausage is grilling, thread about 25 cheese cubes onto toothpicks.  Ensure to push the cheese towards the end of the toothpick where guests hold them to allow room for the Chorizo pieces.
3. Thread a piece of Chorizo onto the toothpicks, touching the cheese, to allow the cheese to slightly melt from the heat of the hot sausage.  Serve!

Makes approximately 25 perfect bites.

Notes: You can easily double or triple the number of sausages and cheese cubes to allow for a larger group of people.  You could thread the cheese cubes ahead of time and keep refrigerated until party time.  You could also grill the sausages ahead of time, slice them and keep them warm in a foil-covered pan in a 200 degree oven for up to an hour before serving.