Can someone recommend an alternate for Manchengo? I canNOT find it in the stores anywhere. And the staff look at me like I'm crazy when I ask.

PS I've been the recipient of similar looks from staff members. One of the most egregious instances was when I asked for farro in an Italian shop here in Germany and the woman gave me that 'dumb foreigner' look and laughed as I walked out. And she runs a shop that purports to sell Italian products. HA!

Manchego should be available at a large grocery store--Whole Foods sells it, as does Costco. I, too, would use pecorino as a substitute--or another sheep or goat cheese. Just be sure you don't oversalt the dish if you use a salty cheese. The flavor will be a bit different, but it will still taste good.

You can find Manchego cheese at Trader Joe's.

Manchego is a firm sheep's milk cheese from Spain. It has a distinctive rind. I will politely disagree with HalfPint on parmigiano which is a cow's milk cheese. Unfortunately most of the substitutes I can think of are likely to be harder to find than Manchego (Idizabal). I would go with a pecorino sardo or romano over parmigiano. It's most likely going to be "saltier" than Manchego but, oh well.

Parmesan cheese should work also.