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Jim Dixon wrote about food for WW for more than 20 years, but these days most of his time is spent at his olive oil-focused specialty food business Wellspent Market. Jim’s always loved to eat, and he encourages his customers to cook by sending them recipes every week through his newsletter. We’re happy to have him back creating some special dishes just for WW readers.
There are many reasons I’m glad Portland isn’t in Texas, and one of them is that I don’t have to argue about queso. While the Spanish word translates to cheese, in the Lone Star State queso means Velveeta cheese and Ro-Tel tomatoes, melted together, often in the crock pot but also in the microwave, and served with tortilla chips. While it tastes good in the same way that most industrial food has been engineered to hit those flavor notes that make us crave more, Texan-style Velveeta “queso” is mostly whey protein concentrate, milk protein concentrate, milk, fat, and preservatives mixed with green chile-flavored canned tomatoes. Since cheese is my favorite food group, I want my queso to include, well, queso.
My version, totally inauthentic and sure to piss off the Texans, combines old-school European techniques with New World flavors. The fat and flour roux, the base of classic French sauces, provides a stable, velvety texture for what’s basically a beer-based cheese sauce. Lots of chiles and tomatillos, along with the chorizo topping, give the queso a classic Mexican flavor.
You can buy Mexican-style chorizo if you don’t want to make it, or leave it out altogether (or use mushrooms instead of the pork). Just add another couple of glugs of olive oil so you can make the roux. And while I list the measurements for the fat and flour, I’ll admit that I always just eyeball the quantities—roughly equal amounts of each—when I make roux.
Recipe
For the chorizo:
2 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
½ pound ground pork
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons chile powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher-style sea salt
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
For the queso:
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large Anaheim chile, finely chopped
1 jalapeño chile, finely chopped
½ pound tomatillos, finely chopped
1 teaspoon kosher-style sea salt
Reserved fat from chorizo (see notes)
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup lager or Pilsner-style beer (see notes)
8 ounces grated cheese (see notes)
2 slices American cheese (see notes)
Notes
To save the fat from the chorizo, I like to prop the skillet on something so it’s slanted, push the meat to the upper side, and let the fat drain toward the low edge. Then I use a slotted spoon to lift the meat out. You should have about 3-4 tablespoons.
Use your favorite beer as long as it’s not an IPA or anything that’s got a strong hoppy flavor since it’ll make the queso bitter.
I like a mix of sharp cheddar and Muenster, a mild white cheese. Anything that melts and isn’t too stringy will work. The American cheese, which is just industrial cheddar or colby with sodium citrate added to give a longer shelf life, adds that nice melty texture.
Make the chorizo first by cooking the bacon in the olive oil until starting to brown, then adding the ground pork. Break up the pork with a metal spatula as it cooks, and add the spices. When the pork has lost its pink color, add the garlic and vinegar. Cook for another minute or two. Let it cool briefly, then remove the meat and save the fat (see notes).
Use the same skillet with the reserved fat to cook the onion, chiles, and tomatillos with the salt until very soft, about 20 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for another minute or two, then add the beer. Bring the mix to a boil and let cook for another few minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cheese slowly a small handful at a time, stirring between each addition.
Transfer the queso to a serving bowl while it’s hot, then spoon the chorizo on top. Serve with tortilla chips.