Like many Arkansans, I grew up eating a certain cheese dip or queso, as it is known outside of Arkansas.
The deep orange dip started with a roux -- butter or margarine and flour cooked briefly -- and then was seasoned with a flavorful mixture of paprika, chile powder, cumin, garlic, mustard powder, ketchup and sometimes jalapeno juice. Milk and cheese were then whisked in to create a smooth, velvety dip.
I remember standing near the stove, peering over the countertop, watching as my mom used a fork to blend the spices into the roux in her large cast-iron skillet. She would mix each spice one by one. I was always a little weirded out when she added the ketchup, but the results were so tasty I soon forgot about the unappealing pinkish tint the ketchup gave the mixture before the milk and cheese were added.
Cheese dip was special occasion food to be eaten communally on holidays or when my parents entertained. Eventually, after we got our first microwave oven, Velveeta replaced the American cheese and Ro-Tel stepped in for the ketchup and jalapeno juice. The iron skillet was put away in favor of microwave-friendly Corningware. But when I think of the cheese dip of my youth, it is very much what Lisa Fain calls Arkansas Cheese Dip in her recently released cookbook Queso! Regional Recipes for the World's Favorite Chile-Cheese Dip.
If you love cheese dip, you'll want this book. If you don't love cheese dip, this book might give you a change of heart.
Two recipes in particular piqued my interest: one from New Mexico and another from Laredo, Texas.
This New Mexico-style dip is more like a cheesy green salsa than a salsa-spiced cheese dip. If you're a fan of Hatch green chiles, I think you'll really like this dip.
Southern New Mexico Chile con Queso
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup diced yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, or to taste
6 Anaheim/New Mexico green chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped OR 3 (4-ounce) cans fire-roasted green chiles
1/2 pound mild white cheddar cheese, shredded
Tortilla chips or warm corn or flour tortillas for serving
In a medium saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and saute until softened. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Stir in the water, salt, cumin and chiles. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes or until peppers and onion are very soft. Remove from heat and mash, using a potato masher or the back of a spoon, into a thick sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Return pan to heat and sprinkle cheese on top. Cook, without stirring, until cheese melts.
Serve warm with tortillas.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
For those who like some meat in their dip, choriqueso combines spicy sausage with creamy Monterey Jack cheese. In the book this recipe calls for making your own chorizo, but I opted to use store-bought with delicious results.
Choriqueso
8 ounces fresh chorizo (casing removed if necessary)
1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Warm tortillas or tortilla chips, for serving
In a large broiler-safe skillet (I used cast iron), cook chorizo until browned. Position broiler rack 6 inches from heat. Heat broiler. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the cooked chorizo. Place under broiler for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.
Serve warm with tortillas.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Another book tantalizing my taste buds these days is The Grand Central Market Cookbook: Cuisine and Culture From Downtown Los Angeles by Adele Yellin and Kevin West.
After making the homemade corn tortillas in it, I don't ever want to eat store-bought again.
Corn Tortillas
2 1/4 cups masa harina (instant corn flour)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
Combine the masa and salt in a mixing bowl. Pour in 1 1/2 cups hot water and stir with your hand using a motion that simultaneously scoops the sticky dough in a mass. Knead dough lightly in the bowl until it becomes less sticky and the water is absorbed, about 1 minute. Shape into a ball, cover and set aside for 30 minutes.
To shape the tortillas, roll about 2 tablespoons of dough (about 1 ounce) into a ball. Place ball between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or a plastic zip-close bag that has been cut open along the seams. Using a tortilla press, a rolling pin or your hands, flatten dough to 5-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. Stack the shaped tortillas as you work, keeping them covered with a damp kitchen towel.
Heat a comal, griddle or large cast-iron skillet over high heat. When the pan smokes, add the tortillas, working in batches, and toast for 1 minute per side. Stack the hot tortillas and wrap in a towel to keep warm.
Makes 24 (5-inch) tortillas.
Food on 11/01/2017