Choriqueso
6-8
servings
Side Dish
Course
Print Recipe
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
2
ancho chiles, seeded, rehydrated, and chopped*
Remove and discard the stems and seeds and cook the chiles in a dry cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 5 to 10 seconds, flipping them once. Pour in water to cover, bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat. Let soak for 30 minutes, until the chiles are soft and plump. To use, remove the chiles from the water and rinse well (the soaking water can be bitter).
*Show Note
2 tbsp
red wine vinegar
¼ c
water
2 tbsp
chopped yellow onion
1
clove garlic, chopped
½ tsp
kosher salt
½ tsp
ground cumin
½ tsp
paprika
½ tsp
dried oregano
¼ tsp
ground cinnamon
¼ tsp
cayenne
1 tbsp
vegetable oil
½ lb
ground pork
1 lb
Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Warm flour tortillas, for serving
Lisa Fain, a seventh-generation Texan, cooks up all types of chile-cheese dips, both conventional and quirky, in Queso!
In the South Texas border town of Laredo, a skillet queso of stringy white cheese studded with tangy chorizo sausage reigns supreme. Choriqueso, as it’s commonly known, is so prevalent that it can be difficult to find creamy yellow queso there. This is a hearty dish meant to be eaten with tortillas, and it can be enjoyed at any hour of the day. You could use store-bought chorizo and remove the casing, but it’s not difficult to make your own, as many in Laredo do and as I do here.
Directions
- Place the anchos in a blender with the vinegar and water. Blend until smooth, then add the onion, garlic, salt, cumin, paprika, oregano, cinnamon, and cayenne. Blend again until smooth, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed. If it’s too stiff to blend properly, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- In a large broiler-safe skillet, warm the vegetable oil over mediumlow heat. Pour in the chile puree and cook for 1 minute. Add the ground pork and stir until well combined with the sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if you like.
- Position a rack 6 inches from the upper heating element and preheat the broiler.
- Evenly sprinkle the Monterey Jack cheese over the cooked chorizo in the skillet. Place the skillet under the broiler and cook for 2 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbling
- Serve warm in the skillet with tortillas.
Reprinted with permission from Queso! by Lisa Fain, copyright © 2017, published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
