Nancy's Queso Fundido ...with Goat Cheese & Pepitas

A little over a year ago I sampled something called queso fundido at the home of my friend...and fellow chef...Nancy.  Since Nancy's food is unfailingly delicious I always look forward to gathering around her table.  But beyond that, Nancy has a wide experience of ethnic foods that I lack.  Frequently she will serve something that I have never heard of, much less tasted.  This simple and fantastic little dish of melted cheese was one of those things.

Many people, myself included, have had Nachos—a sort of dumbed-down, processed food variation of classic Mexican queso fundido.  But the dish I had on that particular evening was definitely not an ordinary platter of Nachos.  When Nancy stepped out onto her patio that evening with a piping hot cast iron skillet filled with sizzling cheeses (a nice Monterey Jack and some creamy Goat cheese) and freshly made rajas (strips of onions and roasted poblano peppers with garlic and oregano), studded with crunchy, toasted pepitas, I knew I was looking at something special.  It did not disappoint.  I could have made a meal out of it, but I knew there was more deliciousness to come (Salmon with a tomato and green olive relish, if I recall correctly), so I held back.  But I had to have the recipe.   Luckily for all of you, Nancy graciously shared it with me.

I have since discovered that queso fundido is not as unknown to most Americans as it was to me.  Many, many recipes are available on line.  Nancy's recipe is unusual, first and foremost because of her inclusion of goat cheese.  Most recipes use one (or more) of several good melting cheeses:  Monterey Jack, mild Cheddar, Wisconsin Brick, Chihuahua, Asadero, etc.  But the inclusion of goat cheese into the mix adds a fantastic tang...and also cuts down on what I consider to be the objectionable oily-ness and stretchiness that melted cheeses can sometimes have.  Her other unusual addition is the final topping of toasted pepitas.  They add great flavor and wonderful texture and the dish wouldn't be the same without them.

The rajas are a fairly standard addition.  Nancy's recipe for them follows a Rick Bayless recipe fairly closely.  He calls this sautéed mixture of onions and roasted poblanos an essential element of Mexican food and cooking—something that can be used as a filling for tacos, an addition to soups/stews, an accompaniment for grilled meats, a filling for cheese quesadillas, etc.  They are wonderful in the queso fundido, and they are frankly the reason that I suddenly started thinking about this dish again, one year later. 

There are of course a lot of other delicious things to do with poblanos, but a couple of weeks ago when I noticed that fresh poblanos were abundant at my farmers' market, this was this dish I wanted to make.  The weather is cooling down...and a dish of hot cheese seemed like a pretty fine idea.  Since peppers freeze well in their roasted form, I bought more than I needed so I would have them handy throughout the fall and winter months when queso fundido would be the perfect addition to a family game night...or a Sunday afternoon football party...or even for a simple evening meal. 

If you have never prepared roasted poblanos, follow the method I outline for roasting and peeling bell peppers on my red pepper and potato pizza post from a few years ago.  If you have access to plastic gloves, it might be a good idea to wear them when you're peeling and seeding the peppers.  Poblanos are sort of mild to medium hot and if you handle enough of them, your hands will definitely feel it.  If you don't have gloves, wash your hands well with soap and water after working with the peppers and before doing anything else.  

And, while on the subject of heat, definitely sample your roasted poblanos before you use them in your recipe so you will know if they happen to be extra hot.  I purchased an extra fiery batch of them last year.  I knew they were hot and still made my queso fundido with the full amount.  It was delicious, but would not have been acceptable to anyone who is sensitive to heat.  If the ones you buy are super hot, you might consider cutting back on the quantity that you add. 

To freeze your roasted peppers, simply lay the roasted and peeled peppers flat, stacking them and  laying a piece of plastic wrap in between each pepper.  Slide the stack of peppers into a Ziplock bag, press out the air and lay the bag on a flat surface until the peppers are frozen hard.  By separating each of the peppers in this way, you will be able take out as few or as many as you like when you want to thaw them.

Not particularly photogenic...but oh so tasty....

Every time I have made queso fundido I have served it exactly as Nancy did...with a big pile of crunchy tortilla chips. I like it this way whether I'm eating it as a shared appetizer...or for dinner with a green salad.  But it also makes a wonderful filling for soft tortillas...or a topping for toast (sort of an open faced and very savory grilled cheese sandwich).  However you decide to serve it, be sure to make more than you think you and your friends will eat, as it is addictively delicious.

Nancy's Queso Fundido with Goat Cheese

1 lb. fresh poblanos (about 6 medium)

2 T. olive oil, plus more for peppers

1 medium yellow or white onion (8 oz.), sliced 1/4-inch thick

Salt and pepper

3 large cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 t. dried oregano

1/3 to 1/2 c. heavy cream, crème fraiche, or Mexican crema

1/2 lb. Monterey Jack, coarsely shredded

1/2 lb. soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled

1/4 to 1/3 c. toasted pepitas (see note)

Tortilla chips...or warm, soft tortillas

Rub the poblanos with olive oil and place on a baking sheet.  Broil the peppers, turning as the skin chars, until they are blackened and blistered all over.  Set aside to cool.  When cool enough to handle, remove and discard the blackened skin, the stems and cores, white ribs, and seeds.  (Use gloves if you hands are sensitive to the heat of chiles.)  Cut into 1/4-inch strips and set aside.

In a heavy oven proof skillet (cast iron is perfect) with a 10-inch cooking surface (see note), heat the oil over moderate heat.  Add the onions along with a pinch of salt and cook until soft and beginning to caramelize—about 5 to 10 minutes.  

Add the garlic and oregano and cook just until fragrant (less than a minute).  Add the poblanos, tossing to coat in the onion/garlic mixture.  Heat through and season to taste with salt & pepper.  If you are working ahead for a party, you may stop at this point and set the mixture aside at room temperature for a couple of hours.  If you are working further ahead than that, scrape the mixture into a container and chill.  Return to the pan and heat through before continuing. 

Add the cream to the hot rajas and bring to a simmer (this will happen almost immediately).  Remove from the heat and scatter the Monterey Jack over all, followed by the goat cheese. 

Place the skillet under the broiler (set on high) and broil until the jack cheese is melted, the goat is beginning to be tinged with gold and the cheese is bubbling at the edges.  Sprinkle with the pepitas and serve immediately with tortilla chips or warm soft tortillas.  Serves 4 to 8 (depending on appetites and  other items being served).

(Recipe adapted from The Elote Cafe Cookbook by Jeff Smedstad)

Notes:

• Toast the pepitas in a dry skillet set over medium high heat. Cook, tossing and stirring constantly until the pepitas are browned in spots and slightly puffed. Transfer to a cool plate. 
• If you have roasted poblanos in your freezer (and don't know their original fresh weight), weigh out about 7 oz. of the roasted peppers for this recipe. 
• A wide skillet (10-inch surface) is the best thing for this recipe. It keeps the layer of cheese thin so it will melt quickly and completely without becoming unpleasantly oily and stretchy. If you would like to make half a recipe, us a skillet with a 7-inch cooking surface. 
• If you would like to make open faced sandwiches, toast slices of a sturdy artisanal loaf and spread on a baking sheet. Before adding any of the cheese, divide the creamy rajas over the bread slices and top with the cheeses. Broil until melted and bubbling. Scatter pepitas over and serve. 

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Food for March Madness



To everyone who thinks I'm going to be discussing basketball, I apologize for the misleading title of my post. The entire country may be caught up in college basketball frenzy, but I'm in the midst of an entirely different sort of March Madness. It is the annual race to get my garden in shape for the growing season ahead.

It would be nice if I had a long, cool, moist spring season to work in the garden—to remove winter mulch and leaves, cultivate the soil and lay fresh compost and mulch. But here in Kansas City, we rarely have that luxury. This year is no different.

Here is a picture of my garden eight days ago:

The temperature has been in the upper seventies for the past few days. Yesterday it was over eighty. Here is that same spot in my garden this morning:

These conditions are a bit unusual (even for Kansas City), but they have made it so the garden is screaming for my attention. So for the past few days, I have been spending as much time there as I can spare. Here are the same daffodils, later in the morning, dressed up in their skirt of new mulch:

To be honest, I wish that I could spend more time in my garden right now. Early spring is my favorite time to be in the garden. The newly thawed ground is easy to work. The trials and failures of the previous season pale in my memory as I encounter the fresh growth of the new year. The air of the early spring garden is infused with hope. So, even though I don't suddenly have extra hours in my days to devote to one more activity, I stay as long as I possibly can.

Since I have to make up the lost time somewhere, I tend to spend a lot less time preparing our evening meal (unless I'm testing a recipe). Now is a perfect time to use up a lot of the things that I squirreled away in my freezer last fall.

Tonight I pulled some braised pork and pinto beans—soft taco filling—out of the freezer. I prepared it for a large family gathering back in December and had intended to write a blog post about it at the time, but because I was busy trying to get food on the table for a larger crowd than usual, I only took one picture of the finished dish:

This recipe has been in my possession for probably twenty years and this was the first time I have ever made it. I had always intended to make it—the recipe came from someone I knew to be a very fine cook (my best friend's mother)—but for some reason it had never popped into my mind to make it when I was in a position to make casual food for a crowd. This time I happened across the recipe at just the right time.

I was very pleased with the results and will definitely make it again. It could not possibly have been easier to make. All of the ingredients are simply combined in a heavy pan and then parked in a low oven all day. That's it. It is perfect for a crowd of hungry people. The flavors are familiar and unintimidating and it makes a very large quantity of meat and beans. Even with our crowd of eleven, I sent home large containers with my brothers' families and still had some left for us. It tastes even better the next day and (as I just discovered) freezes beautifully. I should have tried it a long time ago.

Of course you've probably figured out by now that you don't have to have this in the freezer in order to enjoy it on a busy day. This Saturday, you could put it in the oven first thing, spend the entire day working in your garden, and then have it for dinner that evening...or the next. And if your March Madness is of the basketball kind—and you want to spend the weekend watching basketball with your similarly afflicted friends—you could make it to share and not miss a minute of the games.

Lynn's Mexicali Meat

A traditional filling for beef tostadas, enchiladas, burritos and tacos. Tastes even better if made a day ahead. Freezes well.

3 lb. boneless Pork Butt, trimmed of most apparent fat
1 lb. dried pinto beans—do not pre-soak
4 c. water
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 small white onion (6 oz.), finely diced *
3/4 lb. Poblano Peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded & diced *
2 T. ground cumin *
2 T. chili powder
5 t. dried oregano
1 t. ground coriander
1 t. chipotle chili powder *
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, with juice—broken up (I used "fire roasted")
4 t. kosher salt (or 1 T. iodized table salt)

Preheat oven to 250°F. Place all of the ingredients in a large Dutch oven (at least 5 1/2 quarts) and stir to mix well.

Cover and bake for 7 to 8 hours or until the meat and beans are tender. After 4 or 5 hours, begin to check occasionally, adding more water if the mixture is dry. When done, shred the meat (this can be done right in the pan with a couple of forks, or you may remove it to a platter to shred it). Stir to combine the shredded meat and beans. The final mixture should be the consistency of chili and beans. Allow to stand a few minutes before serving. Taste and correct the seasoning.

Serve meat with accompaniments and condiments of your choice—warm flour or corn tortillas/taco shells/chips, rice, grated cheese, chopped onions, olives, salsa, sour cream, avocado/guacamole, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, cilantro, etc. Serves a large crowd—15 to 18 or more.

* The original recipe did not include any onion. Instead of fresh poblano peppers, it called for a drained 7 oz. can of diced green chiles. Also, the original recipe used cumin seed instead of ground cumin and 1/2 to 1 t. of cayenne pepper instead of chipotle chili powder.

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Poulet Basquaise—Basque-Style Chicken with Peppers, Ham & Tomatoes

Most of my posts this month have either featured classic Italian fare or desserts. To change courses a bit, I thought that today I would share a recipe that I worked on last month for a class on food from the South of France. The Soupe au Pistou and the Gratin of Eggplant and Tomatoes that I posted in August were both from that class. Most of the recipes, including the two just mentioned, were from Provence—a region of France that I love. Having worked and vacationed there, I have first-hand experience of the food. When I teach French food, frequently the recipes are Provençal in origin. In this class though, I branched out and taught one recipe from the Basque region in the southwest of France. That recipe was Poulet Basquaise, a regional favorite of chicken cooked with peppers, ham and tomatoes.

Unfortunately, I have not been to the Basque country, but Poulet Basquaise is a dish that falls into a classic category of dishes called "sautés." I would venture to guess that every region of France has a large collection of traditional dishes that are made according to the sauté model.  Because I love the style of food resulting from this method, I am very familiar with it. Technically, I think that a sauté and a braise are the same thing, but in my mind when I think of a braise, I think of a beef, lamb or pork. To me a sauté is specifically a stew of large, bone-in pieces of chicken or rabbit.

As with a braise, the sauté is a moist heat cooking procedure. The meat and aromatic vegetables (onions, garlic, carrots, celery, etc.) are first browned in some fat, then moistened (with wine, tomato, stock, even water) and then gently simmered until the meat is very tender. Each of these steps is important and executing them with care will produce tender pieces of meat surrounded by a flavorful sauce.

This coming winter I might post one of my "mini" tutorials on the how's and why's of braising, and when I do, I will link it here. But for now, I would just like to emphasize the importance of browning the chicken well. The browning process deposits caramelized meat juices on the bottom of the pan that will add depth of flavor to the final dish, so it should always be done thoroughly and carefully. But with chicken, it is even more important because of the fatty nature of the chicken skin. If chicken only receives a quick, surface browning, the fat in the skin will not be fully rendered. The resulting flabby skin is extremely unappetizing. I am convinced that poorly browned chicken skin is one of the main reasons that so many people refuse to eat it. Maybe it would help to think of chicken skin as being like bacon. If a strip of bacon is not fully rendered, it is floppy and tough. But when it is well-rendered, it is crisp, tender and delicious. The same is true of chicken skin. Even though in a sauté the skin will be softened by the moist cooking process, if properly browned, it will not be floppy and chewy.

My version of Poulet Basquaise is largely influenced by one that I found in Frank Stitt's Southern Table. A cookbook written by a chef from the southern United States might seem a strange place to look for a classic French recipe, but Chef Stitt's food is heavily influenced by his experiences in France. Part of his time there was spent working with the American cookbook author Richard Olney, who lived and worked in Provence. Frank Stitt is one of my favorite chefs and I frequently turn to his books for inspiration.

His Poulet Basquaise differs from most of the recipes that I came across in that it is a refined "chef's" version in a classic style. Most commonly found recipes are "one-pot" affairs.  From the point when the liquid is added, the chicken and vegetables are all cooked together and then served as is. In a classic sauté the vegetables that are cooked with the chicken are used only for flavoring the sauce. When the chicken is tender it is removed from the sauce and the vegetables, which will have become quite soft and will have given up most of their flavor to the sauce, are strained out.

Surface fat is skimmed off of the resulting strained liquid before it is placed back on the stove and boiled until it is reduced to a light sauce consistency. To serve, the chicken and a separately cooked vegetable "garnish" are gently reheated in the finished sauce.

The hallmarks of Poulet Basquaise are loads of peppers and Bayonne ham. Most recipes use fresh sweet peppers—red and yellow....even green. I personally don't like green peppers, so I don't use them. Chef Stitt adds poblano peppers to his version, and I have followed him in this. They add some nice warmth, as well as their deep green color, to the finished dish.

In addition to the bell peppers, the classic dish includes a dried pepper called Piment d'Espelette. From the town of Espelette in the Basque region, Piment d'Espelette is a brilliant red dried pepper that is mildly hot. If you are familiar with the Scoville scale, it is rated at about 4,000. For comparison purposes, the Ancho has a rating of about 2,000 and Cayenne has a rating in the range of 30,000 to 50,000. If you are unable to find it, Ancho Chili powder or New Mexico Red Chili powder are considered to be good substitutes. Since neither is as hot as the Piment d'Espelette, Cayenne or hot pepper flakes can be added as well. Some recipes use Hot Paprika as a substitute. Most traditional recipes use 2 to 3 t. of Piment d'Espelette for the quantities of chicken and peppers in the recipe below. Piment d'Espelette is also used to season the Basque region's famed Bayonne ham. As mentioned above, this ham is a traditional component of Poulet Basquaise, but any un-smoked, air-cured ham (like Parma or Serrano Ham) will do.

The version of Poulet Basquaise that I am posting is of course more work than a one-pot, rustic version, but it is so beautiful when prepared this way, with its glossy sauce and just-tender peppers,

that I think it is worth taking the time to try it at least once. It would make a great meal for entertaining since it can be made a day ahead.  Like all braised dishes, it will taste even better that way.  Since we are moving into cooler weather, and the thought of something stew-like for dinner holds great appeal, now would be a perfect time to try it.  Some Saturday or Sunday afternoon soon, while the bell peppers are still in abundant supply....

Poulet Basquaise

(Basque-Style Chicken with Peppers, Ham & Tomatoes)

1 chicken (3 to 4 lbs.) cut into 8 serving pieces, OR 4 Chicken thighs and 4 Chicken Drumsticks, OR 8 chicken thighs
Salt & Pepper
1 to 2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion (about 6 oz.), thinly sliced
2 oz. Bayonne Ham or Prosciutto, chopped or diced—trimmings are fine
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 to 1/2 t. hot pepper flakes
1 t. paprika
1 t. tomato paste, optional
2/3 c. dry white wine
1 lb. vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled & crushed, or 1 14-oz. can tomatoes
Several Sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 to 1 c. chicken stock or low-salt canned broth

1 1/2 lbs. Red & Yellow Bell Peppers—about 4, cored, seeded & cut into strips about 2 or 3 inches long and a scant 1/2-inch wide
1 Poblano pepper, cut as the bell peppers
Salt & Pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. Ancho Chili Powder
2 oz. thinly sliced (1/8-inch thick) Bayonne Ham or Prosciutto, cut in 1/4- inch julienne
2 to 3 T. minced Italian Parsley, optional

The Chicken: Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a 12-inch heavy sauté pan over moderately high heat. Add the chicken, skin side down, and brown all over, in batches if necessary to keep from crowding the pan. Regulate the heat as necessary to maintain an active sizzle. Browning the chicken will take about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and pour off all but 1 T. of fat from the pan.

Add the onions to the pan and cook until the onion is soft and beginning to turn golden—about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and ham and cook until the garlic is fragrant. Add the hot pepper flakes, paprika, and tomato paste (if using) and cook another minute or two. Add the wine and increase the heat. Reduce the wine by half, stirring and scraping up the browned caramelized bits from the pan as the wine reduces.

Add the tomatoes, along with the bay and thyme, and bring to a simmer—cook briefly to allow the tomatoes to begin to break down and thicken. Return the chicken to the pan along with any accumulated juices. Add enough chicken stock to come about half to two-thirds of the way up the sides of the chicken.

Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, covered, until the chicken is cooked through—about 15 for white meat pieces and 35 to 45 minutes for dark meat. Remove the white meat to a platter when it is cooked through.

The Peppers: While the chicken cooks, heat a large sauté pan over medium to medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon or so of oil to the pan. Add the peppers and sauté until they are beginning to soften—about 5 to 10 minutes. It's OK if they are browned in spots, but reduce the heat if they threaten to burn. Add the garlic, ham, and chili powder along with a pinch of salt (be careful, the ham is salty). Toss well, reduce the heat to low and cover. Continue to cook, occasionally stirring and checking to make sure they aren't burning, until the peppers are tender, but still have a bit of texture—another 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside.

Finishing the Chicken: When the dark meat is cooked through and is tender, lift it out of the sauce and add it to the plate with the white meat. Strain the cooking liquid into a large saucepan, pressing hard on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Set the sauce pan over medium-high heat. Reduce the sauce by one third to one half, skimming away the fat as the sauce reduces (it is easiest to do this if the pan is set half on and half off the burner). The final consistency of the sauce should be that of heavy cream. You should have about a cup of rich sauce.

To serve the chicken, return the sauce and the chicken to the pan the chicken was cooked in, along with the sautéed peppers and ham. (The dish can be prepared to this point the day before.) Gently heat the chicken and peppers through. Correct the seasoning. Serves 4 to 6.

Traditionally served with rice, but potatoes, couscous, or polenta would be good too.