When I was making plans to visit Lubbock, a friend gave me some advice. “Go to Orlando’s Italian restaurant, and order the mafia queso,” she said. “It’s outstanding.”
Lubbock, Texas sits at the crossroads of the Panhandle and West Texas. The drive there is open and wide, with the horizon stretching for days. It had been many years since I’d been in this part of the state.
Because my time was limited, I was only there one night, but my first stop was indeed to Orlando’s Italian Restaurant to have the recommended cheese dip. I was curious how Italian-American flavors would fuse with the Tex-Mex classic of peppers and cheese.
When my order arrived, I was amused to see that not only did the queso come with tortilla chips but also oval slices of garlic bread. If tortilla chips with a dip are one of my greatest loves, I’d say that a toasty, buttery, savory slice of garlic bread is right up there. My only issue was with which to dip first.
I started with the tortilla chip, which would have a more neutral base for the queso’s flavors than the highly seasoned bread. In went the chip and out came a standard bright yellow blanket dotted with what appeared to be herbs, sausage, and green peppers.
The first taste reminded me of Italy, though it was the Italian food of my youth, which was comprised heavily of frozen pizzas. Now, I’m not sure what ingredient gave me that impression, but it was the influence of pizza seasonings such as oregano, garlic powder, red pepper, and fennel. I enjoyed it very much.
Next, I tried the dip with the garlic bread, and the Italian connection was made even more strong. This was an excellent version of the dip, and while this isn’t their recipe and instead my interpretation, if you love pizza joints, classic Italian-American and Tex-Mex flavors, this is the queso for you.
Sausage queso, Tex-Italian style
For the garlic bread:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch red chile flakes
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6- inch loaf French bread
For the queso:
- 1 teaspoon safflower oil
- 6- ounces uncooked hot Italian sausage (2-3 links)
- ¼ medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound brick process cheese, cubed
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 8 ounces canned green chiles and their juices
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ cup chopped pickled pepperoncini peppers or pickled jalapeños
- ½ teaspoon red chile flakes
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Tortilla chips, for serving
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Preheat the oven to 375°F.
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Stir the softened butter with the garlic powder, oregano, red chile flakes, and salt. Taste and adjust seasonings.
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Take the loaf and cut ¼-inch slices down the length of the bread.
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Spread each slice with the butter on both sides, finishing by spreading the top of the loaf with any extra butter.
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Position the slices back into a loaf form and wrap the bread in foil, leaving the seam on the top.
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Bake wrapped for 20 minutes. After this time, open the foil exposing the top of the loaf, and continue to bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven.
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Meanwhile, to make the queso, heat the oil in a 3-quart pan on medium-low. Squeeze out the sausage from the casing and add to the pan.
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Breaking up the sausage while occasionally stirring, cook the meat until browned and the fat has been released, about 7-10 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pan and drain most of the fat, leaving 1 teaspoon of oil in the pan.
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Continuing to cook on medium-low, add to the pan the onion, and while occasionally stirring, cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.
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Add to the pan the processed cheese, milk, green chiles, garlic powder, and oregano. While stirring occasionally, cook until the cheese is melted.
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Stir in the sliced pickled peppers, red chile flakes, and parmesan. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt if needed.
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Serve warm with garlic bread and tortilla chips.
Brick process cheese is a generic term for Velveeta-style cheese.
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