Mexican Cheese Dip and Topopo Salad

There is a restaurant near our house called “El Azteco,” that has been in this town, in one incarnation or other, since I was in elementary school. Suffice it to say that I have not been in elementary school since Richard Nixon was in the White House.

When I was in high school and college, “El Az” as it is called by us hip natives, was located in a basement. Since we live in a large college town, the lines to get in on cheap Margarita night frequently snaked up the stairs and onto the street. Aside from the Margaritas, there was a full menu of “New Mexican” food including burritos, enchiladas, enchiladas, and flautas. Nothing was fancy (except maybe the Blue Corn Enchiladas and the Enchiladas de Jocoque which are splendid), the cups were red pebbled plastic, and the floor was always a little sticky. The radio was usually tuned to the All-Janis-and-Jimi-all-the-time station. It seemed very glamorous to me when I was in high school because smoking was still allowed, and there were people in the dark, tall wooden booths smoking clove cigarettes and drinking. When I was older, and worked in town, I was grateful for a place to have a filling lunch (always a bean burrito and water with ice) that cost less than $2.00 with a tip.

Several years ago, the restaurant moved to an above-ground location within 20 feet of the old spot, and gained a roof deck where I can now legally enjoy a Margarita (but no clove cigarettes) and a cheap meal on a warm summer evening. It is also a favorite spot to meet friends, particularly at this time of year when there are often live performers on the plaza outside. The cups are the same, the menu is the same, and the food is still good in the same unpretentious way it always was. There is still a sort of 70s vibe, and I have yet to hear a syllable sung by Justin or Jessica while digging in to my chips and Dos Equis.

My favorite things to eat there are the Cheese Dip and the Topopo Salad. Although I still have a special place in my heart for the thousands of bean burritos that allowed me to save money for more important things, I am now generally able to afford “the higher priced spread.” I have the real recipe (I think) for the Cheese Dip, given to me by my a reader, after she swore me to secrecy. She got it from a former El Ez employee who (you guessed it) swore her to secrecy. This is a big deal. I am guessing on the precise recipe for the Topopo (although “precise” in the context of El Azteco is a somewhat surreal concept), but I have eaten enough of the giant nachos- cum-salads that I think I can make a good guess. Please to enjoy:

El Azteco Cheese Dip

1. 16 oz sour cream
2. 16 oz cottage cheese [Note: if using a very dry cottage cheese, you may need to reduce the amount of Monterey Jack Cheese in order to get a sufficiently moist dip].
3. 16 oz shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
4. one dash Worcestershires sauce
5. 1 teaspoon garlic powder
6. 1/2 bag lipton onion soup mix minus the dried onions (you’ll end up with just under 2 teaspoons of the spices)
7. 3 minced jalapenos minus the seeds
8. 1 and 1/2 bunches of scallions chopped.

Mix the sour cream, cottage cheese and add Worcersterhire sauce, garlic powder, and onion soup mix. Stir.

Add the vegesrables and the Monterey Jack cheese.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours; overnight is best.

Topopo Salad – Or Very Close To It

1. 1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded or cut into small pieces
2. 1/2 cup canola oil
3. 1/4 cup rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar
4. 1/2 teaspoon sugar
5. 16 0z. bottle Prepared salsa
6. 8 ounces frozen peas, thawed
7. 1 cup finely shredded, white Mexican cheese (Queso Blanco)
8. 2 ripe tomatoes, diced
9. 1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
10. 1 -2 jalapenos, finely chopped (Note: how many jalapenos, and whether or not you seed them will determine how spicy your Topopo is. One seeded jalapeno will have a nice flavor with a bit of zing; 2 unseeded jalapenos will be noticeably hot. I like 1, unseeded).
11. Tortilla chips
12. 2 cups shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
13. 2 cups guacamole (purchased or homemade)
14. 2 cups finely shredded, cooked chicken (I often leave this out and go “veggie)
15. 2 cans refried beans

“Topopo” means volcano, and as prepared at El Azteco, this is a HUGE salad for two people. You may, of course, choose to spread the ingredients over several plates.

First, mix lettuce, peas, white cheese, chicken, jalapenos, green onions and tomatoes in a large bowl. In a jar ow bowl mix canola, rice vinegar and sugar to create a vinaigrette dressing. Add a small (!) amount of vinaigrette, no more than 1/4 cup to salad mixture. You are not really “dressing” this, just holding it together and adding a bit of flavor). Mix again to coat very lightly with vinaigrette. You may decide that you want to use more dressing next time, but you really don’t want it to be more than a hint of background flavor and a binder for the salad ingredients.

Warm refried beans in microwave or on top of the stove.

On the bottom of a large plate, place a hearty layer of tortilla chips. Warm refried beans and layer evenly over chips. Top with cheddar or jack cheese and run under the broiler to melt. Top melted cheese with guacamole spread evenly, and then a cup of the of salsa.

A true Topopo is presented with the salad on top of the nacho base in a pyramid. (You remember: the whole volcano thing). Begin piling your salad mixture on top of the nachos to cover completely, gradually adding less and less as you build upwards to form a pyramid. Serve with additional salsa on the side.

I am sure about everything here except the dressing on the salad part, which I will investigate further. In the meantime, this will still be pretty darned tasty. Edited to add: I have now checked with several Topopo-eating sources, all of whom agree that the dressing is a 2:1 oil to vinegar combo. One friend adds a squeeze of lime juice for more flavor. Thanks to Chris N. and Kristin B.B.!