Sonoran Cheese Soup - Caldo de Queso de Sonora

Photo by Greg Bryan, Arizona Daily Star.

Yesterday's Arizona Star had a feature on Mexican cheeses that included a recipe for Caldo de Queso (inexplicably titled Caldo con Queso) from Adolfo Cabrera, executive chef at the Doubletree Inn in Tucson. Caldo de Queso is a Sonoran specialty, and I found several recipes online from Sonoran cooks. The recipe that follows is my adaptation of these.

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 red or white boiling potatoes, 3/4" pieces
1 white onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1-1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
6 cups of vegetable broth
1 cup of tomatoes, diced
1 cup of roasted Anaheim peppers, diced
1 large or two small ears of corn, cut in 1" slices
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons butter
red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
1/2 cup milk, half and half or cream
8 ounces queso fresco, diced
8 ounces queso panela, diced
salt and pepper to taste

For garnish:
tortilla triangles
cilantro leaves

In a non-stick pan, saute the potatoes in half the olive oil until they are lightly brown, but not fully cooked. Set aside.

Add the rest of the oil to the pan and saute the onion, carrot and celery until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and oregano and saute a couple of minutes longer.

In a stockpot, combine the sauteed vegetables, the vegetable broth, the reserved potatoes, the tomatoes and peppers and simmer until the potatoes are nearly done. Add the corn and simmer a minute more.

Meanwhile, in a clean, dry pan, toast the flour until it is lightly golden brown. Add the butter and cook until it is melted and mixed well with the flour. With a spatula, scrape this mixture into the stock pot (along with the optional red pepper flakes) and simmer for five minutes.

Add the milk and cheeses and simmer two minutes, or until fully heated through. Garnish with tortilla triangles and cilantro. Serve with hot tortillas or French bread.