dsm Dish - February 7, 2025

On game day, try George Formaro's chopped cheese

By Chris Diebel

The other day, I asked chef George Formaro what he would serve at a Super Bowl party. His answer was swift: chopped cheese sandwiches.

If you’re unfamiliar with the cult favorite from New York, picture a mashup between an Iowa Maid-Rite and a Philly cheesesteak, garnished with traditional hamburger toppings such as lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion.

The chopped cheese rose to prominence as a working-class favorite served in New York City’s neighborhood bodegas. Its exact origins are a mystery, but many people believe it was first served at the Blue Sky Deli (formerly Hajji’s) in Harlem. One theory suggests the kitchen ran out of hamburger buns so an enterprising cook chopped up the meat, cheese and onions so they would fit more easily in a hero roll.

Another tale tells of a cook with bad teeth who simply wanted to make a cheeseburger easier to eat. And still another theory points to a neighborhood with a lot of Yemeni immigrants who may have been inspired by a sandwich called “dagha yamneeya” (Arabic for “Yemeni chopped meat”), stuffed with chopped beef or lamb. However the chopped cheese started, it’s caught on since the 1990s, thanks to both traditional and social media.

Formaro’s slow cooker recipe offers an easy way to feed a crowd on game day. “Since the work is done ahead of time, you can enjoy the party with your guests,” he said.

Setting out a simple assortment of toppings and sauces allows guests to customize their sandwich to their own taste. “I like shredded iceberg because it adds a nice crunch,” Formaro said. “Chopped onions and pickles also add texture to balance the creamy meat mixture.”

Although the classic chopped cheese is served on a hoagie, Formaro said home cooks can easily swap that out for hot dog, hamburger or slider buns. “This is not the place for a crusty artisan bread,” he said. “Buy a nice squishy option that won’t dry out.” He recommended two good options from his own businesses, South Union Bakery hoagie rolls and Zombie Burger buns, both available at Gateway Market.

Formaro likes to serve his chopped cheese sandwiches with simple sides like tater tots. He tosses his tots with Lawry’s seasoning salt and serves them with a bit of “fancy sauce” — a mix of mayo and ketchup.

George Formaro’s Slower Cooker Chopped Cheese

Ingredients
2 ½ pounds ground beef
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1 medium onion, sautéed until caramelized
1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon premium roasted beef base
4 to 6 tablespoons water
10 to 12 slices of American cheese (or any other good melting cheese)

Instructions
1. In a skillet, combine the ground beef, onion powder, granulated garlic and black pepper. Once the beef is browned, add flour and continue to cook to add some subtle texture and crispiness.
2. Remove the beef mixture with a slotted spoon or spatula and scoop it onto a plate.
3. In the same skillet, saute the onion in the remaining beef fat until caramelized. Add the Better Than Bouillon beef base to the onions.
4. Transfer the beef and caramelized onions mixture to a slow cooker set to low.
5. Add the water and cheese to the slow cooker. After the cheese melts, gently stir the mixture to combine it and add a little water if it appears too thick.
6. Serve the mixture hot on buns with various condiments and garnishes, such as mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions and shredded lettuce.

Quick Bites

Cooper’s Central Table and Cocktails opened Wednesday in Norwalk to serve “upscale American comfort food,” from the owners of Coopers on Fifth and the Winchester Public House in Valley Junction. Check out more bright blips on our new Restaurant Radar.

Fong’s Pizza plans to relocate by early April to 317 E. Court Ave., in the spot formerly occupied by Peace Tree Brewing Co. Fong’s will close its original location on Fourth Street in late March, after more than 16 years serving crab rangoon pizzas and tiki cocktails. The new place offers more space, more parking, a patio and a pickup window. Read more from the Business Record.

The Iowa Pork Producers Association announced the 2024 Master Pork Producers last month at the Iowa Pork Congress. The awards recognize producers who demonstrate high standards of animal care, food safety and environmental practices. Watch video profiles of all 19 winners on YouTube. Nominations for the 2025 Master Pork Program awards will open in May.

The Cheese Bar and the Good Butcher are offering take-home Valentine’s Day fondue kits (because nothing says "love" like melted cheese). It includes a Comté blend, Morteau sausage, fingerling potatoes, baguette, cornichons, dried rose petals and a bottle of Baron de Bréban sparkling rosé. You could also eat it all by yourself. Who's gonna know? Call 515-277-7828 by Feb. 12.

Django now offers caviar and tinned fish. "Les poissons, les poissons ... hee-hee-hee, haw-haw-haw!"

Events

Feb. 8: I’ll Make Me a World in Iowa, the state’s flagship African American festival, features soul food, barbecue, a health and wellness expo, and more at the Horizon Events Center in Clive.

Feb. 14-15: Sway Into Love Dinner & Dance offers a romantic night out at the 100-year-old Rollins Mansion.

Feb. 28: A Gilded Soiree, presented by Winefest and the West Des Moines Historical Society, features an elegant dinner with wine pairings prepared by chef Jacob Schroeder at the historic Jordan House in West Des Moines.

Feb. 28: Carve & Sear: A Rollins Lodge Feast offers a delicious opportunity to learn how to prepare prime cuts of meats, guided by chef Jake Miller of the Artisanal Food Co.

March 7: The Wine, Food and Beer Showcase offers samples from more than 30 area restaurants, caterers, wineries, breweries and distilleries at the downtown Marriott. All proceeds from the event, which started in 1985, support the Des Moines Metro Opera’s statewide education and community engagement programs.

March 14: Pie Day is inspired by math (pi equals 3.14) and the best kind of circles. Celebrate by baking your own or grabbing a slice from one of the talented bakers around the metro, including Deb Cazavilan (Wooden Spoon Homemade Pies), Rachelle Long (Chellie’s Sugar Shack) and Lana Shope (Pies and Pastries by Lana).

Laura Ingalls Wilder was born on this day, Feb. 7, in 1867 and her birthday is worth celebrating, especially since she spent some of her early years in Burr Oak, up in northeast Iowa.

She published her “Little House on the Prairie” books between 1932 and 1943, and I started reading them in the 1970s, when I was about 10. So I feel like Laura was a childhood friend. We grew up together. I related to her stories of joy and sorrow as a pioneer girl.

Sometimes, what spoke to me most were her mouthwatering descriptions of food, from summer vegetables plucked from the family garden to the glorious whole roast pig served up at the New England church supper. Those descriptions inspired my career in food.

When her sister Mary went blind, Laura started “seeing” for her, painting vivid images with words. She did the same for all of us who have enjoyed reading her books. Her winter diet of cornmeal, beans, salt pork and tea never seemed dull. The passages about sourdough biscuits, light bread and even the dreaded brown loaves that saved the family from starvation sent me straight to the kitchen. (Yes, I used my mother’s antique coffee mill to grind flour for a very poor loaf.) All of those details of constantly grinding wheat while endless blizzards howled outside made the stories seem very real.

Laura’s appreciation for the beauty of food is infectious. At the end of “The Long Winter,” she describes a simple glass bowl of cooked cranberries as a beautiful glowing centerpiece for the table. She describes the lacy pattern of boiled maple syrup drizzled into a pan of snow to make candy. Her sheer delight at roasting a pig and nibbling its tail made my mouth water. Oh, and that garden! The way she describes a saucer of sliced tomatoes sprinkled with sugar and a glug of cream was a revelation. I had to try that. And the way she describes Ma baking a pie with green pumpkin instead of apples made it easy to believe I could do that, too. (I tried but with less success.)

“Farmer Boy” isn’t the most popular book in the series, but it has some of the best food scenes. Laura’s husband, Almanzo, drops popcorn into a glass of milk, makes taffy and ice cream (with disastrous results for his pet pig), and loves “sweet, mellow baked beans” with “the bit of salt pork that melted like cream in his mouth.” When I read that, I went straight to the kitchen to bake beans for hours with bacon, coffee and molasses — quite a discovery for a girl raised on the canned stuff. I still make Almanzo’s favorite apples and onions, sauteed in a little bacon fat with a touch of brown sugar and apple cider vinegar.

When I shared Laura’s stories with my own children, they devoured them just like I had. I think her books will enthrall readers and whet their appetites for years to come.

For Laura’s birthday today, I may whip up a little something Ma made for Laura’s birthday party in “On the Banks of Plum Creek.” They’re called “vanity cakes,” Ma said, “because they are all puffed up, like vanity, with nothing solid inside.” From her description, I think cream-puff batter should fry up just right.

Happy birthday, my friend.

Mary Jane Miller lives in the country north of Indianola. Her career has included stints as a food writer, chef, cooking teacher and food scientist for various clients, including Betty Crocker, the Food Network, Pillsbury, Target and the Minnesota Governor’s Residence.

Chew on this: National Bagel and Lox Day is this Sunday, Feb. 9. Over the past few years, several powerful bakery companies (aka Big Bagel) have lobbied for a day of their own, on Jan. 15, but many fans still plan to observe the holiday this Sunday.

If you ask us, any day is a good day to schmear cream cheese on baked goods, especially if they come from Black Bagel. The local company founded by betrothed duo Lloyd Yates and Devin Lam combines family recipes and traditions from her Jewish heritage and his Black roots in the South.