I found this recipe as I paged through the latest Food Network magazine and decided to give it a try. I’ve made queso many times before…cut up a block of Velveeta, dump in a can of Rotel, turn on the microwave for a few minutes and VOILA! You have queso. Well…not anymore. Fresh cilantro, fresh tomatoes, peppers, onions and cheese. How does that sound? It sounds REAL GOOD! This may take a little more time to make than my old version of queso, but it’s so worth it. I made it for the family recently and it was a big hit. No more Velveeta queso for me!!
Mexican Queso Dip
Ingredients:
1 shallot, finely diced (or 1/2 of a small onion)
2 Campari or other small vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 serrano chile peppers, seeded and finely diced
1 red jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 – 1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup grated pepper jack cheese (about 4 ounces)
1 cup grated American cheese (about 4 ounces)
Tortilla chips, for serving
Directions:
Combine the tomatoes and the cilantro in a small bowl; set aside.
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced shallot, the serranos*, jalapeno* and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until the shallots are tender, about 3 minutes.
Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook, stirring, until completely absorbed, about 1 minute. Whisk in 1 1/4 cups of the milk and bring to a simmer; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the pepper jack and American cheese until melted, then remove from the heat; stir in the tomato/cilantro mixture. Stir in a little more milk if the dip seems too thick. Transfer to a bowl and serve warm with tortilla chips. ENJOY!
*Feel free to substitute any peppers you’d like. I used all jalapeños and it tasted GREAT! I also seeded my peppers, but leave them in if you like it real hot.