Cheese is practically butter, so of course I love it! Here I melt a bucketload of cheese in with some yummy veggies and a couple shots of Tequila. Enjoy with chips or warm tortillas or just a spoon!
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 1/2 tomato, chopped
- 1 poblano pepper, broiled & skin removed
- 3 oz Tequila
- 16 oz Monterrey Jack or Pepper Jack, shredded
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 can evaporated milk
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped, optional
- Heat the olive oil in a 4 qt sauce pan over a medium flame. When the oil is hot add in the onion and scallion and cook, stirring frequently until the start to brown. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. In the meantime, toss the cheese with the corn starch.
- Add the tomato and poblano pepper and cook for another few minutes, until the tomato starts to soften. Add in the Tequila and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour the evaporated milk into pot and bring to a simmer. Once you see bubbles around the side of the pot, start adding the cheese by the handful. Mix in between additions – don’t add more cheese until the last handful is melted or it will get stringy. When all of the cheese is melted and wonderful, stir in the cilantro, if using.
I like to shred the cheese off of a block – it melts better without the preservatives. No Tequila? Use a little beer instead. No poblano? Jalapenos work fine, as does some drained canned chiles. How do you broil a poblano? Easy – rinse the pepper and pop it on a baking tray. Broil, about 4 inches from the flame until the top is blackened. Flip the pepper and repeat on all sides. Let it sit about 5 minutes to cool and rub the skin off with your hands – don’t rinse. Cut out the stem and seeds.
