Super Bowl Week: Chile con queso

by Shayna Glick, Posted Jan 28th 2008 @ 8:00AM

This cheese dip recipe has been in my family for years. My mom made it all the time when I was a kid. If I remember correctly, she got the recipe from my one of my aunts. It's really easy to make and it goes fast, so make plenty of it.

Your shopping list for chile con queso must include some kind of white melting cheese. I use two eight ounce blocks of pepper jack. I know there are better cheeses out there for melting purposes but pepper jack is what we've always used and I don't want to be one to break tradition. You'll also need one large tomato or two smaller ones, an onion (I use yellow sweet onions), one four ounce can of diced green chilies, about a quarter cup of milk and and the same for a beer of your choice. You'll also need tortilla chips for eating the cheese dip.

To make this chile con queso, dice the onions fairly small and sweat them with the diced green chilies in vegetable oil until they are tender. Add the diced up tomatoes (I like them a little chunkier) and let them cook just a little bit. Cut the cheese up into small pieces and add that on medium low heat, letting it slowly melt all the way. Traditionally, the last thing to add is a little milk to smooth everything out. However, I recently found out that adding alcohol helps homogenize cheese mixtures, so now I add a little bit of beer. The best way to eat chile con queso is to pour some over tortilla chips. Keep the cooking vessel over low heat for best continued service as it re-solidifies quickly.

Some kind of cheese dip is traditional for any Super Bowl party. You don't have to make one using any kind of cheese "product" for it to be good and easy. Chile con queso is an easy dish to make and, best of all, is made of real, unprocessed food. Hopefully your family will love it as much as mine does!