Creamy Queso With Pickled Jalapeños Recipes

CREAMY QUESO WITH PICKLED JALAPEñOS

Steps:

• Place half of the jalapeños in a small bowl and cover with vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onion and remaining jalapeño. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened and onion is translucent, but not browned, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add milk and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and add cheese, one handful at a time, whisking so that none of it settles on the bottom (it can burn that way), encouraging it to melt.
• Keep an eye on the pot and continue whisking until the cheese is completely melted (it can take a while for the American cheese to totally melt) and the mixture is thickened considerably, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and keep on low until ready to serve (you can always thin with milk if it thickens too much).
• To serve, ladle queso into a large bowl and top with sour cream, scallions, reserved pickled jalapeños and cilantro. Serve with chips for dipping.

QUESO FUNDIDO CON CHORIZO

Steps:

• Cook the chorizo, stirring, in a medium skillet or a flameproof gratin dish over medium-high heat until golden, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and pour off any excess rendered fat, reserving about 1 tablespoon in the pan. If there is less than 1 tablespoon, add enough olive oil to make 1 tablespoon.
• Reduce the heat to medium and cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, until the flour is golden, 1 minute. Pour in the beer and bring to a boil. Stir in the chopped jalapenos and pickling juice and cook 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk, whisking, and bring to a gentle boil until thickened, about 1 minute. Add the cheeses and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently, until the cheese fully melts, about 3 minutes. Stir in the reserved chorizo. Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with the cilantro and serve warm with dippers.

POTATO-CHEDDAR SOUP WITH QUICK-PICKLED JALAPEñOS

Steps:

• Thinly slice the jalapeños, discarding the seeds if you like. Put slices in a bowl and squeeze in enough lime juice to cover them. Add a pinch each of salt and sugar. Let sit at room temperature while you make the soup. (The jalapeños can be prepared up to 5 days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator; they get softer and more pickle-y as they sit.)
• In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery and a large pinch of salt, and sauté until lightly golden and soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and chili powder and sauté until fragrant, 1 minute.
• Add potatoes, broth and 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are very tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Using an immersion blender or transferring the soup to a regular blender in batches, purée the soup, adding some water as needed to thin it out. (The soup can be as thick or brothy as you like.)
• Return the soup to the pot if you removed it and reduce heat to medium-low. Add cheese and half-and-half, and cook at a very gentle simmer, stirring, until the cheese melts, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
• Top each bowl with pickled jalapeños, plus a drizzle of their pickling liquid and a pinch of chili powder, along with scallions, cilantro and more Cheddar.