Creamy Chorizo Queso

Ingredients:

o  1 pound pasture-raised Ground Chorizo or Chorizo Grillers, casings removed

o  1 tsp. cooking oil

o  8 oz. freshly shredded Monterey Jack cheese

o  8 oz. freshly shredded Pepper Jack cheese

o  ½ large sweet onion, chopped

o  2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped*

o  4-5 cloves garlic, minced

o  2-3 medium tomatoes, diced - divided

o  1 cup corn; frozen or fresh

o  1/8 cup diced pickled jalapenos*

o  2 Tbsp. flour

o  1 ¼ cup milk

o  ½ cup sour cream

o  Chopped green onion or cilantro for garnish

o  Chili powder for garnish

o  Salt to taste

Directions:

1.      Heat an oven-safe skillet on stove over medium heat.

2.      Brown chorizo, breaking it up into crumbles as it cooks.

3.      Remove from skillet to a paper towel-lined plate

4.      Preheat oven to broil on high

5.      Add oil to skillet, followed by onions, peppers and garlic; stirring frequently. When onions first appear to be becoming translucent, push to the sides of the pan and add corn to the center. Sprinkle corn lightly with chili powder and without stirring, allow kernels to begin to get some color and stir.

6.      Add jalapenos and 2/3 of tomatoes, stir. Whisk in flour and reduce heat to medium-low, continuously stirring for a minute or two until it begins to darken in color.

7.      Gradually whisk in milk, then sour cream; stirring constantly for a few minutes until thickened.

8.      Turn the heat off under the pan. In batches, stir in shredded cheese.

9.      Mix most of chorizo in, reserving a tiny bit for garnish.

10.  Season to taste with salt. Lightly sprinkle with chili powder for a pop of color.

11.  Place under broiler until browning and bubbly. 

12.  Garnish with cilantro or green onion and the remaining tomato and chorizo.

13.  Serve hot with your favorite chips. Enjoy!

Notes:

• This is a very mild queso dip. If you'd like to make it spicy, you could use 1 poblano and 2 or more fresh jalapenos and season corn with cayenne instead. Or, to raise it a little to a mild spice, simply increase the chopped pickled jalapenos to 1/4-1/2 cup.
• This recipe freezes great! Reheat from frozen in a 350 degree oven until warm and bubbly. Switch to broil for the last few minutes until top is nice and brown.
• Freshly shredded cheese melts much nicer than the pre-shredded bagged cheese. I like to put my blocks of cheese in the freezer while I am prepping ingredients to make it more firm. It flies right through a processor or grater without getting sticky.
• I did not include a measurement for salt as this really varies with the cheese you use.