Recipe: Homesick Texan’s Chile con Queso

Tomorrow on Good Food, Evan talks to Lisa Fain, the voice behind the blog Homesick Texan. Lisa talks to Evan about how she longed for the Tex-Mex of her hometown when she moved to New York City. A recipe for Chile con Queso from The Homesick Texan Cookbook is below…

In Texas we have a special place in our hearts for Velveeta, especially when it’s melted with a can of tomatoes, such as Ro-Tel, a brand of canned tomatoes spiced up with green chiles. We call that concoction chile con queso, or just “queso” for short. Now, don’t get me wrong—I love the processed-cheese version of queso. But I was curious if it was possible to make tasty queso with real cheese. It took much trial and error, but one day when making a cheese sauce for pasta, I realized it was simply a mild version of queso. I threw in some tomatoes and a few sliced serrano chiles, grabbed a bag of chips, and soon I was eating a darn fine bowl of queso. Don’t expect this to taste exactly like the Velveeta version—but I find that it’s just as good. To keep it warm, simply use a slow cooker or a hot plate.

Keep reading for the full recipe…

Chile Con Queso

4 TO 6 SERVINGS

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ medium yellow onion, diced

2 serrano chiles, seeds and stems removed, diced

1 jalapeño chile, seeds and stems removed, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup whole milk

½ cup chopped cilantro

1 cup canned diced tomatoes

3 cups grated cheddar cheese (12 ounces)

3 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (12 ounces)

½ cup sour cream

Salt, to taste

Tortilla chips, for serving

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium-low heat. Add the onions, serrano chiles, and jalapeño and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Whisk the flour into the pan and cook for about 30 seconds.

2. Pour the milk into the pan and, while whisking, cook until the sauce is thick, about 3 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and tomatoes.

3. Turn the heat down to low, and ¼ cup at a time, slowly stir in the grated cheese until it’s completely melted. Repeat until all the cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese has been added. Stir in the sour cream and add salt to taste. Serve with tortilla chips.

From THE HOMESICK TEXAN COOKBOOK by Lisa Fain. Text and photographs copyright © 2011 Lisa Fain. Published by Hyperion. Available wherever books are sold. All Rights Reserved.