If there ever was an adaptable-to-your-taste recipe, this is totally it. Yes! You can make it as spicy as your taste buds can tolerate and desire. This Delicious Blistered Poblano Queso Dip is the addition that your Game Day (or any day) spread needs.
Now, with this one, the challenge will be to watch the guests like a hawk, lest they double-dip. So have plenty of tortilla chips handy.
And remember, there are many Super Bowl-perfect recipes in our blog to make and enjoy, aside from this Delicious Blistered Poblano Queso Dip.
So I am making this one with authentic shredded Chihuahua cheese and then I am adding some shredded Jalapeno Pepper Jack too, because I really don’t believe highly processed cheese belongs in a Queso recipe. Sure, it is a time-saving shortcut if you want to whip up your queso in a jiffy. However, the taste will suffer for it. And ultra-processed cheese, just like any other food in that category, is not good for you at all. We all need to keep that in mind.
I strongly recommend that you grate your Chihuahua and Pepper Jack cheeses at home. Pre-shredded store-bought cheese has added stabilizers, which contribute to an undesirable gritty texture.
Also, when you melt them in the pot, do so at the lowest temperature, to prevent your Queso dip from becoming grainy.
As to blistering the Poblanos, well, that step is not absolutely necessary in you are time-constrained, but I promise you this: blistering your chillies really ups the flavor ante, as it adds a certain smokiness and depth that fresh-out-of-the grocery-bag chopped and unblistered Poblanos simply don’t have.
I always use my cast iron skillet to blister my Poblano chillies, as it keeps the heat constant and uniform. Just get your skillet really hot, then blister them until the skin (not the chilli, mind you) is uniformly blackened.
You can also blister them if you have a gas stove, directly on the flame (on low), flipping them often. You can also do that on the grill. Always use tongs so you don’t get burned.
The point is to blister your Poblanos’ skin evenly. Do not burn the flesh, just the skin, so do flip your pods often on all sides. Let them sweat in a plastic bag for a while. They will be really easy to peel.
Delicious Blistered Poblano Queso Dip
Ingredients
- 3 units Poblano peppers blistered, seeded, deveined, chopped
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp chopped onion
- 1 – 2 units Serrano peppers seeded, deveined and chopped
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup shredded Chihuahua cheese I recommend you buy a block and then grate it at home. See notes.
- 1/2 cup shredded Jalapeno/Habanero Pepper Jack cheese I recommend you buy a block and then grate it at home. See notes.
- 1/4 cup cream cheese softened
- 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground paprika
- freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
- 1 – 2 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
- tortilla chips or pork rinds
Instructions
- Blister the Poblanos: grease a cast-iron skillet or griddle and heat it up over medium heat. Once hot, place the Poblanos directly in it; using tongs flip them often on all sides, until all their skin is uniformly blistered. Place them in a plastic bag, tightly close it and let them sweat for 15 – 25 minutes. Then open the bag, wearing gloves remove the blistered skin, seeds, veins. Chop them. Set aside.
- For the dip: Over medium-low heat, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook, constantly stirring, for about one minute. Add the chopped onion and Serrano and cook for one more minute. Whisk in the milk slowly and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 3 – 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Once the temperature in the pot has gone down some, start adding the shredded Chihuahua and Pepper Jack cheese, cream cheese, salt, spices and crushed red pepper flakes; keep the temprature as low as possible, to prevent the texture from getting grainy (see notes below) and whisk until cheeses have slowly melted and are blended in, about 5 minutes. Stir in chopped poblano peppers.
- Enjoy warm with tortilla chips.
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