The results are in. The gringo (my hubby) has given this one a thumbs up, with his whole-hearted seal of approval. Our Poblano Artichoke Dip is a go!
I know, I know. The classic ingredient for this dip is, duh!, spinach to go hand in hand with the artichoke. Well, I guess it is my turn now to give something American some Mexican flair. After all, you came up with tortilla shells and taco bowls which, as you know, are non-existent in Mexico.
But this is definitely not about getting even. It is certainly about experimenting with flavors and creating variations on a theme. This Poblano Artichoke Dip is not hot chili pepper-wise. Once you blister your Poblanos and remove seeds and veins, the chili flavor is deep and kind of smoky. In other words, delicious!
I love that this dip is evocative of the iconic Mexican Rajas con Crema y Queso (recipe here). Simply put, Rajas con Crema y Queso are strips of blistered Poblano chili pepper sauteed with onions and then smothered with some Mexican or sour cream and cheese.
But, oh! It goes so well with the artichoke! I guess the only way to find out is to try it.
Now, a word on blistering the Poblano chilies. In Mexico, this is done by placing the pods directly on the flame in the stove top. Most stoves are gas stoves down there. My stove stop is electric, so what I do is: first, wash the chili peppers, then heat up a cast iron skillet until it is really hot and then blister the peppers on it, turning and flipping them often. The goal is to achieve an even skin blistering. Just keep in mind that all we want is to blister the skin and not to burn the Poblano peppers. Use tongs when doing this.
Once blistered, place the Poblanos in a plastic bag, let them sweat for, at least, a good half hour. Then, wearing food grade latex gloves, on to the second phase: peel off the blistered skin, open the peppers, remove seeds and veins and cut them into thin strips. Then, cut the strips into small squares.
I like my dip chunky, so I chopped all the star ingredients.
Poblano Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
- 1 – 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 unit white onion chopped
- 2 units Poblano peppers blistered, peeled, seeded, deveined and cut into small squares (see notes).
- 1 – 14 oz. can artichoke hearts chopped
- 1 – 8 oz. packet cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup Mexican or sour cream
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Pork rinds, tortilla chips and or Pita chips for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a medium glass baking dish.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter and add the chopped onion, cooking until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the Poblano squares and saute for 1 – 2 more minutes.
- While the onion and Poblano mixture cools down a bit, mix in a large bowl the artichoke hearts, cream cheese, shredded cheese, cream and mayonnaise. Add the onion-Poblano mixture and mix well. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer the mixture to the greased baking dish and bake until melted and golden brown at the edges, 20 – 25 minutes, depending on your oven.
- Serve with tortilla chips, pork rinds (chicharrones) or pita chips.
Notes
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