Photo by Sonia Mendez Garcia At a Tex-Mex restaurant some time ago, I came across a sizzling dish of queso fundido with a delicious center. The queso was topped with spicy Mexican chorizo, roasted poblano strips and sautéed onions. And as if that were not tasty enough, as we ate our way through the queso, there it was! A layer of fresh guacamole right in the center, under all that cheese. I've prepared many variations of queso fundido and some included avocado or guacamole, but this was just the right balance of flavors. This dish is what dreams are made of!
Pair this appetizer from paradise with your favorite tortilla chips and you've got yourself a winning trio! It's perfect for a game-day treat or when friends come over.
Ingredients
- 2 large hass avocados peeled and mashed
- 1-2 serrano peppers or jalapenos, minced and seeded
- 2 Roma tomatoes seeded, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped
- 2 key limes or 1 regular lime, juiced
- 1 cup Oaxaca cheese shredded (or mozzarella, string cheese)
- 1 cup muenster cheese or jack cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Mexican chorizo beef or pork
- 1 poblano pepper roasted
- 1/3 sweet onion sliced and sauteed
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- In a bowl, combine the avocados, serrano peppers, Roma tomatoes, salt and pepper. Taste for salt and transfer to baking dish, placing guacamole in the center of dish. It is best to use a smaller, deep baking dish, either round or square.
- Toss the two cheese varieties to mix and add the cheese to the baking dish, covering the guacamole and spreading it out evenly. Set aside.
- In a small skillet, at medium heat, cook the chorizo. Using a wooden spoon, crumble it as it cooks down. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes. Drain onto a plate lined with paper towels, set aside.
- To roast the poblano, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a small sautée pan. Heat to medium. Add the poblano, sweet onions and jalapeno. Sautée the onions and jalapeño for 8 minutes.
- Remove from pan. Keep the poblano on for another 5 minutes or until most of the skins have charred and blistered. Place poblano in a plastic bag to steam and cool for a few minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the blistered skins from poblano pepper. Remove stem and seeds and slice into small strips.
- Place the chorizo on top of the cheese, in the center. Place the poblanos and sweet onions around the edges of chorizo. Cover dish with foil paper and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese has melted and is bubbly.
- Remove foil paper and broil for 2 minutes. Garnish with charred jalapeno. Serve with chips or warm flour tortillas.
Chef Notes
When using a shallow dish to bake your queso fundido, it will take less time in the oven for the cheese to melt.
View Comments