I had a houseful of guest for the football games over the week end. I wanted a good greasy, cheesy something and ran across this recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking. This is exactly what I was looking for not nachos but all the same flavors.
Ingredients for the Beef
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 lb ground beef
½ yellow onion small dice
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
1½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
Ingredients for the Queso
3 Tbl unsalted butter
½ medium onion small dice
1 poblano pepper small dice
3 jalapeños finely chopped
2 garlic cloves roughly chopped
1/2 cup green tomatillo salsa in a jar
2 Tbl all-purpose flour
1½ cups milk plus more as needed
½ lb Monterey Jack cheese grated
½ lb Pepper Jack cheese grated
Garnish with cilantro, tomatoes and Avocado Crema
Ingredients for Avocado Crema
I avocado, peeled and chopped in large chunks
1 cup sour cream
1 lime juiced
¼ cup cilantro
Salt
Directions for the Beef
Heat oil in a large skillet over high. Add the beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned on all sides for about 6–8 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, cook for 6–8 minutes, the last minute, add the garlic and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, cumin and chili powder and cook for 1 minute to toast the spices. Add the chicken stock and add beef back into the skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook until stock has completely evaporated, roughly 10 minutes. Remove from heat, taste and season with salt and pepper, leave it in the skillet and set aside.
Directions for the Queso
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion, poblano, jalapeños, and garlic, for 8–10 minutes until soft. Add the salsa and stir to combine. Stir in flour and cook until incorporated, about 1 minute. Whisk in milk and continue to cook until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, and add all the cheeses, stirring constantly, until cheese is completely melted and queso is smooth. If it seems too thick or gloopy, stir in a tablespoon of milk at a time until smooth.
Pour the hot queso over the skillet with the meat. Sprinkle with cilantro and chopped tomatoes. Dollop on Avocado Crema and serve immediately with chips.
Directions Avocado Crema
In a small food processor, put in all the ingredients and blend. Spoon over the beef queso.