Warm Cheese And Tomato Dip

30-minute Cookbook, Reader's Digest Canada30-minute Cookbook, Reader's Digest Canada

Great to serve at barbecues or when you are sipping tequila, this warm dip is based on a runny cheese and cream sauce that gets its chunky texture from tasty pieces of onion, tomato, and jalapeño pepper.

Number of servings : 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Type of meal : | Hors d’oeuvres | Hors d’oeuvres

Special diet :

Ingredients

1 large onion
2 teaspoons olive oil
5 medium tomatoes
2 jalapeño peppers or 1 tablespoon chopped jalapeño peppers in brine
1⁄2 lb (230g) sharp Cheddar cheese
1⁄2 cup (100ml) whipping cream
Salt and black pepper
Tabasco sauce

To garnish: 2 sprigs of coriander

To serve: corn chips, soft tortillas, or pita bread

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to moderate. Put a kettle of water on to boil.

  2. Peel and chop the onion and fry it in the oil in a small saucepan over a low heat for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.

  3. Peel the tomatoes and cut them into quarters. Remove and discard the seeds, slice the flesh finely and set aside.

  4. Rinse, dry, halve, deseed, and finely chop the jalapeño peppers, if necessary, and set aside. Grate the cheese and set it aside.

  5. Put the corn chips, tortillas, or pita breads into the oven to heat.

  6. Add the cream to the softened onions in the pan and raise the heat. Just before the cream reaches simmering point, add the cheese and stir until it melts.

  7. Add the tomatoes and jalapeños to the pan and stir gently. Season carefully to taste with salt, pepper, and Tabasco sauce.

  8. Rinse, dry, and strip the coriander leaves from the stems. Pour the dip into a warm serving bowl, garnish with the coriander, and serve with corn chips or with fingers of soft tortilla or pita bread.

Nutritional information: