Sorry about the lack of postings for the past week. It’s not that we haven’t been eating – because we most certainly have – but things have been a bit crazy. I’ll be using this week to catch up on recipes and so on.
This Chili Cheese Fondue recipe is based on the Chili con Queso Fondue recipe by Rachel Ray. All I can say is darn, this is good! I served this with tortilla chips, pretzel rods, and celery and carrot sticks. Next time, I’ll switch slices of red and green bell peppers and omit the pretzels. The peppers might be a better match, providing better support for the chili flavor in the fondue.
The recipe below makes a nice light meal for two adults and two kids, or a good appetizer for four to six adults.
Chili Cheese Fondue
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken stock (eyeball it)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 – 3 drops liquid smoke
1 can tomato sauce (7 – 8 oz)
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 cups leftover meat (steak, chicken, pork – whatever you’ve got), chopped or shredded up into bite-size pieces
Suggestions for Dipping: Tortilla chips, Veggie sticks (bell peppers, carrots, celery – whatever you like), pretzel rods
In a medium-sized saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. (If your fondue pot can be used on the stovetop, you can cook everything in that.) Add the onion, garlic and jalapeño pepper and sauté until the veggies are tender, 5-6 minutes.
When the veggies are soft, add the butter. When it’s melted, add the flour and cook for one to two minutes, stirring constantly. Whisk the chicken stock into the butter-flour mixture, adding salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and cook until thickened, a couple of minutes.
Add the meat and cook until heated through. Mix in the shredded cheese and simmer until all of the cheese has melted, about 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce and chili powder and simmer until slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes.
