Cooking Recipe Chile Con Queso (Chiles With Cheese)
Recipe Ingredients
Directions
Recipe by: The Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy ISBN 0-06-012344-3
I had always thought of chile con queso as a Texas dish until I went
to Chihuahua. It is eaten thereas a vegetable with broiled meats, and
it is also sered as an appetizer with hot tortillas. The light green
Anaheim chile with which it is made is grown extensively in the north
of Mexico and southwestern United States. It is used a great deal in
the cooking of Chihuahau and Sonora.
Two of the best Mexican cheeses come from Chihuahua--the queso
Chihuahua made by the Mennonites, living there in settlements, and
the queso asadero, a very creamy, slightly acidy cheese that is
layered like the mozzarella. It is always used cooked, and gives the
lovely creamy stringiness that the mexicans hold in high esteem. It
is curious that in some parts of the State they use a wild plant to
coagulate the milk instead of the more usual rennet. I have not yet
been able to find out what this is--possibly a type of thistle that I
have seen mentioned in the same connection in an old Spanish cookbook.
Roast and peel the chiles and cut them into rajas (strips) without
removing the seeds.
Heat the oil and cook the onion, without browning, until it is soft.
Slice the tomato thinly and add it with the rajas to the onions in
the pan. Cover and cook over a medium flame for about 8 minutes.
Add the milk and water and let the mixture cook for a few minutes
more.
Just before serving, cut the cheese into thin slices and add, with the
salt, to the chile mixture. Serve as soon as the cheese melts.