Portside Cheese Dip Recipes

PORT AND CHEESE DIP

Steps:

• Crumble cheese.
• Beat together with sour cream and Port.
• Chill at least 3 hours and preferably overnight (covered tightly).
• This definitely improves with age.

PANCHO'S CHEESE DIP

Steps:

• Measure first 4 ingredients into a small bowl, stirring well to mix.
• (Note: As tastes have changed over the years, I have gradually decreased the Accent slightly, measuring a scant tablespoon so it won't be too salty.) Pour 1 can of tomatoes, including juice, into the bowl of a food processor.
• Add 2 tablespoons of spice mixture and 5- 6 slices of pickled jalapenos.
• Pulse on and off briefly several times until ingredients are well-mixed and tomatoes are broken into small pieces but still retain some texture.
• (It should look like a thick salsa.) Pour tomato mixture into a medium saucepan.
• Repeat with remaining can of tomatoes, remaining spices, and additional slices of jalapenos, adding mixture to the saucepan after processing.
• If your food processor can handle it, grate cheese and then put in a large pot or Dutch oven; if not, chop cheese coarsely by hand.
• (A Cuisinart makes it easier, but it doesn't affect the final outcome.) Cook tomato mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently; bring just to the boiling point, BUT DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL!
• The instant the first bubble breaks the surface, remove from heat and pour over cheese.
• Stir well, until cheese seems to have melted as much as it's going to (which won't be much-- it will still be extremely lumpy).
• Using a ladle (or a coffee mug), pour approximately 3 cups of the mixture into the food processor bowl.
• Process approximately 20-30 seconds, until mixture is smooth.
• Remove lid from processor bowl and taste for'heat' and consistency.
• If it is not as hot as you'd like, add a few more jalapeno slices.
• It will be waaaay too thick, so add water (several tablespoons at a time), processing briefly after each addition, until it is the proper consistency.
• Each batch will require a different amount of water, depending on the ratio of cheese to tomato sauce, but you'll quickly get the hang of about how much to add.
• If you accidentally get one batch too thin, you can easily compensate by making the next one extra-thick and stirring them together.
• Although this makes a huge amount, it will disappear more quickly than you ever thought possible, so stock up on lots of chips!
• Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for days on end.