Roasted Green Chiles with Buttermilk and Cheese for #MuyBuenoCookbook Spotlight

I just found my new favorite appetizer. Or snack. Or entree.  Or comfort food.

I'm not exaggerating and my enthusiasm is really a tribute to the marvelous flavor and texture of this dish. I suppose I might be SLIGHTLY prejudiced due to all the melty cheese just begging for a hunk of dipping bread. Because you know I can't resist cheese or bread and when together I fairly swoon...

But despite any prejudice on my part, it in no way diminishes how delicious, comforting and soul-warming this dish is. I used to think hot spinach and artichoke dip served with a side of warm dipping bread was the true pinnacle of melted cheese conveyance - I was wrong. Spinach and artichoke dip ain't got nothing on Roasted Green Chiles with Buttermilk and Cheese. I know - the name is a real mouthful, but for something this satisfying, it's totally forgivable.

Unlike the Tomatillo Salsa Verde I shared from the Muy Bueno Cookbook on Tuesday, this recipe packs in some spicy heat. On a scale of 1 to 10 (where 10 will have you clutching your burning throat and gasping in fiery agony), this recipe is about a 6.5 for me. It's spicy, but thanks to the roasting of the chiles, all that glorious cheese, and plenty of buttermilk, the heat feels more like an intense warmth that slowly builds as I dip and dip and dip and dip. And dip again.

And like so many pure comfort foods, this dish is a true labor of love - and it helps if you remember the love while you're roasting, peeling and seeding the chiles. (Actually, the original recipe uses peeled roasted chiles, not seeded, but I chose to seed mine in fear of overwhelming spice.) Remember how happy your loved ones will be when you serve up a hot bowl of this amazing dip. And how cooking is really all about love, not speed. And how all the painstaking effort of removing stubborn, sticky seeds from 13 roasted Anaheim chiles is really saying "I love you."

Because really, it is worth every stubborn, sticky little seed. 

Just like Tuesday's post, this amazing recipe is part of the Muy Bueno Cookbook Spotlight & Cook-Off sponsored by Hippocrene and hosted at girlichef. I hope you enjoy and if you're intrigued by today's recipe, be sure to check out the Muy Bueno Cookbook and blog for even more recipes, stories, and flavors.

The new Muy Bueno Cookbook spans 3 generations of women and their passion for food - lovingly told through stories, anecdotes and favorite recipes. The cookbook is infused with 3 different flairs of Latin and Mexican cuisine, all presented through gorgeous photos of treasured family recipes.

Check back next week for even more recipes and a detailed review of the Muy Bueno Cookbook. Hippocrene is also graciously sponsoring a cookbook giveaway - which means someone (hopefully you) will get their very own beautiful copy of the Muy Bueno Cookbook. Details for the giveaway will be announced next week.

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How to Make: Roasted Green Chiles with Buttermilk and Cheese

Original recipe courtesy of Muy Bueno Cookbook
Printable Recipe

It's essential you roast your own chiles for this recipe. There's nothing difficult about roasting
chiles, but it does take some time and attention. And removing the skins and seeds from the
roasted chiles is painstaking work. It's worth it, though. It all starts with 13 Anaheim chiles.

If you want a little extra spice, add 2 jalapeño peppers.

To roast the chiles, position an oven rack under the boiler and preheat the broiler element
Evenly space chiles the on 2 baking sheets or boiler-safe trays. Pierce each chile with a sharp
knife. I used my CorningWare broiler trays for roasting which worked really well and cleaned
up easily. Place the sheets or trays under the boiler for 3-5 minutes until the first side is charred,
then turn the chiles to char the next side under the boiler for 3-5 minutes. Continue to turn
the chiles until all sides are charred (this took about 20 minutes in total for me).

Your chiles should be evenly charred and wrinkly on all sides when finished roasting.

Transfer the chiles to a container or plastic bag (I don't like plastic to touch hot food, so I used
a separate dish for this). 

Cover the chiles with a damp cloth and let rest for at least 30 minutes until cool enough to
handle. The damp cloth is important as it helps to create steam inside the container which then
helps to loosen the skins from the flesh of the roasted chiles.

Once the chiles are cool enough to handle, remove the charred skin, stem, and inner seeds.
The seeds can be REALLY tricky to remove as they will stick to everything. I recommend
removing the skins of all the chiles before removing the seeds. Then keep a bowl of water handy
to rinse your fingers and/or chiles of the pesky, sticky seeds

Once the skins, stems and seeds are removed, thinly slice the Anaheim chiles into strips as shown

You will end up with a pile of strips

Next dice the skinned and seeded roasted jalapeño peppers (if using)

Once you're finished with the chiles, the hard part is over and the dish comes together very
quickly. So you will want to have all of the remaining ingredients prepped before you begin
making the dish because it really does happen very quickly and you won't have time to grate
cheese, chop tomato or peel garlic. For the cheese, the recipe specified Asadero cheese. Sadly,
I could not find this cheese in block form or even in a shredded form all by itself, so I picked
up a bag of this 4 cheese mix. After a little Google research, it seems that Asadero and Queso
Quesadilla cheese are often used interchangeably and can be substituted with Monterey Jack
or Munster cheese.

So I also used a cup of grated munster cheese in addition to a cup of the 4 cheese mix.

You will also need half a yellow onion

Diced.

And 1 ripe tomato

Also diced.

You will need 3 cloves of garlic - I used my garlic press for these.

And finally comes the buttermilk. The original recipe recommended using suero, but I was
again sadly unable to procure it locally. The buttermilk is what gives this dish it's delicious
tang. Although you don't really taste the buttermilk exactly.

You're ready to make this amazing dish - ready? It happens fast.
Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan.

Add the onion to the hot oil and saute over medium heat for 2 minutes until translucent

Add the minced garlic and saute 1 minute until fragrant.

Stir through the diced tomato

Then add 1 Tablespoon flour and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, stirring continuously

Add the chiles and jalapeño

Stir through the chiles to combine all the flavors evenly and continue to stir over medium heat
for 2 minutes. About this time, I recommend adding about 1 to 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt.

Increase the heat to medium high and stir in the buttermilk

Bring the chiles and buttermilk to a boil, then remove from heat.

Add the grated cheese and stir to combine.

Cover the pan and let rest for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted.

Serve immediately. I highly recommend serving baguette bread for dipping. It's simply sinful
how delicious the bread with the cheese and chiles really is. And so dang addictive!

I refused to even sample the dip until I had taken all my photos. Because I knew once I started
eating, I'd have trouble stopping. Yes. Crazy good.