Recipe Request: Espinaca con Queso

[Deanna]

I have searched for hours and can't come up with the recipe I'm looking for. Even on Epicurious I see that someone else has requested this recipe from Jose Pepper's restaurant, but no one seems to have it.

It is a white cheese dip with spinach and hot peppers. Very creamy. When we asked the waitress what kind of cheese is used, she said "pepper jack." Well, I know for certain that if you used a standard pepper jack cheese it would certainly melt, but would not have the creamy consistency.

Another post I found somewhere said that when they inquired of a restaurant chef what HIS recipe was, he stated he didn't want to give out the recipe because he uses a low-moisture pepper jack cheese that is only available in institutional sizes...along with jalapenos, onions, spinach and fresh tomatoes.

I have found several that include artichokes, but this is NOT an artichoke-spinach dip.

And finally, I found a recipe for Queso Blanco that calls for the following (but no spinach!) which may be close but not exactly what I'm looking for:

1 cup cheese (Monterey Jack, Asadero or Chihuahua) shredded fine
4 oz. green chiles
1/4 cup Half & Half
2 Tbl. onion, chopped fine
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1 serrano pepper, chopped fine (optional)
1 Tbl. fresh cilantro, chopped fine (optional)

If anyone knows of a recipe for Espinaca con Queso, PLEASE post it here! This must truly be a TOP SECRET RECIPE that no one is willing to share (or does it truly require a MAGIC cheese?????)

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Ralph]

After enjoying a wonderful spinach dip for veggies at a Bar Mitzvah last night, your request piqued my interest, Deanna! So, I tried my own search to almost no avail!

Nothing came up anywhere for "Espinaca con Queso." I tried a few other spellings without success, but then hit on searching "spinach queso" at www.kitchenlink.com

Found quite a few, but this one seems most close to what you're describing:

My friend and I had dinner at a great Mexican place last week, and we ordered the Queso dip. It was really different.. so I asked the server what was in it. Of course, I don't have exact measurements here, but who needs measurements for Queso Dip. I made it the other night, and it was great. Just add ingredients until it tastes good to you.

**Monterey Jack Cheese, cubed

**Frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (make sure it's chopped fairly finely, so you don't have people dragging big long stems of cheesy spinach all over the place)

**Finely chopped tomatoes

**Flavored Cream Cheese (any kind with chiles, or peppers or pimientos)

**Finely chopped Red Onion

Throw it all into a bowl and microwave.

I'm sure you could easily use pepper jack cheese. But as you said, maybe someone else will have a better idea....

[Vanessa]

Hi Deanna:
MM sounds interesting. I will look in some cookbooks tomorrow but maybe the creamy part was a mix of cheeses and even cream cheese? I found these two recipes. I will continue serching tomorrow. Good night

Cheesy Beer and Spinach Dip
Tortilla chips take on new meaning and purpose when
dipped in this unpretentious cheese and spinach dip! A fondue
dish is perfect for keeping the cheese melted and warm.
Prep Time: approx. 15 Minutes. Cook Time: approx. 15
Minutes. Original recipe makes 4.5 cups ( 36 servings).
Recipe has been scaled to make 36 servings.
Printed from Allrecipes, Submitted by Sara
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2/3 cup beer
3 cups shredded Monterey
Jack cheese
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup frozen chopped
spinach, thawed and drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste


Directions
1 In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring beer to a
boil. Lower heat. Slowly stir in Monterey Jack cheese and
flour. Cook and stir until cheese is melted but not bubbly.
2 Mix spinach, cilantro, salt and pepper into the beer
mixture. Serve warm.



Hot Spinach Cheese Dip
1 ten ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 8-ounce package cream cheese softened
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/2 teaspoon garlic pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup rehydrated, chopped sun-dried tomatoes or chopped and
drained water chestnuts
crackers and or cut-up assorted fresh vegetables for serving a
few shakes of tabasco sauce...it makes it sooooooooo good...
In a one quart mini electric slow cooker, mix together spinac and cream cheese. Stir in the scallions and garlic pepper. Cover, plug in the cooker and cook for 2 hours, stirring once or twice until very hot. Reserve 2 tablespoons cheese for the top. Stir in the remaininng cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. Sprinkle the reserved cheese on top. Pass crackers and or vegetables for dipping.

[Beth]

No recipes to offer yet, but I'll volunteer for the taste off til we get it right! :D

I'll check a few books in the meantime. (insert smiley face with glasses and face buried in a good book)

[Janet K]

someone (not sure who - sorry!) posted this a while back.

Espinaca Dip

1 lb. Land O'Lakes Jalapeno cheese*
1 pkg. frozen shredded spinach
1 medium tomato, diced

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and microwave until cheese is melted. Serve with tortilla chips.

* have tried other cheeses, but they don't melt nearly as well--this cheese is sold in the deli

[sneezles]

Here's a great recipe:

2 tbs unsalted butter or safflower oil
2 small onions, finely chopped
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed, drained and finely chopped
4 jalapenos, seeded and cut into strips
10 Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and deveined, then cut into long narrow strips
2 roma or plum tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 warm water
coarse salt, to taste
1 lb queso asadero or Monterey jack shredded

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil or butter. Add the onions and jalapenos and saute until onions are limp and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the Anaheim chiles, tomatoes and spinach and continue cooking until the chiles are tender and spinach has heated through, about 8 more minutes. Pour in the cream and warm water, add the salt to taste and simmer about 3 minutes.

Stir in shredded cheese, cover and remove from the heat. After cheese has melted, stir well then pour into a warmed, heated serving bowl. Serve while it is bubbling hot as the cheese will separate if allowed to cool.

Note serves 10-12 as a dip or can serve 6 as filling for tortillas. You can also saute sliced cremini mushrooms with the onions and omit the spinach for Queso Flameado.

[Deanna]

for taking the time to post an answer, and some for even taking the time to search the internet!

There are several recipes here that sound darn close to what I'm looking for. My aunt has requested I try to duplicate this stuff for her to serve at a football-gathering-event. She will be so surprised!

Thanks again, and to anyone who hasn't tried it, I suggest you do!

P.S. I'll post reviews/results once I've had a chance to try them one by one...

[Kristilyn1]

It was me that posted the espinaca recipe that calls for Land O'Lakes jalapeno.

My favorite Mexican restaurant assures me that this is NOT the recipe--but friends swear it's so darn close they can't tell! I've tried it several times with "real" pepper jack cheese but it tends to melt into a big hard lump.

I bring my version of espinaca to parties and people always love it. Good luck!

Kristi

[Deanna]

and it appears that Land O'Lakes makes both a jalapeno jack cheese as well as a PROCESS jalapeno cheese similar to Velveeta.

Is anyone familiar with either of these? I'm trying to find a source in Kansas City. They are probably BOTH deli cheeses.

Kristilyn, thanks so much for the suggestion. Now if I can just FIND it!

:0

[SHERRY]

A friend served us an appetizer once that may be a key to keeping the cheese melted...
Her recipe was Pepper jack cheese, spinach, and a can of cream of mushroom soup...she melted it and kept it in a dip warming bowl, it has a candle under it....anyway...maybe adding the other ingredients you mentioned and a can of cream of "something" would help the dip stay creamy....I know it sounds like a weird combo, but the dip was really good... :)

[S]

This is probably not exactly what you are looking for but it is really good. This is Lorilei's spinach queso recipe that I just love. I have been using roasted garlic flavored chicken broth and lots of white pepper. She also offered a non-velveeta recipe at the time but I seem to have misplaced it.

Spinach Queso
I actually stole this recipe from a restaurant I used to work at and modified it a bit.

1 large package of Velveeta (NOT the light kind, silly)
1 can chicken broth (or veggie broth if you're a vegetarian)
1 package frozen spinach, thawed
Tabasco
White (not black) pepper
Garlic powder

Cut the Velveeta into 1-2 inch cubes. Eat a few just for the hell of it. Put the rest in a
medium saucepan and melt over low heat. Stir in some broth, probably about 1/4 cup, to
keep it smooth and liquidy. Shake in some Tabasco, white pepper, and garlic powder to
taste. Stick your finger in and taste it. Um, did you wash your hands first? OK, once the
cheese mixture tastes yummy, add the spinach. If you like green stuff, you can add the
whole package. If you're like me, just add half and give the rest to your dogs. Stir well,
dump in a bowl and serve immediately with tortilla chips, preferrably those cute little red
and blue ones. Muy bueno!

[sneezles]

Hi, S...nice to see a post from you!

[Kristilyn1]

The one I use is most definitely the PROCESSED. That's what makes it so easy to melt.........

Kristi
who doesn't win any "Light" points for THIS recipe!

[Deanna]

After contacting Land O'Lakes directly, they tell me that neither the jalapeno jack cheese or the jalapeno process cheese are available in Kansas City! Darn it!

I did see a brand called "Cacique" at one of my local groceries, but it is quite expensive for dip...a little over $7.00/pound!

I'm still going to try a couple of the other recipes and thank everyone (once again) for all the great suggestions.

[Deanna]

Thought I'd bump this up for Super Bowl ideas....still working on finding the perfect mix of cheeses!

I did try the Loon Cafe Spinach Dip; it was VERY GOOD! Not as creamy as the one I'm looking for, so I'm still trying the ideas posted.

Highly recommend the Loon Cafe Dip, though!

[Kristilyn1]

I understand that Goya also makes a jalapeno process cheese available at deli's. Though if you don't have Land O Lakes it may be unlikely to have the Goya either.

Good Luck!

Kristi

[Deanna]

Kristy -- thanks for taking the time to reply to my post.

I'll look for Goya cheese!

Deanna

[heatherfeather]

My SIL made a dip similar to what you described - and I remember it was very easy - I think she mixed salsa and a pkg. of thawed and drained spinach with cubes of cheese, popped it in the microwave. Or instead of salsa, it may have been Ro-tel diced tomatoes with green chiles. It was addictive.