Football season is upon us. Again. Not that we’re particular fans of the sport, but any occasion that combines good friends, food and drink can’t be all bad. Oh, and the game. (Rah, Rah, Rah?) In that spirit, we wanted to add to our list of “Party Dips for All Occasions” and pay homage to one of our favorite Philly haunts (yet again). This fantastic queso dip is based on an appetizer at El Vez that is a perennial pleaser in our little crowd – Melted Manchego with Sweet Onions. Its simplicity is belied by its complex, smoky, lightly nutty flavors, made even lovelier by the caramelized onions. It doesn’t hurt that manchego is near the top of our list of favorite varieties of cheese.
To get the dish started, cook the onions with herbs to help the flavors along and add a little sugar to speed up the caramelization process. Stay with them, stirring until you get that deep, brown color. We like to finish them with a little sherry vinegar and seasoning to round out the flavors. Set the finished onions aside until you’re ready to assemble the dip. (Editors note: If you don’t have sherry vinegar, substitute 1 1/2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, mixed with 1/2 tablespoon of white wine. If you don’t have wine, we can’t help you because we don’t know what that means and it scares us.)
This dip itself comes together in a jiffy, and the only real adaptation that was necessary was to make a gluten free béchamel to get it started. If this sounds overcomplicated and fancy, fret not. Béchamel is simply milk slowly whisked into a roux until it thickens slightly. Roux is a mixture of equal parts flour and butter (which you probably already knew), but the real trick to making a gluten free roux that is neither gritty nor oddly flavored borrows a page from our Turkey Gravy recipe. You’ll forego the gluten free flour blend and use sweet white rice flour instead, which you can find in the international or Asian aisle of any good supermarket. (It’s usually pretty inexpensive, too, and is great to have on hand for making gravies, soups, or anything that requires a thickener.)
Once your roux is ready, gently whisk or stir in the milk in a thin, steady stream until you have a thickened, creamy base for your dip. After that, add your shredded cheese a handful at a time and stir until melted. Repeat this until all of the cheese has been incorporated, season it, then pour it into a serving dish with your caramelized onions and you, my friend, are in business.
While you can use manchego curado, which has been aged from 3-6 months, know that your dip will be nutty and fine, but you are doing yourself (and your guests) a bit of a disservice. If you really want to enjoy all of the depth of flavor that this splendid cheese has to offer, spring for the viejo variety, aged at least 12 months, and be prepared for a new addiction/love affair. Some strange and glorious alchemy occurs in those additional six months that yields a sharper, nuttier and altogether more complex cheese while maintaining the smooth, buttery texture of the younger version. It’s heavenly.
It really is a “no fail” option, hence our fondness for it. This recipe takes full advantage of those qualities in a no fuss, “Holy crap, what’s in this?” party dip, that might just be gone before kick-off. Make a second batch to break out at halftime and you’ll be a hero to all. Serve it with a selection of gluten free crackers, chips, or slices of nice, crusty baguette.
Other serving options include stirring it into some gluten free macaroni, adding some chorizo and baking it for some of the best, albeit a little pricey, mac and cheese you’ve ever had. It’s definitely a “special occasion” option, but worth every penny. The dip, served in a small crock, also makes a wonderful addition to any cheese tray. On it’s own it also makes a delicious fondue-style starter that doubles as a centerpiece. Or you could just pretend that it’s soup and dive in with a spoon. We won’t judge you if you don’t judge us.
Inspired by a dish served at El Vez.
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons sweet white rice flour
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups milk
- 8 ounces Manchego cheese, grated (about 2 cups packed)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- dash white pepper
- To serve: thinly sliced baguette
- For the Caramelized Onions: in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, rosemary, and sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are deeply browned and caramelized. Add the sherry vinegar and cook another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- For the Manchego Queso: In a medium sized pot, heat sweet white rice flour and butter, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until butter is melted and butter/flour mixture starts to bubble, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add milk, and stirring constantly, heat until mixture thickens, about 8 minutes. Fold in cheese and stir until melted. Add salt and white pepper.
- To serve, layer half of the caramelized onions in a serving dish and pour Manchego Queso over the onions. Top with remaining onions.
Robert Kieliszek says
Could this recipe hold up to a dairy-free sub?coconut oil for the butter and almond milk for the milk?