We're halfway through January already and there is really only one thing I can think about: Football! The Super Bowl to be exact.
Every year, my older, college student nephews and one of their friends, whom we've adopted as another nephew, come over to watch the big game.
Now everybody knows that you can't have a Super Bowl party without delicious food and cheesy, spicy snacks. One of our favorites, year after year, is Nachos.
We could head downtown to buy a plate of bright, neon-orange imitation cheese sauce served on Nacho flavored Doritos for 10 pesos (less than a dollar) a plate, but there's nothing like a homemade cheese sauce made with real cheese.
Most cheese sauces are made with a roux (butter & flour) and milk base, but I prefer mine a little creamier, so I use Mexican crema. My favorite is this thick and rich crema from Tototlan, Jalisco. Isn't it gorgeous?
The secret to my cheese sauce is in the special little something I add to it to give it extra flavor....Jalapeño vinagre. It's the liquid canned jalapeños are packed in. It's not so spicy that it will burn your tongue off, but it does add that extra jalapeño flavor that gives you the illusion that you're eating jalapeños, even if you can't handle the heat of actually eating them.
I've shown you mine, now tell me what are your favorite football snacks?
Nachos
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups Mexican crema
- 2 tablespoons jalapeño vinagre (the liquid jalapeños are packed in)
- 6 to 8 oz. Manchego cheese (I used 200 grams), cut in bite-size cubes
- 6 slices American cheese, cut in bite-size pieces
- Tortilla Chips
- Canned jalapeño slices
Directions:
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in the Mexican crema and jalapeño vinagre and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is warm.
Stir in the cheeses.
Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the cheeses have completely melted. Season with salt and pepper. (If the sauce is still too thick, stir in more jalapeño vinagre, one tablespoon at a time.)
Ladle cheese sauce over tortilla chips and top with jalapeño slices. Enjoy!!!
