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Bob Armstrong Dip

Print Recipe
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Texmex
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz ground beef
  • 1/4 cup white onion, finely diced
  • 1/4 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
  • 1 stalk celery, finely diced
  • 1/2 tsp granulated garlic (plus more to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin (plus more to taste)
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder (plus more to taste)
  • salt and pepper to taste
For the Queso
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1/2 1/4 white onion
  • 1 large jalapeno (seeded if you like)
  • 1 roma tomato
  • 1/4 red bell pepper
  • enough water to cover the above ingredients
  • American Cheese
  • I added juice from pickled jalapenos and a pinch of cumin
For the Guacamole
  • 2 avocados, peeled and pits removed
  • juice of 1/2 lemon or lime or to taste
  • 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 roma tomato, finely diced (optional)

Method
 

For the Meat
  1. Heat a pot over medium heat, then add all the ingredients. Cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent and the meat is cooked, about 5 minutes. Most of the liquid should evaporate, but the mixture shouldn’t be dry. Keep warm while you prepare the other components.
    Note: Because I didn't want large pieces of onions, celery and peppers I added the vegetables to a food processor and pulsed them to almost a puree with, still some texture, but no big pieces.
    Do Ahead: The meat can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Reheat before assembling.
For the Queso
  1. To a saucepan add the celery, bell pepper, onion, jalapeno and tomato and add enough water to barely cover. Bring to a boil and cook until the skin starts to come off the tomato and the vegetables have started to soften. With a slotted spoon remove the vegetables to a food processor and puree. While you are doing continue to simmer the water that you cooked the vegetables in allowing it to reduce a little. After it has reduced a little, add the vegetable mixture back in to the water, turn the heat down to low, and gradually whisk in the cheese. Cook until the cheese has completely melted, stirring consistently. If you walk away, you may scorch the cheese and you will have to start over. At this point, taste to see if you want to add a little more cumin, and I added some of the liquid from a jar of pickled jalapenos.
    Do Ahead: Queso can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Reheat before assembling.
  2. How to assemble
  3. Pour the hot queso into a wide, shallow serving bowl. Add a scoop of meat and a scoop of guacamole, about 1/2 cup of each. Do not mix. Guests should combine the queso, guacamole, and ground beef together with tortilla chips as they eat it.
    Enjoy!