Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups grated Mexican Asadero or Manchego cheese
• 1 cup Roasted Jalapeno Salsa, recipe follows
• Baked Tortilla Chips, recipe follows
• 2 slices red onion, 1/2inch thick
• 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 12 jalapeno chilies, seeded and halved
• 3 Anaheim chilies, seeded and halved
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 12 stale corn tortillas

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. To prepare the Chile con Queso, mix the cheese and Roasted Jalapeno Salsa in a cazuela or an ovenproof serving dish and bake until the cheese has melted, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
2. In a cast iron skillet, over a very high heat, char the onion slices and remove. Toast the garlic, remove and peel. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to the skillet and sear the chilies until charred. Add the remaining oil, the oregano, lime juice, and salt ingredients and cook 1 minute. Place all the ingredients in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Process until they are roughly chopped but smooth.
3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a medium saucepan, mix the brine: salt, cayenne, lime juice, water and oil. Warm over a low heat and whisk thoroughly. Cut the stale tortillas into strips or wedges. (If the tortillas are fresh, dry them by spreading them on a baking sheet and letting them sit out, room temperature, for 1 hour or more.) Briefly dip the tortilla pieces into the brine, then shake off the excess water. (A longer soaking in the brine will make the tortillas take on a more pronounced flavor.) Spread the prepared tortilla chips in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake, turning occasionally, until they are crisp and golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.