gouda and roasted pepper dip

gouda and roasted pepper dip
slightly adapted from chatelaine

1 red pepper, stem and seeds cut out
1 – 2 green jalapeño peppers, coarsely chopped
2 1/2 c. (625 ml) Gouda cheese, grated
1 c. (250 ml) regular sour cream
1/2 c. (125 ml) feta cheese, crumbled or chopped
2 tbsp. cilantro, coarsely chopped

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the pieces of red pepper in/on an oven-safe dish and into the oven. Roast for about 15 minutes, until the pepper is a little wrinkly and looks like it's roasted. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Once the red pepper is cool, take off the skin if it seems easy. If it doesn't, don't worry about it. Chop it roughly and put it in the food processor with the jalapeño. Throw on the Gouda, sour cream and feta. Whirl until the pepper is as fine as you would like it.

You may stir in the cilantro (saving a bit to garnish) and serve right away. If you'd like to wait up to two days, store it in the fridge, bring it to room temperature, and stir in the cilantro just before serving. Serve with tortilla chips.

hot dip option*

Replace the sour cream with 1 c. (250 g.) regular cream cheese. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until it's hot and starts to brown, about 10 – 15 minutes. Garnish with cilantro before serving. Serve with toasted baguette or pita triangles.

* But the cold dip is truly the best option. (And I'm usually a hot dip person, so you know I'm serious about that!)