Corn and Cotija Cheese Dip

In the last three weeks I've cooked more than I have in the last three months. Weird, it just took 90 degree weather for me to find my culinary muse again. I eased back into it with the slow cooker, like the stuffed peppers I posted about last week. Then I borrowed the Cravings cookbooks by Chrissy Teigen from the library. I'm currently at the point where I open the fridge, see what's about to go bad, and throw it in a casserole dish with fingers crossed.

I made Mexican street corn  (elote, to the cool kids) a few times in the last few weeks, but try as I might I couldn't use up all the cotija. In hindsight, I didn't need the 12oz wheel. As much as I love sweet summer corn, it's definitely been a casualty of 2020. At least the fields near us; all the corn I buy is small and mealy with whole niblets missing from the end of the ear. Rather than purchase more disappointing cobs, I used canned for this recipe. If you're using fresh corn, you'll probably want 4-5 ears if they look as pathetic as mine have.

If you have any ripe tomatoes, they'd be killer in here. Corn and tomatoes are one of the best summer pairings, so I halved what was left of my cherry tomatoes and threw them in. Confession: I also added cilantro. I know, I know, a few recipes ago I'm touting the merits of a cilantro-free lifestyle, and now I'm using it on a whim. Inconceivable. I happened to have some in the house for another recipe and knew it would go bad before I could use it all, so in it went. I wouldn't outright buy it unless it's one of your favorite flavors.    

I devoured this dip. I sampled it when it came out of the oven, then I sampled it some more while I was setting the table. I sampled it again when I took a picture, and even more when I brought it out to Brent. I was singing its praises and telling Brent he better get in there before I ate it all. Halfway through dinner, I noticed he was eating the tortilla chips plain. Maybe this dip isn't for everyone. More for me, then.   

Corn and Cotija Cheese Dip

Adapted from here

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil 

2 cans of corn 

1 shallot, chopped 

3 cloves of garlic, minced 

1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt 

4 ounces cream cheese, brick style (the bricks are sold in 8oz, so you need half) 

1 cup cotija cheese 

1 tablespoon Sriracha/hot sauce 

1 tomato, or handful of cherry tomatoes, diced 

Cilantro, chopped, to taste 

Salt and pepper, to taste 

Tortilla chips, for serving 

Instructions: 

-Preheat oven to 375F 

-Over medium heat, sauté shallot and garlic until fragrant and translucent, 5-7 minutes. 

-Add corn and salt and pepper. Cook until corn is warmed or your desired charred level. 

-In a separate bowl, mix together sour cream/Greek yogurt, cream cheese and cotija. Add corn mixture to the bowl and stir until well combined. Add cilantro, tomatoes and hot sauce to taste. 

-Pour dip into small casserole dish and bake for 10-15 minutes. Season with more salt/hot sauce if necessary and garnish with chopped cilantro.

-Serve with tortilla chips