Hot Cheese & Roasted Pepper Dip [SPONSORED POST]

Hot Cheese/Roasted Red Pepper Dip (prep time:1 hour, including roasting the peppers and baking the dip. Serves 12.) 

• 12-16 mini bell peppers, halved, seeded & de-ribbed (you can use slices of full-sized peppers)
• 2 Tb. olive oil
• Large pinch of coarse sea salt (or regular salt)
• 1 C. diced canned tomato
• ½ C, shredded mild Gouda cheese, plus extra for the top (remove the wax around the rind)
• ½ brick room-temperature cream cheese.
• Crostini, crackers, pita chips and/or tortilla chips

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 while cutting and seeding the peppers. Lay the peppers on a parchment-lined baking sheet, skin side up.
2. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Bake for a half hour and allow to cool to room temperature. (*You can roast the peppers the day before or even several days before, so you aren’t doing the dip all at once.)  
3. Place the peppers in a bowl along with the tomato and puree with an immersion blender (or puree in a food processor.  I just think the immersion blender is easier to clean, plus it’s kind of cool!) 
4. Mix together the cream and Gouda cheese and stir into the puree, blending as well as possible.  Pack into a baking dish and bake for 20 minutes. 
5. After 20 minutes, stir the dip to better combine the puree with the now melted cheese. 
6. Top with additional Gouda and bake another 10 minutes until bubbling and the cheese on top is melted.
7. Garnish with a little more shredded Gouda if you like. Serve with crackers, bread rounds, chips or whatever you like.  I think it would actually make a nice spread for a sandwich.  It’s also good cold.

Thanks to Down to Earth Whole Foods on Grant Ave., Endicott for continuing to sponsor Foodie Fridays.  It is the harvest season. See what is in this week for fresh, non-messed-with produce.  Sometimes it's fun to go to the store first, see what is there and then come up with a recipe from what you have found!