Friend and working chef Libby called the other day to discuss a potential rendezvous in Bozeman this fall. We chatted about work, fishing, life and other odds and ends, agreeing that we’ve both had enough summer and were ready for fall.
Libby then giggled and asked if I’d been getting my ‘three B’s’ lately.
I stammered and stuttered, my mind racing as to what the ‘three B’s’ could be….Beer? BBQ? Baked Alaska? Beets? Berries? Boobs? Biscuits?
She laughed and said her crew had come across an appetizer they’d served at a couple of outdoor events lately – a Guajillo chile infused bean dip with bacon and beer – hence the Three B’s Dip name.
After a hearty laugh at my list of ‘B’ items above, Libby went on to explain how the guajillo chiles add a berry-like, almost floral heat to the dip that’s unlike any you’ve had lately. Add the meaty bacon crunch, a touch of beer and gooey cheese and you have a clear winner.
Libby said her crew was spooning it into soft tortillas and rolling into soft burritos, though she said she liked it best with a handful of chips in one hand and a cold one in the other.
Better make sure you get your ‘three B’s’ this weekend.
12 dried guajillo chiles
3 cups boiling water
3 cups Ranch House Beans with broth
3 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 cup amber beer (Libby called for Dos Equis)
6 oz. diced Monterey Jack cheese
2 oz. grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, white and green
Salt to taste
Make a chile puree. Wipe off the chiles, then stem, seed and cut into small pieces (scissors work best here). Cover the chiles with three cups of boiling water, stir, cover and let stand for an hour until cool.
Remove the rehydrated chile pieces to your food processor (slotted spoon) and pour in 1/3 cup of the soaking liquid. Process until smooth and then force through a sieve set over a bowl to catch any larger pieces of chile; you should have about a cup of puree.
Puree the beans. Puree the beans and broth in the food processor; leave some texture.
Put it together. In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, add the oil then the bacon; cook until just beginning to get get crisp. Now add the garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the garlic is soft and the bacon crisp. Add the beans, chile puree, beer, half the green onions and 1/2 tsp. or so of salt. Simmer for 8-10 minutes to thicken; it will likely splatter and may need cover (mine did).
Cheese it (and show off a little). Libby says when she’s serving this on a catering run, she pours into a 10 or 12 inch cast iron skillet and sets out on the grill; stir in the cubed cheese and stir for another 3 or 4 minutes until the cheese has melted and is mixing well with the bean puree.
Remove from the heat, sprinkle on the grated cheese and the rest of the green onions; serve to chip-laden friends and family immediately.
Enjoy.
