Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup chicken stock (eyeball it)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup smoked cheddar cheese, shredded
1 can tomato sauce (8 ounces)
1 tablespoon chili powder (about a palmful)
2 cups leftover meat (steak, chicken, pork – whatever you’ve got), chopped or shredded up into bite-size pieces
For dipping:
Tortilla chips
Spinach flour tortillas
Pretzel rods
Veggie sticks (bell peppers, carrots, celery – whatever you like)
Cherry tomatoes
Preparation
Place a medium size skillet over medium-high heat with two turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. If your fondue pot can be used on the stovetop, you can cook the veggies right in that! Add the onion, garlic and jalapeño pepper and sauté until the veggies are tender, 5-6 minutes.
While the vegetables are cooking, melt the butter in a medium size skillet over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk the chicken stock into the butter-flour mixture, add salt and freshly ground black pepper and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and cook until thickened, a couple of minutes. Add the leftover meat to the gravy and cook until heated through. Mix in the shredded cheese and simmer until all of the cheese has melted, about 1 minute. Remove the cheesy gravy from the heat and keep warm. When the veggies are tender, add the tomato sauce and chili powder and simmer until slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes.
Once the veggie mixture is cooked, remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the cheese gravy. Serve in a fondue pot and eat it up with your choice of dippers.
