Introducing jail dip, an intriguing gas station dish

👋 Hey, it's Monica. An intriguing new dish has debuted in the cooler of a West Side Citgo station.

• Called jail dip, it's built like a seven-layer dip, but with ingredients commonly found in correctional facility commissaries.

What they're saying: "I started making it because a lot of people have just come from jail and asked me to make it for them," Citgo chef Victor "Papa Joe" Ortiz tells Axios.

• "People like it, and so now I am going to try to make it every week."

Context: "Jailhouse" recipes have recently become their own culinary genre.

• TikTok star Dpeezy demonstrates cakes, burritos and a McFlurry, while others offer recipes for pad thai and pizza.

How it's made: "This jail dip is rice, [ramen] noodles, chili beans, jalapeno, pickle and nacho cheese," Ortiz says.

• Everyone in the shop had their own opinion about the proper ingredients, with some insisting it should include summer sausage and others disavowing the pickle.

If you go: Ortiz, whose Citgo kitchen is at 5107 W. Madison St., suggests you warm his version in the microwave, add a topping of chips and mix it up.

• I tried this and scooped up one crunchy, cheesy, pickly, spicy, beany and intense bite of food. A little salty for me, but I could see it offering deep comfort during tough times.