Pimento Cheese not like my mother made it!
Growing up, one of my favorite lunches was a simple but satisfyingly delicious pimento cheese sandwich. My mother would use Velvetta which she would shred on an old-fashioned box crater. Then she would add diced pimentos from a jar along with gobs and gobs of Miracle Whip. It was a thing of wonder, something her West Virginia mother taught her to make. Recently, I was served a modernized version of this retro dish at the home of Lila Gault. It included both shredded cheddar cheese and smoked gouda—in addition to creamed cheese—plus smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, diced jalapeños, and garlic powder. With everyone getting in on the act making their own version of this iconic Southern dish, I decided to give it a try, too. My mother would have been pleased to see me channeling her recipe while also adding a few of my own twists which included decreasing the amount of mayonnaise and using real cheese! I can just see her spreading some of the pimento cheese on a cracker or celery stick while enjoying a tumbler of Bourbon and Coke. Simple, delicious, and always a crowd pleaser.
Ingredients:
2 cups freshly grated Cheddar cheese (I used Tilllamook medium sharp Cheddar)
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature, cut into 1-inch squares
½ cup fire-roasted red peppers, or jarred pimentos, drained and finely diced
1 large shallot, grated
¼ cup good quality mayonnaise such as Duke’s or Kewpie
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ cup roasted pecans, finely chopped (Trader Joe’s has them already roasted and salted.)
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt, to taste. (If you are not using salted nuts, you may want to add ¼ teaspoon sea salt.
Cooking instructions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, add grated cheese, cream cheese, red peppers, shallot, mayonnaise, cayenne pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.
2. Beat the mixture with a hand mixer or standing mixer until fully combined and creamy.
3. Mix in the pecans by hand with a wooden spoon. Add several cranks of freshly ground black pepper. Mix thoroughly.
4. Taste and adjust the amount of cayenne pepper to taste. Mix again.
5. Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour. It can be stored for a week in the refrigerator.
6. Serve as a dip along with unsalted crackers, celery sticks and slices of red and yellow peppers. It is also delicious as a sandwich spread on any bread of your choice along with several lettuce leaves and tomato slices. Or use it to make a grilled pimento cheese sandwich!
Makes: 2 cups
Wine recommendation: Nah. No wine called for here. Instead opt for a chilled Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, or Root beer. If desperate, Coke or Pepsi will do. Iced tea would be a favored choice in the South.