Pimento cheese?

[PNGwynne]

A question for our Southern--and other--members: Any secret recipes for pimento cheese spread? I've made it three times, three different ways, and am curious what others think.

[GlobalObserver]

Love it.

16 oz shredded cheddar
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz pimentos (drained)
4 oz Velveeta
1/2 cup mayo
Dash of hot sauce

[PNGwynne]

I liked best the latest batch I made, it's close to yours GO:

8 oz sharp cheddar, shredded
4 oz cream cheese
4 oz drained pimento
1/2 cup mayonnaise
some various dry seasonings

It seems there's some debate about including cream cheese--I may try the next batch without. Lots of opinions about what mayo to use. And some recipes include fresh minced or grated onion.

It's very addictive lol. Nobody seems to recommend buying it pre-made.

[thunderbolt]

Go to Publix and buy it. That's my wife's recipe

[Earth 2 Chris]

I'm not sure exactly how my Mom made it, but since she passed I've never had pimento cheese that equals hers.

Chris

[EmergencyIan]

I guess I didn't know that one could make their own pimento cheese. Shows you how much I know about pimento cheese.

- Ian

[toothaction]

Tangentially related --- my grandmother used to make this spread that I still sometimes crave:

• Stick o' butter, softened
• Square o' cream cheese, softened
• A bunch of freshly minced green onion
• Paprika enough to change the color of the mixture to a pleasing, rusty orange

Cream together all of the above until it's smooth and consistent and then chill the heck out of it.

For maximum me-in-the-seventies joy, spread it on fresh, seeded rye.

[PNGwynne]

^I'm on a smoked paprika kick, I may try that.

[toothaction]

^^^ Extra tasty if you add in some chopped capers.

[Duncan]

I'm partial to vending machine sandwiches - particularly from the Wheel of Death. Back around 2002 my office had a WoD that stocked pimento cheese sandwiches. I'd never heard of such a thing, and lacked the intestinal fortitude to give it a try. I now regret that.

[PNGwynne]

So I've made a new batch for Memorial Day--you should always make it ahead. And I couldn't find pimentos and didn't want to hit another market. Luckily, the deli had whole pickled cherry peppers (the same as pimento) and I minced them. Seems great but admittedly more $$$.

[EmergencyIan]

^ Sounds great!

- Ian

[Obibob]

Regardless of the recipe ALWAYS grate your own cheese (preferably a nice medium cheddar) instead of buying the pre-shredded cheese in the bags. The pre-shredded stuff is treated so that it doesn’t stick/clump together, thus it doesn’t mix well together with the other ingredients. Therefore, it never comes out tasting right. Trust me on this one!

[PNGwynne]

^Absolutely, I read the same thing in the first online recipe I made. Plus, I like certain cheeses that are not pre-shredded; I usually use a sharp or very sharp cheddar. It's also good to mix for a while--say, 3 minutes--to blend it really well, and then fold in the pimentos.

[glimpy]

Kind of curious what is it? Is it a cheese spread or something? What does it taste like?