I grew up saying “pimenna” cheese and loved eating it on celery stalks or as pimento cheese sandwiches. Outside the South, it doesn’t exist. Â I knew Grandma made it, instead of buying the store variety, but I’d never tried until today.
Here is, roughly, Grandma’s recipe translated to the Pacific Northwest ingredients. Â She said she tastes as she goes along, so that’s what I did too. This is what I wound up with when it tasted “right.”
- 1 8oz. block Tilamook extra sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 7 oz. jar of diced pimentos, drained
- 3 tablespoons mayo
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
Allow cheese to come to room temperature. Â Grate the cheese into a bowl. Â Add the other ingredients. Mash with fork until smooth.
Give up, cheat, and dump everything into the food processor and pulse for one to two minutes until smooth. Â Refrigerate.
By the way, this is one of those flavors that you might have to grow up with. Rob thinks it is… unpleasant. Â On the other hand, the treat from his childhood which he still has a fondness for is Spam musabi, so, you know. Take his dislike with a grain of salt. Â I love it.
It’s funny that both those items were mentioned on episodes of “Best Thing I Ever Ate” this week.
I’ve tried spam musabi and it was not as foul as I thought it would be.
Ugh, no. No no no. I have a huge aversion to mayonnaise, actually. That’s why I can’t stand pimento cheese. I also have to be super careful with the tuna salads and egg salads I consume…I prefer to make my own with ranch dressing.
I can take pimento cheese if it’s thinly spread in tea-type sandwiches that are in every Southern gala with hors d’oeurves ever, because being vegetarian means you take what you can get at these things, but beyond that, blech. I know I lose several Suthnah points for this, but I think I get them all back when I say SWEET tea for me, please.
It was always just the mayo and the texture that it gave that turned me off. I love Tillamook cheese with all my heart and soul (getting to see the factory a decade ago was one of the highlights of my life, SO MUCH CHEESE EVERYWHERE) and I do love my pimentos, but I love them better inside of green olives.
That brings back memories of my grandmother (a Southern cook) making me cheese-on-celery snacks when I was a little sprout.
I never heard of pimemto cheese until I spent 1984-1995 living in Central Florida. Trader Joe’s has been carrying it recently, and it’s pretty good, although I’m sure it’s not up to your grandma’s standards.
Pimento Cheese rocks! I make a 2.5 lb. batch twice a month. Great comfort treat to have around when friends drop by.