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. 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. 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. Grate the cheese into a bowl. 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. Refrigerate.
By the way, this is one of those flavors that you might have to grow up with. Rob thinks it is… unpleasant. 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. 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.