Weekend Cooking...Pimento Cheese

I must say I love my iPad and one of my favorite apps on it is Zite, "a personalized magazine for iPhone and iPad that gets smarter as you use it". You pick subjects you are interested in and it trolls the internet, endless sites, picking articles it think may interest you. You can vote thumbs up or down for each as you read it and that will determine the type of ones it will pick in the future.

I must say, I find all sorts of stuff I would never have the time, or be able, to find otherwise, including a lot of great recipes and food related stuff...and book related stuff..and photography related stuff...and Maine related stuff and fly fishing related stuff ...Ok, you get the idea.

But for Zite, and an article it led me to, I might never have realized the importance of pimento cheese in the life of our Southern neighbors. Like those below the Mason-Dixon line south. I might have gone my entire life never having tasted Pimento Cheese!
While I had heard of it, probably served in some book I had read, I had never tasted it, made it..or knew anyone else who tasted or made it. There may be people in NJ who make it, but I never met them. But according to this article, it is an essential food group in the land of Dixie.
Who knew?
Well, we Northerners had to give it a try! So I made some for the Sil and Bro for our little celebration of their 29th wedding anniversary last Sunday, along with mac and cheese and hot dogs. Hey, they picked the menu!

I must say it was a hit! Totally yummy and oddly addictive.
I did add more garlic than the one small clove that was recommended and played it by ear on the hot sauce. I was using Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce..it was what I had on hand...and had no idea hot it was compared to what she used. And then with the pepper jack cheese...well, I added about a teaspoon or two of hot sauce as I made it and added more at the end to taste.

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Perky Pimento Cheese

adapted from A Spicy Perspective

Ingredients

8 oz. cream cheese

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 very small clove garlic, minced

1 Tb. chopped onion

1 Tb. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tb. hot sauce

8 oz. shredded extra sharp cheddar (2 cups)

8 oz. shredded pepper jack cheese (2 cups)

1/3 cup chopped pimentos, drained

Pepper

Instructions

Place the cream cheese, garlic and onion in the food processor. Puree until smooth.

Then add the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce and puree again.

Scrape the bowl and add half the shredded cheese. Pulse until well combined.

Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Add the remaining cheese, pimentos and pepper to taste. Mix, cover and place in the fridge. Allow the pimento cheese spread to chill and thicken for 30 minutes.

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I will say, if you taste this when it is done, you will have an issue with waiting the 30 minutes, but do try, to let things meld.
"Pimento cheese spread is fantastic on crackers, veggies, apples, sliced bread and as a topper for baked potatoes or broccoli." I imagine it would be great on a burger or a sandwich.
Or on a spoon.
Or your finger..lol

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This is my contribution this to this week's Weekend Cooking.
"Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend."
Be sure to check out the other entries this week. As always, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.

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