If I had been thinking far enough ahead I would’ve gotten some bacon and a nice ripe tomato too. Sounds like those would go nicely on a pimento grilled cheese :)
It was a pretty basic recipe!
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese
8 oz sharp New York white cheddar
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
Small jar of pimentos, drained
1/2 tsp or so of celery salt
Grate the cheese, then dump everything else on top, then mix it all together! It almost makes me feel guilty for posting in a cooking thread because there’s really not much to it haha :)
You can adjust the amount of mayo depending on how creamy you like it. Also, the flavors get a lot more intense once it’s all hung out in the fridge overnight and the pimento flavor can kinda soak into everything.
There are far fancier recipes out there but this one always seems to hit the spot when I get the craving for it once or twice a year. Hope you enjoy! :)
Just as “no fee is too big” for the Ghostbusters, no recipe is too simple to post here. I have no idea how to make this stuff. I thought you had to melt it all together and mold it and refrigerate it or something.
I’m strangely fascinated by this. Thank you, Eric!
-xtien
You’re welcome! And yeah, pimento cheese seems to do that to people. Like I said, I have zero recollection of eating this stuff growing up. I think my aunt made it for a party once or something and I remember finding it strange and interesting and that planted the seed in my mind many years ago. Since then, I’ve had it maybe 10 times. But every once in a great while it just creeps up out of nowhere and I make some. I went to the grocery to get something that had nothing to do with pimento cheese, and then I found myself walking out with the ingredients for it. It’s like some weird government mind control experiment or something! Wtf! D:
Eric, thanks for sharing!
I actually like pimento cheese quite a bit. A caterer I used once at work made a sandwich of thick-sliced, crusty wheat bread around pimento cheese, caramelized onions, bacon, and avocado (with a touch of mayo), and it was amazing!
RichVR
3665
Has anyone here tried mayo instead of butter for grilled cheese? I was a skeptic, but I’ve done it a few times and I think it’s pretty amazing.
The real secret, man?
BOTH
(Also, legit, mayonnaise can be kind of amazing on a baked potato. It’s like sour cream, but better!)
Skipper
3667
Indeed it does. Born and raised in the South and it was something of a comfort food for everyone in my family. These days I use it to add a bit to other dishes. Pimento cheeseburgers, etc. It makes me wonder if I could put some on a sheet and freeze it, then bread and deep fry it. Now THAT sounds Southern.
EDIT: Also, I’m moving to your house, Eric.
Yeah, I actually used that for my pimento grilled cheese up there. An ex introduced me to the idea. I thought she was crazy at first (well she is, but not about this particular subject :P) but I realized you pretty much just need fat to smear on the bread to keep it from burning, regardless of what form it takes.
Armando: holy CRAP that sounds good. I’m trying that before this batch is gone :D
CraigM
3670
Mayonnaise is disgusting and I like all of you a little less for talking about it so much.
I still like you guys, and appreciate your culinary chops, but just not as much ;)
The sandwich immediately inspired me to A) find Pimento cheese in my local supermarket, and B) learn how to properly caramelize onions (and maybe also buy a couple of extra onions because maybe I fucked up the first batch).
Look, man. I was raised Catholic, aight? I can go full Mayo Crusades on your ass, if need be :P
Skipper
3672
My Three Sons or Palmetto Cheese brands. Most of the others are just shit. Making it is pretty easy though.
Skipper
3673
Mayonnaise is an awesome emulsion that works as a cooking binder, and a damned good one. Every chef should use it, at least occasionally. At the very least, reserve judgement until you’ve had a good homemade mayo with some additions you like. How about some olive oil and garlic?
CraigM
3674
Make it a garlic aioli, and we can be ok. But mayonaise from a jar? I physically can not eat something made with that, my reaction is that visceral.
Skipper
3675
For what it is worth, a lot of people are in the same boat, Craig. Hell I can’t use anything but Duke’s around here and I think it is entirely because that’s the flavor that I grew up with. But homemade, man is that shit good.
Dukes is so good. When I eventually leave North Carolina, I’ll miss my friends, the BBQ, and Dukes. Hnnng
Skipper
3677
I always have at least one Dukes squeeze bottle in the fridge, that you can never get all the mayo out of. I’m of the opinion squeeze mayo should be in soft squeeze containers. That way you can actually get all of it out.
I honestly don’t even know where Dukes is based out of?
Just to further annoy the mayonnaise hater, I made spinach dip for the office pot luck today :P Complete with the pumpernickel bread and everything. That’s another weird food that has a nostalgia factor for me. I remember my (now dead) aunt making it many times at various family occasions. Now once or twice a year I get a hankering for it and make some.
(stock photo)
Armando sandwich currently under construction! D:
Yesyesyes!
And to be on-topic:
Toasted pita chips (just chopped up pocket pitas from the supermarket, then drizzled with light olive, tossed with spices–I made a batch with just salt and pepper, and another with garlic powder/onion powder/Italian seasoning/paprika/salt/pepper–and baked at 400F till crisp.
Hummus (specifically, Alton Brown’s “Hummus for Real,” with added cumin in the hummus and paprika on top). The slow-cooked chickpeas–made with just a little baking powder to dissolve the skins–are the real secret here.
And finally, some of the chicken I made previously served on some spiced basmati rice, with a nice heaping salad nearby (the chicken recipe being a heavily modified variation of Serious Eats’, I figure it’s only fair to make the whole dish). I normally prefer romaine here for the salad, but I had a ton of leftover iceberg from making Italian subs last week, sooo. . .
Lunch has been good this week :)
