Last fall I fell in love with pimento cheese, a development that caught me by surprise. I'd never liked it before. In my experience, pimento cheese was a cold, chunky, and mayonnaise laden spread. I'd been strong-armed into trying different versions by family members throughout my life, but I always found it repulsive. So, let me tell you how the new love developed: some friends hosted a brisket contest and all of the attendees were instructed to bring side-dishes. The vegetarian options at this meat-fest were limited, so I ponied up to bravely try whatever lacked meat- and that's how this game-changing pimento spread made it onto my plate. Almost everything at the potluck was homemade and presented with flare, but to the side there was this ignored plastic tub of prepared pimento cheese from Savi Provisions. Everyone bypassed the store bought spread in favor of much more impressive looking buffet options (lucky for me!). A week or so later I made a special trip to Savi, bought a tub, and began working to replicate the deliciousness. The ingredients were listed on the label so it was a simple matter of experimenting and modifying to taste. Now I find myself making pimento cheese at least once per month!
Here's what you need:
8 ounces of softened (room temperature) cream cheese (I've used regular, lite, and greek yogurt blended cream cheese with equally satisfying results)
2 cups of sharp-cheddar cheese, grated
4 ounces of jarred pimentos + ~ 1 tbs reserved liquid
garlic powder (~ 1/2 tsp)
onion powder (~ 1/2 tsp)
lemon juice (1-2 tbs)
salt to taste
Put all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. If you prefer pimento cheese with more texture, blend the cream cheese, spices, and 1/2 of the cheddar and pimentos. Transfer to a mixing bowl and fold in the remaining cheese and pimentos.
Optional: add pickled jalapenos for a little more spice!
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