Pimento cheese is a true southern delicacy. This delicious spread is made from a never-changing base of grated extra sharp cheddar cheese, pimento peppers (also called pimiento), and mayonnaise. Common variations of the recipe include cream cheese, garlic, onions, or jalapeno peppers. Pimento cheese is such a rooted part of many southerners lives that we are unaware that our passion for this unique spread remains largely confined to states below the Mason-Dixon line, where it is affectionately known as The Caviar of The South.
Let me introduce my old faithful standby – Green Chile Pimento Cheese. It is the recipe I’ve used for years. So many in fact, I have no clue how I came about acquiring it, but I’m sure glad I did. Quick and simple to prepare this southern spread is brimming with a variety of flavors. Even with the green chile peppers, it doesn’t pack much heat making it perfect for the family (even the young’uns).
I make mine using extra sharp Cheddar cheese, Pepper Jack cheese, pimento, onion, green chile peppers, Worcestershire sauce, and mayonnaise.
I usually mix the mayonnaise, drained pimento, onions, Worcestershire sauce, and chili peppers together first. Then I mix in the cheeses. You want to be sure and do this gradually, take a handful of cheese and sprinkle it over the mixture and stir until it’s completely incorporated into the mixture. Repeat this step until all cheese has been added. If you skip this step it is very likely you will end up with a big blob, as the cheese will pack and clump up. Cheese blobs are not fun.
Our beloved Green Chile Pimento Cheese elevates an ordinary grilled cheese sandwich into something heavenly. Hea-ven-ly. There’s just no other way to describe it. We love to eat it with celery, crackers, on baked potatoes, and well, just about anything else we’re having a hankerin’ for at that moment. Be brave and adventurous. Try it on different things, and stop back by here and tell me what you like to eat it with in the comments.
Ingredients
- 2 8 ounce blocks extra sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 8 ounce block Pepper Jack cheese (Monterey Jack cheese with peppers), shredded
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 4.5 ounce can chopped green chiles
- 1 4 ounce jar dice pimento (or pimiento), drained
- 1/4 small onion minced
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Stir together the mayonnaise and next four ingredients. Gradually add the grated cheeses, one handful at a time, to the mixture, stirring after each handful until completely incorporated into the mixture.
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Our friends have dubbed this “Culpeper Crack.” We add a cubanelle, jalapeno or anaheim pepper to it, whatever looks good and fresh that day.
Kim, I love the name! I’m sure the addition of fresh peppers tastes great and “turns up the heat” a notch. I’ll have to give that a try next time I make it.