Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Pimento Cheese

I'm fixin' to make some puh-minnuh cheese.  Yeah, you heard me right...fixin' to!  And here in the South we call it puh-minnuh.  It's pronounced like those lil' thangs you put on a hook when you go down to the pond to catch a big 'un...you might know them as minnows.   But we call 'em minnuhs and what I'm fixin to make is said the same way but with a puh in front of it...puh-minnuh cheese!  We also don't call it pimento cheese spread...I guess we dropped the spread 'cause...we know it spreads!  (From hip to hip! LOL)

Now, for a little background, every good cook in the South has a recipe for pimento cheese...usually a family recipe that has been tweaked and fussed over.  Anyway, the following recipe is the one I use.  The pecans are optional, but really make a difference so...if ya got 'em, use 'em!  Also, using really good mayo is a must!  And we won't even discuss how to grate the cheese...it's a personal thang!  I use a box grater and grate the extra sharp on the small holes of the grater and the sharp cheese on the larger ones.   Make sure you use both sharp and extra-sharp!  And if I'm feeling spicy...I add 1/2 cup chopped jalapeno peppers (pickled).

                                                   Puh-minnuh Cheese

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2  cups  mayonnaise
  • 1  (4-oz.) jar diced pimiento, drained and coarsely chopped
  • 1  teaspoon  Worcestershire sauce
  • 1  teaspoon  finely grated onion
  • 1/4  teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4  teaspoon  ground red pepper
  • 1  cup  chopped pecans, toasted
  • 1  (8-oz.) block extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
  • 1  (8-oz.) block sharp Cheddar cheese

Make the mayo mixture:  Stir together mayonnaise, diced pimiento, Worcestershire sauce, grated onion, garlic powder and ground red pepper until blended.

Add pecans and shredded cheeses to mayo mixture, stirring until blended.

This can be stored covered in fridge for up to a week.  Eat with crackers, celery, or with white bread as a sandwich!

**To toast the pecans:  Preheat oven to 350°.   Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 8 to 10 minutes or until toasted, stirring halfway through to prevent burning and to allow the nuts to become brown evenly.

If you try this, I hope you like it! 

BTW...no pictures because live writer is not letting me download any and I'm also having trouble publishing this post...grrrr!

Later,

Debbie

3 comments:

  1. I thought live writer was best because it seems a lot of people are changing over to it...no me, I don't know how!
    Your southern cheese sounds so wonderful, thanks for sharing that. I can just hear you talking, funny how we all live in the USA but talk different!
    Thanks for your prayers my friend, it means a LOT to me :D

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  2. Hi Debbie. Thanks so much for the recipe. You were cracking me up. I was imagining hearing you say that! Heehee! I have to admit that I did not have a good pih-minnuh cheese recipe! You are the best. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. I made pimento cheese once a few years ago and threw the recipe away after that. I will have to try yours on hubby and see how he likes it. Take Care :)

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