Our Pimento Cheese —SCB There are very few foods that my born and bred Southern husband seems to feel nostalgic about, but pimento cheese is one of them. I had never heard of the stuff until I moved to North Carolina in my twenties, and I began to see tubs of the salmon-colored goop in the supermarket. I lumped it together with all the other Southern foods that are objectionable to the mayonnaise-adverse (I do love real homemade mayonnaise—just not the jarred stuff). Over time, I was served some homemade pimento cheese made with real cheddar cheese, and I began to see the appeal, but it was still too sweet for my personal tastes. A few years ago, long after we had left North Carolina, I decided to try to make pimento cheese as a surprise for Jack. Some online research led me to add Worcestershire and minced green onion which boosted the flavor a bit. Cutting back on the mayonnaise and adding a few good shakes of hot sauce made it into something I gobbled down right alongside Jack. Recently, we were out of traditional hot sauce, so I grabbed the Southeast Asian chili-sauce, Sriracha (full disclosure— I put Sriracha on everything—my son calls it ‘Mom sauce’). Jack declared it the best pimento cheese yet. Our Pimento Cheese 1 hard-packed cup of grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese 1 2 oz jar diced pimentos, drained slightly 1-2 green onions, minced 1 scant tablespoon mayonnaise 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha, or to taste (or use a few dashes of hot sauce) dash Worcestershire sauce dash salt and pepper Mix all ingredients and season to taste. Serve with crackers and celery or as a sandwich spread or burger topping. Keeps well in airtight jar in the fridge, but it never lasts that long around here! Wishing everyone happiness during their winter celebrations. —SCB Save Share TWITTER FACEBOOK TUMBLR PINTEREST EMAIL