My Vegetable Blog

My grandparents introduced me to a lot of southern cooking, but pimento cheese was never really on the menu. I do have vague memories of eating it as a kid, but it wasn't very popular in northern Indiana. My mom tells me she used to buy it at the supermarket on occasion. It's been mentioned around the internets a bit lately, so I thought I should revisit this spread (not a dip).

I looked at quite a few recipes, but settled on Elizabeth's from The Kitchn. I made the smooth version and took her advice to let it sit overnight. I just did a quick taste test, and the flavors definitely developed a bit overnight. (And yes, that does mean I just ate pimento cheese for breakfast. Give me a break, it's a holiday, all right?)

Some other recipes called for mixing chopped pickles into the spread. I couldn't quite bring myself to do that, but it is pretty tasty with a bread and butter pickle chip. I'm taking a big batch to a barbecue today, and I'm serving it with the basics: white bread with the crusts cut off, Ritz crackers and celery sticks. Can't go wrong with those, right?

Have a happy, snacky Fourth!

The Kitchn: Simple Pleasures: Pimento Cheese Recipe