I love anything with cheese. And if I can’t have bread, I’ll find a way to make the cheese extra cheesy and special. I’m from the South and we grew up with plastic tubs of pimento cheese. I really think the pimento was added by the original creator of this recipe to make it look pretty. Without a doubt, those tiny little pieces of red are what gives this spread its identity. Those little red punches of color do not have much flavor, but that’s just fine.
But I never really liked the over-mushy mayo in those plastic tubs. And, I like to jazz mine up with toasted pecans. I love the taste of pecans and cheese. This would also be great toasted like a grilled cheese. This stuff might force me to try some GF breads for sandwiches. I can’t imagine a fall without a grilled pimento cheese.
- 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise. Use the good stuff! Down here, that is Duke’s.
- 1 (4-oz.) jar diced pimento, drained
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 (8-oz.) block extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
- 1 (8-oz.) block sharp Cheddar cheese
- Celery sticks and/or assorted corn chips
- Make the mayo mixture. In a large bowl, stir together mayonnaise, diced pimento, Worcestershire sauce, and ground red pepper until blended.
- Toast the pecans. I toast mine in a single layer in a pan on the stove. As soon as you start smelling the rich pecans, remove from heat.
- Shred the cheese. I used my small food processor. I cut the block of cheese into smaller blocks and let the processor cut it to small pieces.
- Add pecans and shredded cheeses to mayo mixture, stirring until blended. You can store it in the refrigerator up to 1 week.
