If there is anything more truly southern  than pimento cheese, I’m not sure what it is. This stuff is the real deep South deal. Right up there with fried chicken, sweet tea and biscuits.

The beauty is that you have so many variations of the basic recipe, that you can add most anything, so be inventive. I’ve given you a basic recipe as a starting point.

Serve it on crackers, make a stunning cheese and tomato sandwich, use it for grilled cheese. It’s versatile stuff.

Ingredients:

8 oz finely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
8 oz finely shredded mild Cheddar cheese
1 – 1 1/2 cups of Mayonnaise, Im a big fan of Duke’s mayonnaise.
2 tsp grated Onion
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
4 oz of chopped Pimentos
1 small Garlic clove, crushed
1/8 tsp ground Red Pepper
1-2 tsp fresh Lemon juice

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients by folding them together until incorporated. Adjust for flavor and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8-12 hours. Then mix well and transfer to individual ramekins or a suitable serving bowl.

Allow 30 minutes to come up to room temp and serve with crackers, crudités, sliced baguettes or whatever you like.

Makes about 4 cups

Note: I find that the texture is vastly improved by grating your own cheese from a block or using the food processor. Pre-grated cheese is often coated with something to keep it from clumping and it never quite comes together.