- lb. extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 large red bell pepper, roasted* or from a jar
- Jalapeno mayonnaise, recipe follows
- Worcestershire sauce to taste
If you are going to grind the ingredients in a food processor, have
the cheese at room temperature (or even a little warmer); if grating
the cheese, make sure it’s cold to make it easier to grate. Using a food
processor will make the pimento cheese smooth; grating and mincing the
ingredients will produce a chunkier result.
If using a food
processor: Cut the room-temperature cheese into small chunks and put in
the food processor. Pulse until the cheese is finely ground – it may
even form a paste, which is fine. Add the pepper, cut into pieces and
pulse to combine.
If doing by hand: Grate the cold cheese on a
grater with medium holes. Cut the roasted pepper into small pieces, then
mince as finely as possible and combine in a bowl with the cheese.
Add
just enough mayonnaise to bind everything together – it won’t take
much, probably 1/3 c. – 1/2 c., perhaps a bit more if you’re preparing
the ingredients by hand. Season to taste with the Worcestershire.
To
roast a pepper: Place a washed pepper over the flame of a gas stove or
grill. As soon as one surface is completely blackened, turn the pepper
so that another area becomes blackened. Repeat until the pepper skin is
entirely black. Put the pepper in a plastic grocery bag or paper bag,
folded over, and let steam for at least 10 minutes to loosen the skin.
Wipe off the skin with a paper towel or your hands, then cut the pepper
open and remove the seeds and white pith. (It’s OK if a few particles of
the blackened skin remain.)
This article appears in Mar 17-23, 2011.
