Mom’s Pimento Cheese Dip
I haven't gotten to gush about my Mom much here yet, but she’s an amazing lady and I love her dearly - she is also the reason I love to cook and eat. And, she’s a beautiful cook, though too humble. She knows how to find the best recipes, and knows how to tweak them to make them better when needed. We talk a lot about food and share recipes with each other constantly, which I love, but I have one complaint - she always “forgets” to tell me when she does something differently or adds more of an ingredient.
Yes, this happened with the pimento cheese dip. She first sent me a link to a recipe she “uses.” I made it according to the recipe and it was good, but not as good as hers. I later watched her make it and realized she has her own way of making this based on taste, texture and how it was when she ate it growing up.
For those who don’t know, pimento cheese is a delicious, salty combination of shredded cheese and pimento peppers, traditionally bound with mayo and eaten as a dip or on a sandwich. The key to success here is mayo as your primary binder and not cream cheese. And it really does matter if you shred your cheese or use pre-shredded.
Mom’s Pimento Cheese Dip
Serves 2-4
8-12 oz. sharp/extra sharp cheddar cheese, freshly shredded
2-4 oz. pimento peppers, drained
1/2 cup mayo (Mom says Duke’s, but I can only ever find Hellman’s - must be actual mayo though)
1 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 TSP garlic powder
1/4 TSP onion powder
1/2 TSP cayenne pepper (alt. 1/2-1 finely chopped fresh jalapeno, both optional if you hate spice!)
Black pepper, to taste
How to make it
Mix your cream cheese and mayo together first so it gets evenly distributed.
Add the shredded cheese and seasoning to the bowl and mix together until combined.
Adjust seasoning as needed for your liking, and feel free to add more cheese or mayo if you see fit.
Serve by spreading or dipping sliced cucumbers or strong crackers, like Triscuits - my fave are the black pepper ones.
