Hello Root friends,
As we all slide sideways into the holiday season and the end of the year, I think we’re all feeling the need to unwind and tap into some comforting rituals, particularly without holiday travel or guests.
Perhaps not surprisingly, I’ve been getting a lot of requests for comfort food recipes. And, equally unsurprising, I’ve been finding myself turning to comfort rituals in my own kitchen (including but not limited to baking a pumpkin pie at 5:00 AM, just for me).
I won’t go into a whole long email about comfort rituals because honestly, part of what’s comforting right now is to not have to read long emails.
BUT, I did want to share with you one of my favorite comfort foods: pimento cheese. Pimento cheese is a red pepper-studded cheese spread, that was perfected in the South though its roots spread well beyond the region.
If you haven’t had it, this Southern staple takes only a few minutes to make, but the trick to getting it right is to taste, adjust, and add your mayo slowly (you want this to be a cohesive cheese spread, not a mayonnaise bomb).
Once it just holds together, you’re good.
If you’re a pimento cheese pro, I’d love to hear how my recipe compares to yours.
Don’t eat dairy? Experiment with various vegan cheese and vegan mayo.
NB: I have not tried veganizing this recipe, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you could make something pretty good with what’s on the market these days.
Xoxo
Julia, Root’s founder
P.S. I’m still having a sale on all online classes right now to assist with your affordable gift giving. Head to rootkitchens.shop and enter OK2020 at checkout for 30% off.
Giving a gift? Leave the recipient’s name, email, and gift message (if any) in the order comments and I’ll send it their way ASAP.
Pimento Cheese
16 ounces of shredded sharp or extra sharp cheddar
3/4 c grated Parmesan
(Good quality cheese is important for both)
1 7 oz jar diced pimentos, liquid reserved
Mayonnaise (I use Duke’s or Hellman’s if I’m not making my own)
Ground cayenne pepper
Vinegar-based hot sauce, like crystal or Texas Pete
Mix your cheeses together
Add in a couple tablespoons of the pimento pepper liquid, just enough to lightly coat and slightly moisten the cheese
Add your peppers and thoroughly stir together
At this point, start adding your mayonnaise a tablespoon or so at a time, stirring after each addition. What you’re going for is a very thick mixture that holds together, but that doesn’t have so much mayo in it that it tastes overwhelmingly like mayo.
Finally, spice it with your hot sauce and ground cayenne: I usually do a couple splashes of sauce and about 1/2 tbsp cayenne or so, but to each their own. Stir, taste, and adjust