Rediscovering Pimento Cheese
Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 1:00AM 
“What’s this stuff?” Nicky asked, holding up a giant tub of pimento cheese at our neighborhood market. “Oh, it’s just a Southern thing.” I said. “I used to carry it in my school lunchbox.” Then Andrew added, “Well, it’s actually a Midwest thing too.”
Almost everyone has a dish they remember from childhood or family gatherings of years past. I don’t know exactly when I had my first taste of pimento cheese, but if I had to guess, I’d say it was a lunchbox sandwich. As memory serves me, my childhood sandwiches were often pimento cheese, PB&J, olive loaf or bologna on white bread.
Andrew even remembers pimento cheese balls coated with slivered almonds and a maraschino cherry on top from Schuler’s Steakhouse every Thanksgiving and Christmas. In fact, it was a part of almost every holiday buffet spread we could remember.
Memories of retro foods like these are gathered from a collection of friendships, family, innumerable meals and special occasions of a lifetime.
For nostalgia’s sake, we decided to make our own batch of the offending cheese spread and serve along with olive loaf, saltine crackers, celery sticks, red delicious apples, a loaf of white bread and a pitcher of Kool-Aid for a novelty smorgasbord lunch. It was great fun; Andrew and I shared old photos and stories about the foods of our childhoods, which inspired the boys to remember things about “when they were little too!”
Repeat a nostalgic meal of your own and create new memories. You’ll have lots of laughs and culinary, if not guilty, pleasure too!
Homemade Pimento Cheese
1 pound sharp Cheddar, grated
½ cup mayonnaise
1 small (4 ounce) jar of pimentos
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Horseradish, to taste (this was Andrew’s idea)
In a medium bowl, mix cheese, mayonnaise and pimentos together. Season to taste with salt, pepper and horseradish, if you like it spicy. Use as sandwich spread or serve with crackers, carrot and celery sticks or apple slices.
Makes 4 servings
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Reader Comments (1)
wow.........sandwich is one of my favourite food.