Pimento Cheese and Red Wine
BASIC VERSION
1/2 lb sharp Cheddar cheese
4-ounce jar pimientos
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
Salt
1/3 cup (80g) mayonnaise
Choose any of the following:
1 fresh jalapeņo pepper or 1/4 cup sliced from the jar
1/8 teaspoon Colman's mustard powder
1/8 tsp wasabi powder
1 ounce prepared mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon Heinz Chili Sauce
Louisiana Hot Sauce or other hot sauce
Or whatever you like, try and let us know some additional ideas!
Putting it Together:
1. Grate the cheese, using the large
holes of your grater. (You can use your choice of mild, sharp, extra sharp or
any combination.)
2. Drain the pimientos and chop them
coarsely. (You can substitute roasted red peppers if pimientos aren't
available, or you just like them.)
3. Put the grated cheese and chopped
pimientos in a bowl. Add the black pepper, cayenne and salt to taste. (Since
cheese is salty, you might go light on the salt at this point. You can always
adjust seasoning at the end.) Blend it all together with a fork, adding the
mayonnaise a little at a time and continuing to blend until everything is well
mixed but still has a distinct texture.
4. You can start eating it immediately,
but the flavors "develop" if you let it sit for a couple of hours
before serving. Refrigerate the leftovers, but like a fine red wine, pimento
cheese tastes best at room temperature.
You can serve it as a sandwich spread or as a snack on crackers or in
celery sticks.
5. VARIATIONS: Using all or
part of the basic batch, add the optional flavor ingredients listed, or others
like them, to your taste. A good, hot'n'spicy batch will have one jalapeņo,
seeds and ribs removed and minced very fine, plus dashes of Colman's Mustard,
wasabi and Worcestershire and a heaping tablespoon of Heinz Chili Sauce.
MATCHING WINE:
Red wine goes very well with this appetizer: Domaine Montel Merlot, Domaine
Montel Cabernet, Domaine Montel
Cynthiana