Spicy Pimento Cheese Spread
To celebrate the return of the Kentucky Derby, we offer this recipe for Spicy Pimento cheese spread. It may seem a little old fashioned and out of date. But, it definitely fills the bill as a simple comfort food. Especially when drinking mint juleps. Personally I was never a fan of pimentos. They remind me of those green olives that people used to put in martinis. But, what do you do when the little pimento falls out of the olive? It’s a complete catastrophe. I prefer to use fresh roasted red peppers or peppadews. We want to get a good combination of sweet and hot.
So, what is the difference between peppers? The peppers we are most used to are bell peppers. They tend to be large with relatively thin flesh. Pimientos are native to Spain. They are medium sized, with thicker flesh, and a sweeter flavor. Some domestic pimentos in the American marketplace may actually be bell peppers. Those imported from Spain, are usually the real thing.
This leads to the age old question: pimento vs pimiento. Both spellings are correct. Pimiento cheese spread was first made in New York using imported pimientos from Spain. Southerners adapted the recipe to their tastes by adding some spices and mayo. But, the imported peppers were expensive. So, they produced domestic versions and dropped the i to come up with pimento (just like we don’t use alluminium foil).
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What if we substitute peppadew for spicy pimento cheese spread?
Peppadews are preserved sweet cherry peppers (native to south Africa) with a slight hint of spice. They come in at 1177 on the Scoville scale. Compare that to a jalapeno, which is about 5,000. The sweetness cuts the spice even more. Our recipe uses them in combination with jalapeno to create a spicy spread, because, a traditional pimento spread provides little to no heat. We call this Spicy pimento cheese dip. But, it could also be a spicy peppadew cheese dip.
Some serve this dip with fried pork rinds. But, for a more civil approach, Crackers, bread, and/or crudite vegetables may be preferred.
Spicy Peppadew (or pimento) Cheese Dip
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese extra sharp
- 8 ounces Cream cheese
- 1/2 cup diced pepperdew peppers or pimentos or roasted red peppers
- 1 medium fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced or you can use canned or bottled
- 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp Tabasco or other hot sauce
- 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix with paddle attachment until all are blended well. Serve immediately or chill and serve with crackers, bread, and/or crudite.