Tomorrow is St Patrick’s Day. That great excuse to let-up on the Lenten observances. St Patrick is the patron of Ireland and the day will be full of lots of Guinness and whisky-drinking, I'm sure. I’ve never really engaged much with St Patrick’s Day as I’m not Irish, but I applaud drinking for the saints, there's something deeply Catholic about that. When thinking of a suitable thing to serve for St Patrick's Day I thought of something that would work well with drinking. My mind instantly went to the great Southern delicacy of Pimento Cheese (pronounced puh-meh-nuh cheese), which I just so happen to associate with not only a Patricia (Patsy, to be precise, reigning Queen of Pimento Cheese) but also with a Patrick (her grandson, and heir to the Pimento Cheese Crown). Perfect for St Patrick’s Day!
You will need:
250 grams/8 oz mild cheddar cheese (you want cheap American cheese, sorry but you do, and that’s hard to get in England. Cheap cheddar or Red Leicester should work)
4 oz jarred pimento peppers in oil, chopped finely
Quite a lot of mayonnaise (Hellmans, and not 'light')
Method:
Let the cheese come to room temperature and then grate it into a bowl. Add the pimentos and several tablespoons of mayonnaise. Mix it up, trying to mash it all together. Stir in some of the oil from the pimentos. This is really a matter of trial and error. You want a fairly loose consistency, and the cheese should start to form a sticky, spreadable sort of mess.
It sounds disgusting, I know, but it’s so good. Leave it overnight in the fridge and be sure to get it out an hour or so before eating so it can come up to room temperature.
Eat in sandwiches, on crackers, in a grilled sandwich...
Serve with a hangover.
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