In the tuna spread post, reader Lisa asked if I have a cheese pimiento spread recipe. Lucky Lisa, I made cheese pimiento spread three days before she posted that comment.
I grew up with a semi-permanent supply of cheese pimiento in the fridge. My mother, the non-cook, would often prepare the spread and my brother and I could just take it out of the fridge and spread it on bread whenever we were hungry. The mixture was equal parts of butter and shredded cheese, a small can of chopped pimiento and sugar.
Back then, our cheese pimiento spread was always made with Kraft cheddar cheese. I don’t know whether that’s because it was the only thing available or because it was the only brand that my mother was familiar with. Today, fortunately, our generation is well-acquainted with other varieties of cheese and, more importantly, we have easy access to them. When I make cheese pimiento spread these days, I use three kinds of cheese — feta, cream cheese and mild cheddar. The spread is creamier and the flavors are fantastic.
- 250 grams butter softened
- 125 grams cream cheese softened
- 125 grams feta cheese (apetina is a worthy substitute), crumbled
- 125 grams mild cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup chopped pimiento preferably roasted and skinned (see notes below)
- 4 tablespoons sugar
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In a large bowl, mix the butter, cream cheese and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Do not overmix though because you don’t want the butter cream to separate from the fats.
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Add the feta, cheddar and pimiento. Stir until blended.
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Spread on bread. Enjoy!
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Roasted pimiento is really best as the smokiness add so much in terms of aroma and flavor. You can use roasted fresh pimiento (see how), or the kind that comes in jars.
If you can’t get roasted pimiento and you use canned, choose skinless pimiento because the skins have a nasty way of getting stuck on the roof of the mouth which isn’t a pleasant sensation at all.
