Pimento Cheese

Ingredients

• 450 g sharp or extra-sharp cheddar, block, hand-grated on the large holes of a box grater — never pre-shredded
• 120 g pimento peppers, from a jar, drained and diced — not roasted red peppers from a deli counter
• 120 g Duke's mayonnaise, or Hellmann's; not Miracle Whip
• Optional additions
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, or a few dashes of hot sauce
• 115 g cream cheese, softened, for extra creaminess
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, for depth
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated

Method

1. 1
   Grate the cheddar on the large holes of a box grater into a wide mixing bowl. Pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents that prevent cohesion with the mayonnaise; hand-grated cheese produces a spread that binds correctly. The cheese should lie loose and fluffy in the bowl.
2. 2
   Drain the pimento peppers thoroughly and dice them into pieces no smaller than 5 mm — they must remain identifiable in the finished spread. Add them to the bowl with the grated cheese.
3. 3
   Add the mayonnaise. If using cream cheese, Worcestershire, garlic, or cayenne, add them now. This is where the dish lives or dies: fold everything together with a spatula or by hand, using only as many strokes as are needed to distribute the mayonnaise through the cheese. Stop the moment no dry cheese remains visible. Over-working produces a smooth paste; the correct result is rough and rustic — shreds of cheese and flecks of red pepper clearly visible throughout, the whole just cohesive enough to spread.
4. 4
   Taste and adjust: more cayenne or hot sauce if heat is wanted, more mayonnaise if the spread feels too stiff. The finished spread should be sharp from the cheddar, sweet from the pimento, and creamy from the mayo — three distinct notes in balance. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving; the spread firms slightly and the flavours knit.