My mom loved pimiento cheese. She had an old box grater and used to make me shred mounds of cheddar to prepare the spread from scratch, keeping it in the fridge next to jars of pickled peppers so hot even the brine made my eyes water. Hers was the simple cheese-mayo-pimiento blend. But remembering those jars of jalapenos, I thought, why not add a little more kick? Which explains this recipe: two kinds of cheddar (extra sharp & aged white), pickled jalapeno juice, chopped jicama & cilantro, the obligatory mayonnaise, a big, fat, jarred pimiento diced fine, and some mustard, green onion, & black pepper. Stuff that into home grown tomatoes and serve with more jicama sticks….or you could stuff this into pickled cherry peppers. Note: leave out the jicama if you want a smoother spread.
- 2 boxes of 12 pearl tomatoes (or extra-large cherry tomatoes) OR equal amount of home-grown tomatoes
- 1/4 lb extra-sharp yellow cheddar cheese, grated with a medium grater plus 1/4 lb aged white cheddar cheese , grated with a medium grater
- (should make 2 cups of grated cheese)
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise (Duke’s is nice if you have it)
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp dry mustard powder
- splash of jalapeno pepper vinegar brine (OR vinegar of your choice)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp very finely minced green onion
- 3 Tbsp finely minced cilantro (save a little to sprinkle on top of the finished tomatoes)
- 1/2 cup (or a little more) diced pimiento pepper (I like Roland’s Sweet & Peeled Red Pimientos, one 7.5 ounce jar holds a whole pepper, about 1/2 cup diced)
- 1 small jicama, divided (use 1/2 cup finely chopped to mix into the pimiento cheese; Cut the rest of the jicama into sticks to serve with the stuffed tomatoes)
- Grate the cheeses into a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients, with the exception of the tomatoes, and gently mix well.
- With sharp pointed kitchen shears or scissors, poke a small hole in the top of a tomato. Holding the tomato in your hand, insert the tip of the scissors into the tomato and snip the fibers and membranes in the center of the tomato to loosen them from the sides. Using the tip of the scissors or a mini spoon, scoop and scrape the tomato guts, seeds and juice out into a bowl. Using a very sharp knife, cut a tiny sliver of a slice from the bottom of the tomato, giving it a flat bottom so that it will stand up on a plate.
- Carefully fill each tomato with a small amount of the pimiento cheese mixture. Serve with jicama sticks and extra pimiento cheese.
- If you have any pimiento cheese left after stuffing the tomatoes, serve this with fresh vegetable sticks, or in lettuce cups, or with crackers, or in sandwiches, or keep it in the fridge next to your pickled jalapenos : ) It will keep for at least a week. For a smoother spread? Just leave out the chopped jicama.
No Comments