Friday, July 25, 2014

Zesty Pimiento Cheese with Ham


One of the most difficult things about being a family cook, or I guess I should say, yet another of the difficult things about being a family cook, is using up the bits and pieces of food not fully utilized in the creation of another dish. I recently re-worked an old favorite (more about that later) and ended up with a small piece of ham. Sure, I could have diced it into yet another chef salad, or sautéed it and added it to another omelet, but I wanted something new.

I ground up the ham in my mini food processor, hoping for enough to make a nice, spicy ham spread, but in looking at the meager half cup yield, I decided it definitely needed pairing with something else. Hmm. We had rye bread. What goes good with ham and rye? Cheese, of course.  Hey, how about cheddar cheese?  How about pimiento cheese?  How about spicy pimiento cheese with ham?  And thus a recipe was born.

I love pimiento cheese, so whipping up a batch is something I think I could do in my sleep. Each time it's a bit different depending upon the level of heat I want at the time. This was a mild version into which I stirred my leftover ham. Delicious!  Even Mr. O-P lapped it up. Now there's a recommendation for you.

Zesty Pimiento Cheese with Ham

1/2 cup ground cooked ham (just toss a chunk into a blender or food processor)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
1/3 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
Pinch of cayenne (or more, I like more)
Few grinds of black pepper

Place all of the ingredients into a medium mixing bowl and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours to blend flavors. Serve in a dish with crackers, or slather onto bread for a tasty sandwich. 

What are you cooking today?

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