Name: Poblano Pimento Cheese Recipe
Total time: 10 min
Yield: Makes 1 ¾ cups
Cuisine: SOUTHERN
Ingredients: 1 whole roasted red bell pepper, finely chopped (½ cup); 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature; ¼ cup mayonnaise; ¼ teaspoon kosher salt; 8 ounces medium cheddar cheese, grated; 1 fresh poblano pepper, peeled, seeded and minced

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By Carla Hall

and Genevieve Ko

Nov. 27, 2019

Keeping the different textures of the ingredients intact while letting their flavors meld together is key to good pimento cheese. Jarred, chopped pimentos tend to be tasteless and too mushy, so be sure to start with a whole roasted pepper and chop it yourself. Beyond that, you can optimize the texture with your mixing technique. Carla uses the paddle attachment of a stand mixer to smash the shredded cheese into the cream cheese. I prefer to mix by hand — and I don’t mean with a spoon. I like to squeeze all the components together between my fingers until well blended. The action of mashing barehanded is as satisfying as eating the resulting spread.

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1 whole roasted red bell pepper, finely chopped (½ cup)

2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

¼ cup mayonnaise

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

8 ounces medium cheddar cheese, grated

1 fresh poblano pepper, peeled, seeded and minced

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Use your hands to mix and mash everything together until very well blended. Serve with crackers or sandwich in bread.

Carla Hall

Carla Hall is an editorial board member who writes about homelessness, reproductive rights, popular culture, animal welfare, and human rights in Asia and Africa, among other topics. Before joining the board, she was a general assignment reporter for the Los Angeles Times’ California section. She previously worked for the Washington Post’s Style section, where she juggled writing with acting roles in small theaters and even a couple of TV shows. She has a bachelor’s degree in the history of science from Harvard University.

Genevieve Ko

Genevieve Ko is the former cooking editor for the Los Angeles Times. She is a cookbook author and has been a food writer, editor and recipe developer for national food media outlets. Ko graduated from Yale after a childhood in Monterey Park.