HOT Meatballs!

I recently went to Whole Foods Market for my occasional splurge shopping trip! I love to go there and find myself coming home with all sorts of unusual ingredients and interesting wines. This time, I decided to give the meat counter a whirl. After perusing the selection, I decided to give their italian sausage a try. Perhaps the extra care (and cost) that goes into their sausage would be worth the trip. With nothing particular in mind to cook with these beauties, I settled on making meatballs to go into a basic fresh tomato sauce for pasta.
I have a meatball recipe that I love so I made the meatballs, baking them to the right temperature before putting them into the sauce to simmer.
When they came out of the oven, I couldnt help but taste one of those sizzling luscious balls of meat. YIKES! Those suckers were HOT! I dont mean temperature hot! I mean spicy, burn your tongue, hot! I have a love of all things spicy and can tolerate that sort of heat pretty well! But my husband and children can only tolerate a little heat. That is why I purchased five mild sausages and only two hot sausages at Whole Foods. I thought that the two sausages would add that little touch of spice that would give that punch of flavor that I desired. If I was expecting a punch, I got a whollop!
I guess the message I would like to pass along is that Whole Foods hot italian sausage is ground up FIRE! I will be serving the meatballs but I think the kids will go meatless tonight! Beware!
Oh, and here is my meatball recipe.  This is not an original recipe and I am unsure where I got it so I cannot give due credit! For that, I apologize!

Italian Meatballs

2lbs      Italian sausage ( YOU pick the heat!)
2           eggs, lightly beaten
2/3cup   dry bread crumbs
1/2cup   grated parmesan cheese (freshly grated is best)
1/2cup    milk
1/2cup    finely chopped onion
4             garlic cloves, minced2T dried parsley
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. In a large bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, milk, onion,
    garlic and parsley. Add sausage to the mixture and mix well but gently.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through (160 degrees). Serve
    with sauce or spaghetti.

Pimiento Cheese - The Pate' of the South

I love pimiento cheese and have collected recipes for pimiento cheese for many years! I have always thought of pimiento cheese as being a strictly Southern concoction because most of my friends from above the Mason-Dixon line have never tasted it. Many have never even heard of pimiento cheese. A few have only seen the mushy industrial impostor that comes in round plastic tubs. I love introducing them to real homemade pimiento cheese. There are many different recipes for pimiento cheese and I, of course, have my favorite too! I would like to share that recipe with you and to share some "do's and dont's" that I feel will help you to make your pimiento cheese live up to it's fun nickname "The Pate' of the South!"

When I was thinking about an introduction to this post, I did some research into the origin of pimiento cheese and how it became a uniquely Southern condiment/salad/stuffer/sandwich spread. However, I found  that the quintessential article on the origins of pimiento cheese had already been penned.  Robert F. Moss has written an excellent piece on the history of pimiento cheese that I highly recommend!  Mr. Moss shares that "The South can't claim pimento cheese as its own invention, but the state of Georgia was actually the center of the nation's pimento growing and canning industry."  This would certainly explain why pimiento cheese became so popular in the South.

I assume you left to read Robert's article and are well-versed on the history and tradition of this yummy food! Now, let's talk the basic ingredients of Southern Pimiento Cheese. At this point, I have to say that I do know that pimiento cheese, like all Southern comfort foods, is being "gourmet-ified" in many upscale restaurants these days. I have seen all sorts of crazy ingredients being used to glamorize and glorify pimiento cheese. I suppose there is nothing wrong with a chef playing around with his food. However, my opinion is that Southern pimiento cheese, if freshly made with good ingredients, doesn't need any doctoring. There are some definite "do's and don'ts" when it comes to making fresh pimiento cheese. Let's start there.

1. Don't use preshredded cheese EVER!  Preshredded cheese is made to stay separate and resist sticking together. This is exactly what you DON'T want! Use quality sharp or extra sharp cheese from a block and shred it.
2.  Shred the cheese in the large hole of a grater.  Never pulverize the cheese in a food processor. You want the flavor of the cheese to shine through the other ingredients. Cheese that has been reduced to mush will taste like flavored mush!
3.  Use full-fat mayonnaise if you can.  If you simply must cut the fat and calories, please only use light or low fat mayonnaise. Never use fat free mayo.  I will sometimes use a mixture of full and low fat mayo to cut some added fat. But just face it! Pimiento cheese is not diet food - unless you serve it on celery! Okay, not even then!
4.  Do not rinse the pimiento.  Drain the jar of pimiento and leave it in a colander for a few minutes but don't rinse off the wonderful juice. It adds a layer of flavor to the pimiento cheese that you don't want to wash down the drain. Chop the pimiento finely right before mixing with the other ingredients.
5.  Prepare pimiento cheese in advance for the best flavor.  Pimiento cheese needs time for the flavors to meld.  A couple of hours is okay, but overnight is so much better!
6.  Don't be afraid to season the mixture!  While I am not a fan of adding crazy flavors and textures that don't belong in pimiento cheese-just for the sake of originality- I do suggest that you season the pimiento cheese according to your family's tastes.

If you will keep the above tips in mind, your pimiento cheese will inspire oohs and ahhs from your guests. The following is my Pimiento Cheese recipe. I have also included my  recipe for Baked Pimiento Cheese Dip. Enjoy!

Leslie's Pimiento Cheese

2 cups                      grated extra sharp cheddar cheese (freshly grated with
                                   large-hole grater)
1/2- 3/4 cup              regular mayonnaise (I like Hellman's)
3T                            chopped pimiento, drained (I usually use the whole jar,
                                   but that  measurement is about right)
2T                            grated onion, or one green onion coarsely chopped
1t                             prepared yellow mustard
2 shakes                 Jalapeno Green Tobasco sauce* (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste

* Instead of the Green Tobasco, you may substitute 2 fresh (not jarred) jalapeno peppers, finely chopped or 1/8 t   cayenne pepper.

Combine all and season to taste. Refrigerate two hours or overnight.  Serve on fresh white bread for sandwiches or on trimmed celery. I have even served it stuffed into a tomato.


Lucky Baked Pimiento Cheese Dip
We call this dish "lucky" because we first served it the night Alabama won the 2009 National Championship. I'm not saying the dip caused the win, but we still serve it on big game nights... just to be sure!


1 1/2 cup   mayo                                        1t        finely grated onion
                                                                              (dried minced works fine)
1/4 cup  sour cream                                   1/4t     ground red pepper
1 (4oz) jar diced pimiento, drained           1 (8oz block)  sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2t  Worcestershire sauce                         1 (8oz block) pepper jack cheese*, grated

Stir together first six ingredients in a large bowl; stir in cheeses. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 2qt baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until dip is golden and bubbly. Serve with Fritos scoops, Triscuits or thick tortilla chips

* Taste your pepper jack cheese before adding the red pepper. I have found that the heat level in this cheese varies greatly! You might not need the added pepper. If you want NO heat, substitute Monterey jack cheese for the pepper jack