pickled okra pimento cheese

do you know about pimento cheese? it's popular throughout the southern states and is perhaps making inroads across the mason-dixon line. in texas you can get it in big tubs at any grocery store. people usually eat it on white bread in sandwich form, though sometimes it's used as a dip for vegetables or crackers.

the thing about tub cheese is that it is tub cheese. thus, it is not all that good. i mean, it's good in the sense that anything composed of cheese and mayonnaise is going to be kind of good, but it isn't really good. also, pimento cheese is ridiculously easy to make and if you make it yourself you can avoid the preservatives and weird gums that fill many commercially-prepared versions.

seriously, have you ever looked at those? i just looked up the ingredients in one brand and it had guar, xanthan, and locust bean gums, along with preservatives and artificial coloring. i am not overly concerned about that kind of stuff (i eat gummy bears, after all), but it's just never going to taste as good as homemade.

the bare bones pimento cheese recipe consists of grated sharp cheddar, chopped pimentos, and mayonnaise. however, homemade is even better when you give pickled okra a leading role. when one is discussing pickled okra, talk o' texas is really the way to go. i don't know how widely distributed it is, but i bought mine here in oregon, so it's around. and you can order it online. as the website claims, it is crisp, delicious, and crisp. on a side note, my friend once dated the scion of the talk o' texas empire and i was excited about the prospect of increased pickled okra access, but alas, it was not to be. i still have to buy it like any old sucker.

anyway, other people's dating histories aside, okra is a nice addition to pimento cheese. in fact, i have been using it instead of the pimentos, because the day has yet to come when i go into the store and think of buying a whole thing of pimentos. pimentos just never seem to enter my consciousness while i am grocery shopping (and yet there's always pickled okra in the fridge). but i got a mad craving for pimento cheese the other day and found that pickled okra is a more than acceptable substitute.

i've made this a couple of times in the last fortnight or so, and each time it was a little different. so don't take this as a hard and fast rule-based recipe, but more like a template for whatever you have around. here are the things i used last time i made it:

in clockwise order, from the top left, we have mayonnaise, jarred roasted peppers, greek yogurt, pickled okra, scallions, and sharp cheddar. the greek yogurt is total heresy, but people do sometimes put sour cream in their pimento cheese, and i think it tastes similar and i can't bear to use only mayonnaise. but feel free to do the sour cream or all-mayo thing if you like. i used about 1/2 a cup of mayonnaise and 1/3 of a cup of yogurt for this batch, i think. but i never measure it - just use a large spoon to glop it in there, stir, taste, and adjust as needed. it's supposed to be pretty creamy, but you want to be able to really taste the cheese as well, obviously. lots of freshly ground black pepper is also a good idea, but i felt like it didn't need any extra salt.

i only had a couple of the roasted peppers - i think using twice the amount seen in the picture above would be even better. i also ended up adding another 2 or 3 okra pods after i mixed the cheese up and tasted it. see? it's kind of a guessing game. the scallions were delicious sliced into it, but you could also use shallots or a little sweet onion. or you could leave those out. i used about 6 ounces of grated sharp cheddar, but the other time i made this i used part sharp cheddar and part pepper jack, so that's pretty flexible as well. sometimes i grate it on the fine setting, sometimes on the larger holes. i think i prefer the larger, because the texture is a little more pleasing and you taste the cheese more. it's up to you, though.

as with so many things, this benefits from some time in the refrigerator before you eat it - try to give it at least an hour or so. it will last several days and maybe more. we always eat it before getting to test that, however. it's good on all kinds of bread (the top picture is with whole wheat bread and, incidentally, another sandwich featuring some truly amazing smoked salmon from the farmers market. the picture below this is with some cardamom toasts from ikea.), crackers, etc. you can also dip celery sticks in it and pretend it is super healthy.

or, as always, you can eat it straight from the bowl.

*ingredients*

6 ounces cheese, grated (either sharp cheddar or a mix)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup greek yogurt or sour cream (or more mayonnaise to taste)

6+ chopped pickled okra pods

4+ sliced scallions (or substitute shallots, sweet onion, etc)

1/4 cup + jarred (or homemade!) roasted red/yellow bell peppers

black pepper

just mix it together!

also, sorry for the rather poor quality of these pictures - my camera doesn't like to photograph pimento cheese, apparently.

soba noodle salad with sweet potatoes and quick-pickled vegetables

yes, i am afraid that is more rhubarb in the above picture. since it's only around for a relatively short time each year, i tend to use it lots when i can get it. this dish is not all about rhubarb, however, and it shows its more savory side here to good effect.

i wanted to make a cold noodle salad and i thought quickly pickling some of the vegetables would add some nice flavors. i cut up four small carrots, half a stalk of rhubarb, and one small spring onion (though you could use whatever onion you have, or even scallions or shallots). i tried to make the carrots and rhubarb pretty thin, since they don't really cook.

then you want to boil some water - maybe 1 1/2 cups or so, add a tablespoon of sugar, a teaspoon or two of black peppercorns, another teaspoon-ish of coriander seeds, and whatever other spices sound good. fennel or mustard seeds would also be nice, i think. also vinegar - i used like 1/3 of a cup or so of rice wine vinegar, but you could use other kinds (though something like balsamic might be weird, cider or white wine vinegar would be good). let the whole thing boil for a minute or so and then pour it over the vegetables. they can just sit there stewing for awhile - you could even make them ahead and put them in the fridge for a few days. it's good to leave them for at least an hour or so, so they get nice and pickley. you can also add more vinegar, if you want them to be more intense.

they would be good in tuna salad or a slaw. but i used them in this soba salad.

soba noodles are made out of buckwheat, which has a distinctive earthy flavor. you could also use other noodles here, but i really like the soba ones. they should have cooking directions on them, so just cook them and then rinse them in cold water and let them dry a little. you don't want them making your sauce all watery.

for the sauce/dressing, i used 1/4 cup tamari (basically like soy sauce), 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, 1/4 cup (or maybe more like 1/3 - it's to taste) peanut butter (you could also use almond or cashew butter and it would be great), 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon molasses (you could definitely leave this out, but i had it around and i like the dark caramelly thing it adds), juice from 1/2-1 lime, and 1 tablespoon (or so) of sesame oil. i also added some of the pickling liquid - just enough to make it not too salty from the tamari.

then for the rest of the salad ingredients, i used about 2 cups of sugar snap peas that i cut in half diagonally, one jalapeño (or 1/2 or whatever - it's pretty spicy with a whole one), cut as thinly as possible, and two small sweet potatoes.

the sweet potatoes were cut into little 2 inch matchsticks (if matchsticks were thicker and we still used matches for things).

then i cooked them with a couple of teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until they were browned in spots and cooked through. it took about 6 minutes, and they were still a little al dente. i didn't want them to be too mushy.

it's important to not mess with them too much while they are cooking - just let them sit for a few minutes and brown up a little before stirring them. it's also important not to crowd the pan too much - otherwise they will just kind of steam and won't brown.

then you just mix it all together - the potatoes, the noodles, the dressing, and the (drained) pickled and raw vegetables (this mixing is easiest if you just use your hands, actually), taste it, and adjust whatever flavors need adjusting. this is really just a matter of taste. i also added some fresh mint that i cut into little strips. i think fresh herbs really make this. if you don't have mint, basil (particularly thai basil) and/or cilantro are also good options.

this is a great make-ahead dish that would be welcome at any summer potluck or picnic. it will make all those boring potato salads look like worthless crap.

it could be a side for some kind of simple salmon or chicken thing, or you could get a rotisserie chicken and put some of that in here. you could also add tofu to make it more substantial. the vegetables are changeable as well - it just depends on what you like and have around. i think red bell peppers or tomatoes or green beans would all be great.

this is a refreshing and tasty way to welcome summer. it's also nice since it doesn't require you to turn on your oven.

*ingredients*

pickles

1/2 stalk rhubarb

4 small or 2 large carrots

1 small onion or 1 bunch scallions or two large shallots

1/3 cup vinegar

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon peppercorns

1 tablespoon sugar

salad

2/3 pack soba noodles

pickled vegetables

2 cups sugar snap peas

1 jalapeño (or other spicy pepper)

2 small or 1 large sweet potato

mint/basil/cilantro

dressing

dressing

1/4 cup tamari

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 -1/3 cup peanut, almond or cashew butter

2 teaspoons sugar (or more, to taste)

1 teaspoon molasses (optional)

1/2-1 lime

1 tablespoon sesame oil

pickling liquid (optional) to taste