Lou’s mother Gloria worked at the ASCS office in Belzoni, MS with Mr. Moody Hall. For holidays, Moody and his wife Juanita made pimento and cheese for their friends and neighbors. When I married into the Hood family, I grew to love this stuff. It had a very unique flavor that I could never pinpoint. I asked for the recipe and tried my luck, but it just wasn’t the same. I even got Lou Anne to go visit the Halls and watch them make it to see what made their pimento cheese so special. She came home and said they used a meat grinder to process the cheese. So, we went out and purchased a meat grinder, but ours was still not like Moody’s. Surely, he was holding back the secret.
For those that know me, when I get a recipe stuck in my head, I just can’t shake it. This was one of those instances. One morning nearing Christmas I was making a grocery list which included the ingredients for pimento cheese. I thought for a minute, and then it hit me. Maybe it was the brand of sweet pickles they were using that made it different. Gloria called Moody to ask. That was it! They were using their own recipe to make their sweet pickles. Mystery solved! I love keeping a jar on hand for a quick snack or when friends stop by. Remember, you will need to make your pickles a few days ahead or keep some in the fridge ready to go, which is what I do.
Moody Hall's Pimento Cheese
Ingredients:
1 8-ounce block mild cheddar cheese, finely grated
1 8-ounce block medium cheddar cheese, finely grated
1 8-ounce block sharp cheddar cheese, finely grated
1 4-ounce jar diced pimentos, drained
2 green onions, finely chopped
4 tablespoons Moody Hall's Sweet Pickles, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 ½ cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoon sweet pickle juice from the jar
Salt to taste
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, garlic powder, onion powder, and pickle juice. Add in the cheeses, pimentos, green onions, and pickles. Mix well. Adjust for salt. Refrigerate.
Our friend Jackie from Memphis joined us at last weeks Friday Night Porch Party on her way to New Orleans to see her daughter Kayla and go shopping for wedding dresses!