Pimento Cheese Bites with Cream of Tomato Dip |
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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Minutes |
Ready In: 0 Minutes Servings: 12 |
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Editor's note: The recipe below is excerpted from Hollywood Dish by Akasha Richmond. When I catered Billy Bob Thornton's Christmas party one year, he whipped up some of his special soy based pimento cheese sandwiches for all of us cooking in the kitchen. The following summer when I catered Billy's birthday, I made the sandwiches as an appetizer and served them with a cream of tomato dip an idea that my friend Sergio Gomez gave me. When Emeril Lagasse made pimento cheese on his show, he told the audience that when you're in the South as a guest in someone's home, and they bring out the pimento cheese it's a special thing, so I was really honored when Billy made this dish for me.Note: Any leftover dip, can be thinned out a bit with more soymilk and served as soup. When I cater parties I place the dip in small shot glasses or demitasse cups, and slice the sandwiches into long strips and serve them on top of the glasses. I also like to slice a small baguette thinly and use that to make the sandwiches. Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil |
1/2 cup diced onion |
1 large shallot, minced |
1 teaspoon kosher salt |
1 can (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in juice, chopped (retain juice) |
1 tablespoon tomato paste |
1 cup vegetable broth |
1 bay leaf |
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil |
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon fresh |
2 tablespoons white rice flour |
1 cup plain soymilk |
1/4 cup soymilk creamer |
1 teaspoon sugar, optional |
freshly ground black pepper to taste |
1 cup grated soy or dairy cheddar cheese |
2 tablespoons vegan or light mayonnaise |
2 tablespoons chopped green onion |
1/4 cup diced pimentos, drained |
1 tablespoon chopped green olives |
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt |
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper |
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce |
6 slices spelt, whole-wheat, or sliced sourdough bread |
canola cooking spray, olive oil, or 1 tablespoon unsalted butter |
Directions:
1. To make the dip, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a 4-quart soup pot. Add the onions and shallots, and sauté until softened and clear, about 8 minutes. Add the salt, tomatoes, tomato juice, tomato paste, broth, bay leaf, basil, and thyme. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes.
2. Mix the rice flour with the soymilk and the soy creamer. Whisk into the tomato mixture and simmer 5 minutes more. Remove the bay leaf.
3. Puree the dip in 2 batches in a blender until smooth and creamy. At this point, taste the soup. If you think it needs to be sweeter, add the sugar, then season to taste with freshly ground pepper.
4. To make the Pimento Cheese Bites, mix the cheese, mayonnaise, green onion, pimento, olives, salt, pepper, and red pepper sauce in a small bowl. Divide equally among 3 slices of the bread and top with the remaining bread slices. Heat a 10- or 12-inch non-stick sauté pan over medium heat. Spray with the cooking spray. If you're not watching your fat grams, add a tablespoon of the nonhydrogenated soy spread to the pan. Cook the sandwiches on each side until browned and cheese has melted. Add more spray or soy spread as you go along. Cut into quarters and serve with the dip.
5. From Hollywood Dish by Akasha Richmond, (C) © 2006 Penguin Group
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