Diving deeper

and the the best recipe for pimento cheese - the addictive snack that everyone loves

skim the surface (of something)

To do, engage with, or understand something to only a minimal or superficial degree

Jack never felt satisfied devoting his time and attention to one thing, so instead he's skimmed the surface of a number of hobbies and interests.

You’ve seen water striders before, haven’t you? Those slender, long and impossibly fleet insects that seems to glide across the water, barely touching the surface. I’ve always called them water bugs, and that fast dance they do water bugging. They bring to mind summer days, lazy swims, cool water, hot sunshine.

But now I’m thinking about that dance in a different way.

Because before we stayed home, hunkered down, lost touch, I think we were water bugging. It was the speedy skim, the surface conversation, the lightening quick flitting from one thing to another, all, of seeming very important and making us feel terribly busy. But water bugging never gets beneath the surface, down into the depths of things: to that scary place underneath the rock in the deepest part of the lake; to the magical beauty that inexplicably survives 30 feet below the water.

Diving deeper

When we fell off the edge of our normal lives last year, it pulled us up short. It was the antithesis of water bugging, shining a megawatt light on all that really should matter. It’s forced us to get our hair wet, to dive deeper into the lake that is our hearts and really connect with not each other, but ourselves. 

And now we’re emerging, somewhat bedraggled, bits of seaweed clinging to our arms, blinking at the sun. The moment has been caught famously in the now-viral Extra gum commercial, and the message couldn’t be clearer. It’s now time to begin the re-connection to others as we come up for air.

Learning to reconnect

We’ve just spent a most unusual weekend, one that, in times past, would have been not only anticipated, but expected and planned as part of the rhythm of our lives. Sundowner aperitivo at 5:30 Saturday…late Sunday morning brunch chez nous…a glass of wine with a friend who happens to stop by. The usual suddenly cast as exotic, slightly strange, almost as if I’m being asked to speak in a foreign language.

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere

And in a way, it is foreign. But there’s a welcome shift. The conversations go deeper, are more personal and as a result, more meaningful. We’ve shed our brittle shells and protective skin, understanding that whatever vulnerability we have is understood.

As we continue to emerge from the depths, I’m resolved to keep my hair wet, my heart open and the rose chilled. You’re welcome, friend, any time.

Pimento Cheese

adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Everyday Dorie

makes 2 cups

If the bright orange colour and the word “cheese” brings to mind Cheez Whiz, think again. Pimento cheese is the kind of appetizer that everyone loves. It’s at once spicy, savoury, rich and - be warned - highly addictive. Now that we’re back to being social again, I’ll also go back to always having cheddar cheese in the house at all times so that I can make this treat in minutes.

Instead of using whole pimentos as Dorie suggests (and that really is the most authentic way), I keep a jar of hot pimento pepper paste in the refrigerator. It’s a quick cheat with super results.

Ingredients

1/3 cup jarred pimento paste (I use Ferma brand)

8 ounces (227 g) extra-old cheddar, cut into cubes

2 ounces (57 g) old cheddar, cut into cubes

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon Piment de Espelette, optional

Combine the two cheeses and the pimento paste in a food processor and pulse a few times to begin breaking up the cheese and melding with the paste. Add the mayonnaise and salt, and process until the mixture has the texture of tiny-curd cottage cheese, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. For a smoother spread, process a minute more.

Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt if needed and the cayenne pepper if desired. Scoop into the dish you’ll be serving the spread from, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving to let the flavours develop. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.

Serve with sturdy crackers, toasted bread or crudités. Carrots and celery are particularly good here.