Twelve small rye sandwich triangles in two rows on a white enamel tray with a blue rim, each showing a filling of white cottage cheese flecked with red pimento and green, with a layer of orange seasoned butter, beside a table knife and a blue-striped towel. — Pimento sandwiches on rye.

Pimento Sandwiches (1920)

Name: Pimento Sandwiches
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 oz jarred pimentos, drained and chopped; 1 stalk celery, finely chopped; 4 sprigs parsley, finely chopped; ½ small onion, finely chopped; ½ cup cottage cheese; ¼ cup mayonnaise, for the filling; ¼ tsp salt; ¼ tsp sweet paprika, for the filling; 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened; 1½ tsp mayonnaise, for the butter; ¼ tsp sweet paprika, for the butter; ⅛ tsp dry mustard; 12 slices rye bread, thin

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Rye bread spread with seasoned butter and a filling of pimentos, celery, onion, parsley and cottage cheese, cut in triangles: the pimento sandwiches of a 1920 New Year’s midnight menu.

By The Forgotten MenuPublished Nov 2, 2026

Recipe makes: 6 sandwiches, 12 triangles
Prep: 25 min
Total: 25 min

Chop the filling and beat the spread up to a few hours ahead and keep both cold; assemble within the hour before serving.

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Pimento sandwiches on rye.

The story behind the recipe

The first menu on Mrs. Wilson’s “Midnight Repast” for New Year’s lists oysters à la Newburg, pimento sandwiches, pickles, celery, salted nuts, punch and coffee. Her recipe for the sandwiches is on page 486, one page after the Newburg for fifteen.

What goes into them?

Four vegetables and dairy: a tall can of pimentos, two stalks of celery, eight stalks of parsley and two onions, put through the food chopper, then a cup of cottage cheese, half a cup of mayonnaise, salt and paprika. The bread is rye, spread first with a creamed mix of four ounces of butter, two tablespoons of mayonnaise, paprika and a half teaspoon of mustard. Two slices go together with the filling between, and the sandwiches are “cut into triangles.” She gives no number of sandwiches. The amounts look like a party batch, like the Newburg for fifteen on the page before, so we cut the onion, salt, paprika and butter mix to a quarter, and the celery, parsley, cottage cheese and mayonnaise to a half.

Is there a simpler version?

Yes. On page 111, in a short entry between her rice and her baked apples, the same sandwich is three things put through the chopper (a can of pimentos, a cup of cottage cheese and an onion) and loosened with four tablespoons of salad dressing. The midnight version adds the celery, the parsley, the seasoned butter and the rye.

Making it today

A 4 oz jar of pimentos stands in for her tall can, and the other amounts are cut as above. The book does not say how fine “through the food chopper” should be, so we chop by hand until the pieces are small but still show. Keep the filling cold, since it holds cottage cheese and mayonnaise. The oysters à la Newburg head the same menu, and the whole supper is in the article on the last New Year’s Eve before Prohibition.

Put One tall can of pimentoes, Two stalks of celery, Eight stalks of parsley, Two onions, ...

Mary A. WilsonMrs. Wilson’s Cook Book (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1920), Pimento Sandwiches, p. 486; the menu, p. 485; a plainer version, p. 111

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Ingredients

For 6 sandwiches, 12 triangles. Quantities are shown as written.

Quantities as written here, for 6 sandwiches, 12 triangles.

Filling

Jarred pimentos, drained and chopped4 oz
Celery, finely chopped1 stalk
Parsley, finely chopped4 sprigs
Small onion, finely chopped1/2
Cottage cheese1/2 cup
Mayonnaise, for the filling1/4 cup
Salt1/4 tsp
Sweet paprika, for the filling1/4 tsp

Seasoned butter

Unsalted butter, softened2 tbsp
Mayonnaise, for the butter1 1/2 tsp
Sweet paprika, for the butter1/4 tsp
Dry mustard1/8 tsp

Bread

Rye bread, thin12 slices

Ingredients as written here

4 oz jarred pimentos, drained and chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
4 sprigs parsley, finely chopped
½ small onion, finely chopped
½ cup cottage cheese
¼ cup mayonnaise, for the filling
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp sweet paprika, for the filling
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1½ tsp mayonnaise, for the butter
¼ tsp sweet paprika, for the butter
⅛ tsp dry mustard
12 slices rye bread, thin

Equipment

Small bowl
Chef’s knife and cutting board
Table knife
Fork

Instructions

Mix the pimentos, celery, parsley and onion in a bowl with the cottage cheese, then stir in the mayonnaise for the filling, the salt and the paprika for the filling. Keep it cold.
Beat the butter with the mayonnaise for the butter, the paprika for the butter and the mustard with a fork until it is creamy.
Spread six slices of the rye bread with the seasoned butter, and cover each with some of the filling. Top with the other six slices, pressing down lightly.
Trim the crusts if you like and cut each sandwich corner to corner into two triangles. Serve at once, or keep them covered in the refrigerator for up to an hour.

Nutrition

190calories per serving

Recipe makes: 6 sandwiches, 12 triangles
Servings: 6

Estimated per serving from USDA FoodData Central values for rye bread, cottage cheese, mayonnaise, butter and pimentos.

Recipe notes

When adjusting quantities

The filling covers about 6 slices of bread, and the seasoned butter about 6 slices; scale the two together.

Notes

Quantities mentioned in these notes don’t change when you adjust the servings.

Wilson gives amounts for a large batch and no yield; our reduced amounts, the jarred pimentos, the hand chopping and the optional trimming are ours. Her filling counts “two onions” and a “tall can” of pimentos for the whole loaf, so our half onion and 4 oz jar are a rough match. Keep the sandwiches cold and do not leave them out for more than two hours. Contains milk, egg, wheat (gluten) and mustard.

Scaling changes the ingredients only; pan sizes and cooking times need their own judgment. To adapt this recipe further, try the recipe tool at TuneMyRecipe (opens in a new tab), our sister site.