Ways to eat grits

[CookingFire]

A lot of northerners have a huge bias against grits, and use it as an example of the worst of Southern cooking. I think they think it's Southern oatmeal. I was working in a soup kitchen in Boston, breakfast shift where they would make mass pots of the stuff. The guys would eat it with sugar, raisins. It was watery and basically without any taste.

However, grits casserole is one of my favorite dishes -- we have it every Christmas morning. It's best made the night before, and cooked again in the morning. You have to make stiff grits (which are better than the runny version anyway). Add in cheese (cheddar with some garlic powder works fine, but the best stuff is Kraft Garlic cheese -- not available in the north... a sausage looking cheese extrusion cased in plastic), and an egg, and Jimmy Dean Hot and Spicy sausage, and bake. It bakes with a semi-hard crust of a top. Great stuff.

Here's a good version from The Food Paper.

I'd leave out all but one of the eggs.

[joiei]

I just noticed that Weightwatchers has a recipe for slow cooker chicken and grits on their web site. I would post a link but the recipe will go away and i do not want to infringe on copyrights by cut and paste. So just go check it out. The picture looked not very appetizing.

[Lan4Dawg]

My, my, I must say that the depth of grits knowledge and creativity exhibited in this thread takes my breath away!   I think we're on our way now since it's official:

I am now the proud owner of www.eHominy-grits.com.

Again, this is not a live link, only a start.  Fresser is on board to share his expertise and generally warped sense of humor in developing this website.  I would love to incorporate some of the fantastic ideas being shared here.  I'm not a website techie, so any advice/assistance would be appreciated.

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well if nothing else we could set it up as a discussion page about "all things grits" (w/ appropriate links to eGullet, natch).

btw, you know that the South of your child hood is no more when you go to the local mega-grocery and can not find "sho nuff" grits nor can you find butter milk. To make matters worse when you ask a clerk about them they look at you as if you are daft. Now I might be daft but I still want my grits and butter milk and it is nothing short of a sacrilege that a grocery store in the South does not carry either.

[divalasvegas]

Lan4Dawg the thought of not being able to purchase either sho' nuff grits or buttermilk at a local grocery store (which I currently have no problem doing) makes me cringe. (I do have a friend from North Carolina though who, when she moved to the Washington, DC area, was absolutely stunned that all grocery stores didn't sell "yeller" grits.) But, breakfast without grits? Fried chicken (for a marinade) or corn bread without buttermilk? Blasphemy. As for a discussion page--as in a blog?--all ideas are welcome. And yes, CookingFire, I too love a good grits casserole. Thanks for the recipe.

Part of what I envision is an "all encompassing" grits page/blog/whatever. Recipes, anecdotes, grits links, and of course the online creation of our (fictitious?)grits restaurant empire, complete with menu items and suggested wine pairings.

I think it'll be a lot of fun.............. weird, but a lot of fun.

[Timh]

I say eat your grits with whatever makes you happy, whith whatever means you choose to transfer them(it?) to your mouth, from whatever surface ... just eat grits, especially any organic, stone ground, even heirloom variety, just not the washed out instant stuff.

[racheld]

Heirloom Grits. I had not heard that mentioned before, and had visions of a nice muslin bag, secreted away in an old stickered trunk and saved for posterity, discovered hidden away in old Aint Ursoola's attic, and brought forth into the light of day after lo these fifty years. Cooked up properly, buttered and presented with some country ham and two fried eggs---still mighty tasty.

But when I googled the term, I got one hit: A Clemson professor with a pre-WAWAH corn strain which carries the taste of its forebears and, when presented to Paris chefs, was an immediate hit, especially topped with benne-breaded lobster dainties. My Stars and Garters!! OATMEAL would get points for sitting under LOBSTER.

So gussied-up grits have made a hit in Paris. We all knew it was just a matter of time. But why did it take Ducasse to raise our lovely old comfort food, our delectable breakfast dish, our dress-them-up-for-a-party Southern GRITS to the notice of chefs and diners and the New York Times, for Goshsakes!! You just wanna shout "New Yowark SIDDY!!!???"

At least, they'll know what we've been bragging about all these years. Move over, risotto. Grits are comin' to town.

[andiesenji]

Heirloom Grits.  I had not heard that mentioned before, and had visions of a nice muslin bag, secreted away in an old stickered trunk and saved for posterity,  discovered hidden away in old Aint Ursoola's attic, and brought forth into the light of day after lo these fifty years.  Cooked up properly, buttered and presented with some country ham and two fried eggs---still mighty tasty.

But when I googled the term, I got one hit:  A Clemson professor with a pre-WAWAH corn strain which carries the taste of its forebears and, when presented to Paris chefs, was an immediate hit, especially topped with benne-breaded lobster dainties.    My Stars and Garters!!  OATMEAL would get points for sitting under LOBSTER.       

So gussied-up grits have made a hit in Paris.  We all knew it was just a matter of time.  But why did it take Ducasse to raise our lovely old comfort food, our delectable breakfast dish, our dress-them-up-for-a-party Southern GRITS to the notice of chefs and diners and the New York Times, for Goshsakes!!  You just wanna shout "New Yowark SIDDY!!!???"

At least, they'll know what we've been bragging about all these years.  Move over, risotto.    Grits are comin' to town.

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Back during the latter part of WWII there were 3 Italian POWs who worked on my grandfather's farm. The cook, a woman of strong opinions, scolded them for calling grits 'polenta' - I don't remember her exact words but I do recall her gesturing with her big wooden spoon and pointing at the grits on the plate and repeating the word several times and saying they should not use "furren" names for real American food. They were in awe of her size and commanding presence in the kitchen.

Many years later, when I was introduced to polenta in a San Francisco Italian restaurant, I mentioned that it was just like grits and then recalled the incident in my childhood. Yet another cross-cultural food.

[Timh]

Re: heirloom grits,

John Taylor in Charleston, S.C. sells various grits from heirloom varieties of corn, and there are a few other folks doing the same, though I can't recall their names at the moment.

[ditsydine]

A lot of northerners have a huge bias against grits, and use it as an example of the worst of Southern cooking.

I think earlier in this thread, I think the best way to view grits is Southern polenta, pretty much is, IHMO.

This reminds me though, when I was a kid, and the tv show "Alice" was popular, I recall asking my babysitter after the infamous Flo said "Kiss My Grits"-what the hell grits were. "II dunno, I think they are some kind of meat." Imagine my surprise about a year later when my family moved to Asheville, NC (prior to it being a trendy mountain enclave-it was devoid of Yankee trash such as us), it was our first day there and the moving truck was delayed. We had breakfast in I think was a "Steak & Egg" (of the Waffle House ilk) and my dad ordered grits. WTF? This wasn't meat!

[Susan G]

I recall eating a soup grits concoction in Beijing for breakfast - but I can't remember the name. Soupy and tasteless, though...........I added lots of sugar!

[divalasvegas]

Heirloom Grits.  I had not heard that mentioned before, and had visions of a nice muslin bag, secreted away in an old stickered trunk and saved for posterity,  discovered hidden away in old Aint Ursoola's attic, and brought forth into the light of day after lo these fifty years.  Cooked up properly, buttered and presented with some country ham and two fried eggs---still mighty tasty.

But when I googled the term, I got one hit:  A Clemson professor with a pre-WAWAH corn strain which carries the taste of its forebears and, when presented to Paris chefs, was an immediate hit, especially topped with benne-breaded lobster dainties.    My Stars and Garters!!  OATMEAL would get points for sitting under LOBSTER.       

So gussied-up grits have made a hit in Paris.  We all knew it was just a matter of time.  But why did it take Ducasse to raise our lovely old comfort food, our delectable breakfast dish, our dress-them-up-for-a-party Southern GRITS to the notice of chefs and diners and the New York Times, for Goshsakes!!  You just wanna shout "New Yowark SIDDY!!!???"

At least, they'll know what we've been bragging about all these years.  Move over, risotto.    Grits are comin' to town.

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My oh my racheld only on eGullet would I ever hope to see, all in the same post, the words: heirloom, Ducasse, grits, Paris, and lobster. Hard to imagine, but why not? Have you ever tasted this "pre-WAWAH" strain of grits? What exactly is all the fuss about? Sounds intriguing. Just the thought of risotto having to step out of the spotlight to make way for grits makes me feel extra Southern AWL OVA.

[racheld]

I recall eating a soup grits concoction in Beijing for breakfast - but I can't remember the name.  Soupy and tasteless, though...........I added lots of sugar!

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Might that have been a dish of rice Congee? It's a staple there, one of THE comfort foods for the sick or for babies, or just when you're feeling the need of a nice soft unassuming bowl of porridgey-type breakfast or dinner. The rice is cooked in lots of liquid, usually til it's disintegrating, but it's usually served with a salty add-in, like fish or salty pickle.

Did you get stares when you added the sugar? Maybe they have a sugar/no sugar contingent just like for grits in the South.

Edited July 20, 2005 by racheld (log)

[rancho_gordo]

Re: heirloom grits,

John Taylor in Charleston, S.C. sells various grits from heirloom varieties of corn, and there are a few other folks doing the same, though I can't recall their names at the moment.

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PLUG-OLA: I sell Red Osage corn hominy/posole on my website. It's an heirloom variety and when ground in a food processor after being cooked becomes grits.

[divalasvegas]

Re: heirloom grits,

John Taylor in Charleston, S.C. sells various grits from heirloom varieties of corn, and there are a few other folks doing the same, though I can't recall their names at the moment.

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PLUG-OLA: I sell Red Osage corn hominy/posole on my website. It's an heirloom variety and when ground in a food processor after being cooked becomes grits.

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rancho gordo what would happen if one were to grind the corn hominy/posole before attempting to cook grits? Bad things? Would the final result be red (as in the picture on your website)? I think red grits would be way cool.

[andiesenji]

If you get real serious about grits, you can get one of these

and grind your own, like this, although this is a finer grind, for cornbread, this mill can grind from very coarse to very fine.

Grits, especially from heirloom type corn, turns rancid rapidly unless kept in the freezer.

There is nothing better than freshly ground grits.

[racheld]

andiesenji:

I've seen your kitchen stuff and your antique stuff and your racks of stuff.

This time you've gone too far: A perfect, wonderful machine that I WANT ONE OF!!!

Details, please.

rachel

PS. THIS SITE SHOULD OFFER ENVY-GREEN INK!

[andiesenji]

This is the vendor where I bought my mill (and several other appliances).

They have great prices and are terrific people, very helpful.

mill

I often mill my own flour for bread and this machine is better than any other I have tried.

It also will grind dry beans and peas, rice, etc., for wheat-free diets.

One of my friends has an autistic child that has improved greatly since being put on a wheat/corn/dairy-free diet. I have been grinding stuff for her but she is now getting her own mill.

[rancho_gordo]

rancho gordo what would happen if one were to grind the corn hominy/posole before attempting to cook grits?  Bad things?  Would the final result be red (as in the picture on your website)?  I think red grits would be way cool.

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I've never thought about it. The whole hominy is so wonderful, I only make grits as a leftover treat when I get tired of the whole corn.

But I do have a grinder somewhere around here, so I'll try it and report back!

[Fresser]

andiesenji:

I've seen your kitchen stuff and your antique stuff and your racks of stuff.

This time you've gone too far:  A perfect, wonderful machine that I WANT ONE OF!!!

P.S.  THIS SITE SHOULD OFFER ENVY-GREEN INK!     

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Ah gotta git me a GRITS MACHINE!!

[racheld]

andiesenji:

I've seen your kitchen stuff and your antique stuff and your racks of stuff.

This time you've gone too far:   A perfect, wonderful machine that I WANT ONE OF!!!

P.S.  THIS SITE SHOULD OFFER ENVY-GREEN INK!     

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Ah gotta git me a GRITS MACHINE!!

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YEAHHH!!! And howju do that?

[racheld]

Well, poop. How DID you do that?

[divalasvegas]

If you get real serious about grits, you can get one of these

and grind your own, like this, although this is a finer grind, for cornbread, this mill can grind from very coarse to very fine.

Grits, especially from heirloom type corn, turns rancid rapidly unless kept in the freezer.

There is nothing better than freshly ground grits.

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Okay andiesenji I being a mere mortal only have your everyday kitchen appliances: a food processor/blender combo, George Foreman Grill, a Food Saver vacuum sealer, and a whole fruit juicer. But you have definitely taken things to the next level! Thanks also for your insights on handling heirloom grits. And I have never had freshly ground grits; Hell, I never even thought about eating freshly ground grits, but I surely look forward to doing so.

[divalasvegas]

rancho gordo what would happen if one were to grind the corn hominy/posole before attempting to cook grits?  Bad things?  Would the final result be red (as in the picture on your website)?  I think red grits would be way cool.

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I've never thought about it. The whole hominy is so wonderful, I only make grits as a leftover treat when I get tired of the whole corn.

But I do have a grinder somewhere around here, so I'll try it and report back!

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Well whenever you do try it rancho_gordo--and I can't wait to see the results--I think the perfect dish would be Low Country Shrimp and Red Grits. Maybe we could even charge French Laundry-style prices for it and finally give polenta a good, swift kick in the ass.

[racheld]

Me, too. And on that uplifting and classy note, good night.

[Fresser]

Well, poop.  How DID you do that?

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