“I’ve said it before, I am saying it again: Grits is good!”
Below the grits line, which pretty much parallels the Mason-Dixon line, cooks argue over the color of grits (white or yellow) and the best methods of cooking it (see recipes that follow). But nearly everyone refers to these tiny grains of hominy in the singular, perhaps because nearly everyone is single-minded in his or her devotion to one form of preparation and regards all others as created by the Devil and propagated by Yankees.
Donna Pierce, the Tribune’s test kitchen director, is a Southerner who grew up with her mother’s freshly cooked grits on the breakfast table every day. “We were breakfast-only, grits and butter people,” she recalls. “For brunch, though, sometimes she would pour gravy over it, or would bake grits with cheese. I was thrilled years later when I discovered polenta.”
Pierce confirms the raised eyebrows caused by the appearance of grits with unusual toppings. “I once was served grits with sugar at a home in Mississippi,” she recalls with a slight shudder.
But nothing can engender greater consternation than the realization that the grits on the plate before you is the “instant” variety. Largely devoid of texture and flavor, these mealy specks stand at the very bottom of the grits pecking order. But in an era when breakfast in most homes, even Southern ones, is, at best, a pit stop for a stock car in need of fuel, “instant” grits has won converts.
To cook the most desirable type, coarse stone-ground grits from a grist mill, is to commit to a good 45 minutes of cooking before breakfast can be served. In a land where graciousness and compromise are respected words, a middle ground was demanding to be found. Millers took on the challenge and developed a finer grits that is “quick-cooking.” It requires about half the time, 20 minutes, and is acceptable to even purist cooks in a hurry. “Instant” grits requires only 5 to 7 minutes, but rewards the chef with little except saved time.
Here are recipes for three approaches to cooking grits: basic, creamy-style; cakes thickened with cheese that are broiled or sauteed; and a souffle with bitter greens, smoked shrimp and ham. A very good source of stone-ground grits is www.AnsonMills.com or call 803-467-4122.
Finally, a tip from one of those gracious Southern cooks: “Do not rinse grits, ever!”
BASIC, CREAMY-STYLE STONE-GROUND GRITS
Two or three servings
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup whole milk, plus 1/4 cup (optional)
1/2 cup stone-ground (coarse grind) white grits
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1. Bring water and 1/2 cup milk to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add pinch of salt, then stir in grits. Return liquid to a boil, cover pan and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook grits, maintaining simmer and stirring every 10 minutes, until creamy and almost tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Add optional 1/4 cup milk for final 10 minutes if grits become too thick.
2. When cooked, stone-ground grits will retain a gritty texture (thus their name). Season cooked grits with salt and pepper to taste and stir in butter. Serve immediately with eggs (any style) and crisp-cooked thick bacon or ham.
GRITS ‘N’ GREENS SOUFFLE WITH HAM AND SMOKED SHRIMP
Four servings
Butter and breadcrumbs to coat the inside of a 1 1/2 quart souffle mold
1/2 cup stone-ground grits, medium grind or quick, white preferred
1 cup water
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Hot pepper sauce to taste, if desired
1 large clove garlic, minced
4 large eggs, separated
1/2 cup chopped or diced baked ham
1/4 cup chopped smoked shrimp
1/2 cup blanched, drained and chopped bitter greens such as kale, turnip, chard or beet
1. Heat an oven to 400 degrees. Butter souffle dish and sprinkle with breadcrumbs to cover bottom and sides. Prepare grits as in fried grits cakes recipe, using ingredients listed above up to garlic.
2. Stir garlic and egg yolks into the grits while still hot. Add ham, shrimp and greens. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Beat whites until stiff but not dry and fold into mixture. Pour into prepared dish.
3. Bake until golden brown and crusty on top, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.
FRIED GRITS CAKES
Four servings
1 1/2 cups water
Kosher salt
1/2 cup stone-ground medium grind (quick-cooking) grits, white or yellow
Hot pepper sauce to taste
1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1. Bring water to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add salt, then stir in grits. (Use a whisk with quick grits to prevent clumping.) Return to a boil, cover pan and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring two or three times. Grits should be thick and soft. Stir in pepper sauce, cheese and butter, stirring until cheese and butter melt.
2. Remove from heat and spread grits evenly in a lightly greased 9-inch pie plate or an 8-inch square baking pan. Cool, then refrigerate until chilled and firm.
3. Cut chilled grits into wedges or squares. Saute on both sides in vegetable oil in a skillet or on a griddle until brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Serve for breakfast, or as a bed for sauced shrimp or chicken, or as croutons for a salad.
