Recipe: Grits with Corn, Goat Cheese & Roasted Tomatoes

If you haven't already noticed, Southern cooking is more than just a rising trend. And not just in the South, but all over the country. New cookbooks are hitting shelves daily, pimento cheese was declared a hot food trend of 2011 (say what?!), and Southern chefs are finally getting the national recognition they deserve.

In my spare time, I love checking out what Atlanta chefs are doing with local ingredients, whether it is checking out their restaurants on weekends or just reading their menus online. Gone are the trashy Southern stereotypes of yesteryear. Good, wholesome cooking is in and here to stay. Edna Lewis would be so proud!

One of the restaurant trends I'm loving right now is the veggie-centric, meat-as-garnish menus. They've inspired me to get creative in my own kitchen, using classic Southern ingredients as a mere jumping off point for exploring. Since local Georgia produce is sensational right now, it's not too hard to incorporate as many summer flavors into my diet as possible. That means tons of corn and peaches at my house right now! Darn.

This vegetarian recipe is a great way to incorporate Southern flavors into your cooking, while staying true to the seasons and your health. Make sure to use the best stone-ground grits you can get your hands on — those instant grocery store grits just won't do. These grits would also be delicious with some cooked greens stirred in, or maybe even a fried egg on top. It's really just a rough guideline for exploring one of the South's most cherished ingredients.

Creamy Grits with Corn, Goat Cheese, & Roasted Tomatoes
serves 2 to 4

1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 cup stone-ground grits, rinsed
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup corn kernels
1/4 cup goat cheese, plus more for garnish
Kosher salt
Butter (optional)
Good-quality olive oil, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 °. Toss tomatoes with olive oil and kosher salt and arrange on a sheet pan cut side up. Cook for approximately one hour until they are soft, shriveling, and turning golden brown.

Meanwhile, for the grits, bring milk and water to a gentle boil in a heavy sauce pan. Add grits and reduce heat to medium low. Whisk occasionally at first, then whisk more frequently as the grits begin to thicken, watching carefully to make sure the bottom of the pot does not scald. Cook until the grits are thick and creamy, about 45 minutes to an hour. Add more liquid if you feel they are too thick, and continue cooking until desired consistency is reached. Season generously with salt and a dallop of butter, adjusting to personal taste. (Grits can usually handle way more salt than you might think they can.)

Stir the corn and goat cheese into the grits. Adjust seasoning, to taste. Top the grits with roasted tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with additional goat cheese crumbles.

(Images: Nealey Dozier)

Comments (20)

1. does it matter if it is whole or 1% milk? Could I even use skim?
2. Do I keep whisking for the full hour?

I love southern food, it has such an interesting history. Southern cooks are not afraid to break rules! I love the use of everyday pantry items with gourmet ingredients.

Looks like a bowl full of goodness to me! yum. Thanks for the Southern shoutout. Best VA

Looks gorgeous, but FYI, butter is never optional. (and by that I mean, always add butter!)

Grits with milk -- a blasphemy! To get creamy grits, you have to use half-and-half at the very least.

Oh my goodness Nealy, this looks so amazing. Love the Southern cooking you're bringing to The Kitchn- keep it up!

this looks incredible! might have to make it this weekend (but use polenta)

why have I never thought of using goat cheese with grits?!!! YES.

This looks so yummy!

I love everything about this combination. Grits...takes me back to some wonderful years in the south, the tomatoes from growing up in the Midwest and goat cheese? Absolutely a passion in my adult life!

Would love it if you would include this post in our roundup of goat dishes. Meat, cheese or milk...we want to share how diverse and wonderful goat is!

http://www.creative-culinary.com/how-does-sfeeha-on-pita-end-up-with-tripping-on-goat/

I'm eating this right now, and kind of want to die a little bit. In a really good way. WONDERFUL! Thank you for the recipe!

@mlflamingo, I use skim milk for grits...it's not quite as creamy as 2% or whole, but it's better than just using water. I don't whisk constantly, just until they begin to thicken and then every few minutes.

This looks great and like my kinda comfort food... I am not sure what the equivalent of grits in Australia is... would polenta or cous cous be a suitable replacement?

I am Afro-American with Southern roots and also a traditionalist. But that's not to say I'm not adventurous. So I say that to say, I like my grits simply prepared: cooked with milk and some salt, stir in butter and sugar and it's done. Yum. Maybe scrambled eggs with cheese on the side. Sausage too, if so inclined. Grits as I know it, is a hearty, rib-sticking COLD weather dish served hot for the most part. Rarely served in the summer.

I have to be honest... the look of this dish is not a turn-on for me. I hope it tastes better than it looks (shriveled cherry tomatoes?!).

I'm sure many would disagree -- and maybe I'm being harsh -- as any dish deserves a creative twist, but that's my take on grits.

Good gravy...this sounds wonderful. I'm a born and bred Yankee, but ah loves me mah grits.

Roasted tomatoes are my absolute favorite. I haven't eaten grits much though. They kind of remind me of watered down Cream of Wheat. I'm Southern but as my family is from the Northeast, I missed out on a lot of Southern staples, like grits and collards. This recipe looks delicious!!

I can't wait to try this recipe but...need a suggestion for other cheeses. Goat cheese is a no and I want something other than cheddar. Suggestions???

@deeceebee - Try feta or cotija for a salty twist, or brie, comte, mascarpone, or even cream cheese for something more subtle. Boursin would be lovely, or Monterey Jack. Shoot, I can't think of many cheeses that DON'T go with grits! Just depends on what you like. I made this for dinner last night and it is truly delicious. Served it with quick-sauteed fresh shrimp and it's just HEAVEN.

I made this for a friend on Saturday and it was a big hit! I used grits raised and ground by a friend, and tomatoes, corn and goat cheese from the local farmer's market.

Next time I'll add a handful of basil and parsley chiffonade just before serving.

My friend and I only ate about half the batch. I have the rest in the fridge. I plan to slice it and fry it in a non-stick pan for its second appearance.

Whoa— 400 degress for 50 minutes burnt my little tomatoes! They were grape and not cherry, so I guess I didn't take into account the sizing difference....and was trying to multi-task, so I wasn't watching. Anyone have different/better results? Thanks!