When we rounded up the flavors and ingredients of the South, some commenters asked for more Southern food coverage here at The Kitchn. Well, we heard you (more than one of us is from the South, too), and we're bringing you one of the iconic Southern foods this morning...
For those of you who didn't grow up eating grits and think they're unappealing, let us offer a couple of possible explanations:
-You ate thin, flavorless grits that were inexpensive and quick-cooking (like instant, packet oatmeal instead of slow-cooking oats).
-There wasn't enough salt, butter, or cheese involved.
Grits are essentially ground hominy (for the novices, think the texture of polenta), and yes, they are pretty bland on their own (and yes, we consider them plural). We prefer stone-ground grits cooked with chicken broth if serving them alongside a main dish. If we're using less expensive, commercial grits, we like to make grits casserole--a cheesy, eggy, fluffy dish that, where we grew up, could only be made with tubes of processed Kraft garlic cheese.
If you are faced with boring-looking, uniformly white grits and are fresh out of processed Kraft, grate on some Parmesan or cheddar. Throw in some jalapeños. Spice em up.
Here are a few recipes, from breakfast to dinner:
- Cheddar Cheese Grits Casserole, from Southern Living
- Chile-Blue Cheese Grits, from Southern Living
- Grillades and Grits, from Southern Living
- Grits, Cheese, and Onion Soufflés, from Bon Appétit
- Baked Garlic Cheese Grits, from Paula Deen
- Shrimp and Grits, from Bob Waggoner of the Charleston Grill
Related: Tell Us: What Food Takes you Back to Your Childhood?
(Image: Flickr member Dan4th, licensed under Creative Commons)
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One of my favorite ways to eat grits is fried grits (ha, how southern is that?!).
Take leftover grits, should you have any, pack them into a square tupperware, and let sit in the refrigerator overnight. They will cool into a block. Dump them out the next morning and slice them into 1/2 inch slices. Pan fry in butter (bonus points if in a cast iron skillet). Serve with syrup.
Like you said, the trick to good grits is to start with a good brand. We've been ordering stone ground Speckled Heart grits from Callaway Gardens online and shipping them to where we live in NYC. I don't have any affiliation with this company, but am now a devoted customer ever since my husband picked up a bag in an Atlanta airport gift shop as a souvenir. I am from TX, so know my grits, and I don't want to eat any other kind!
Aren't grits and polenta the same thing, just prepared differently?
Salmon Cakes with Sriracha cream sauce and Grits are a favorite in my household. My secret to good grits is cooking them in milk and adding some sharp cheddar at the end. It makes them SO creamy and delicious!!
I'll eat any grits - love 'em. Particularly love 'em on cold mornings with butter and good jam or preserves.
I made grits with Vermont cheddar cheese several weeks ago and I am absolutely in love with stone ground corn meal! I also made polenta with it. I posted my pictures on here: http://sweatyguineapig.posterous.com/southern-comfort. Please check it out!
In our building's cafeteria, there is daily oatmeal and what I thought was cream of wheat, I prepared the so called cream of wheat with milk and sugar - When someone saw me doing this they told me that it was grits and I wasn't making them correctly. I ate them anyway and grits are good sweet too :D
As a child, I grew up eating this for breakfast:
Grits with tons of butter, salt, and cheese, two eggs, a sack of fried mullet roe, a piece of soda bread, and a glass of fresh squeezed OJ from Florida naval oranges. Grits- and southern food, for that matter- are evidence that god likes us and wants us to be happy.
Grits are great buttered and salted, cheesy (anything from cheddar to parm to something fancier), fried, baked in a casserole....you name it.
The hominy you can sometimes get from old bbq joints down here is ridiculous. :P
bias cut...that sounds yummy. the only problem is that i never have leftover grits!
I've often attributed it to my mom being Japanese and my dad having grown up "in the country" but my favorite breakfast consisted of eating grits with a little bit of butter, a splash of soy sauce and shredded seaweed. Its probably an acquired taste, but I do love it so. Does it help that we also had a fried egg or two on the side?
My second favorite is fried grits (must be triangle shaped) with a wilted spinach/watercress salad with hot bacon shallot dressing.
Love grits with cheddar and a poached egg...
I hate to point out something of a technicality, but anyone from the South (and elsewhere) will tell you that grits is a singular item. Although it’s a VERY common mistake these days, grits should almost never be described in the plural. One should say, "the grits is delicious" as opposed to, "the grits are delicious". Rarely does one have a "grit"
Sorry, but it’s a pet peeve :-)
I have always wanted to try grits, but have never gotten around to take a shot at making them...
Is there a recipe for the grits pictured above? Those look really good!
I don't particularly like grits, but grew up on them. They are great sweet and savory. I like either butter, milk and sugar or with scrambled eggs and butter.
Oh, cheese is good too.
GRITSSSSSS .... yesssssss. Love them. Absolutely love them. One of many reasons I can't imagine living outside the South.
i love grits with cheese..
the best i have had is from green zebra here in chicago..
aged white cheddar and the perfect texture..and a side of faux bacon..
heaven..