A lot of people don’t get grits. There’s the name. Then there’s the unfortunate way some people insist on preparing them, adding too much water and dressing them like Cream of Rice. When I see someone spooning sugar onto their grits, it gives me the same sick feeling as those photos of Hulk Hogan rubbing suntan lotion onto his daughter’s thighs. Oh, the undeniable wrongness.
Here is the key to grits: dress them like a baked potato. Only stir in cream instead of sour cream. Salt and pepper? Yes. Different kinds of cheeses? Yes. Ham? Bacon? Shrimp? Oh, yes. Roasted veggies work. Fresh herbs work. Hot sauce, definitely. And all this versatility means grits are great for any meal, as an entrée or side dish. My mom makes shrimp and grits for our holiday meals. I make grits as comfort food.
Yesterday, Plumber No. 3 finally fixed the plumbing in the kitchen. The repairs required opening the basement ceiling to access the old pipes, which had been leaking some sort of sludge (surprise!), so the house smells like a body farm. But we can use the sink! We can run the dishwasher! And for these things I am truly thankful.
To celebrate, I made myself some Summertime Cheese Grits inspired by a recipe in Sara Foster’s “Fresh Every Day.”
And then I’m going to wash my dishes INSIDE the house.
Life is good.
Summertime Cheese Grits with Vegetables
Adapted from Sara Foster’s “Fresh Every Day”
Serves 4
Grits:
- 2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1 cup stone-ground yellow grits (OR your choice of grits)
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese (about 3 ounces)
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
Topping:
- 1 small summer squash or zucchini, chopped or diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Basil leaves, to taste
- 2 slices cooked bacon (optional)
- If Using Stone-Ground Grits: Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Stir in the salt. Add the grits in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to medium low, and cook the grits, stirring frequently, for 40 to 45 minutes, until they are thick-soupy and the grains are tender to the bite.
- If Using Another Type of Grits: Cook according to package directions.
- Stir the milk and corn kernels into your grits, and cook for about 2 minutes to warm the corn.
- Remove the grits from the heat.
- Stir in the butter, pepper Jack, and pepper, and continue to stir until butter and cheese are melted. Season to taste. If the grits are stiff (rather than loose and creamy), stir in more milk to loosen them. Cover the saucepan to keep the grits warm until you’re ready to serve.
- To Prep the Vegetables: Chop or dice the squash (or zucchini) and red bell pepper, and sauté in 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil until the vegetables are tender. Pour the vegetables over the warm grits. Top with thinly sliced basil leaves. Add crumbled bacon, if using.
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these look awesome! i am so going to make this one day.
There is nothing wrong with sugar and butter on grits. They are not a holy relic! They are corn! Grits with too much butter and some sugar are a creamy sweet treat that lingers on the tongue and soothes like a mother’s cool hand on a fevered forehead. Next you’ll say butter and sugar aren’t amazing on plain white rice!
Yum! I bought grits on my last trip to the States but have yet to do anything with them yet. I’m definitely with you on the savoury preference, though. I just assumed that grits were a savoury thing, and one of the grocery store employees looked at me like I was nuts because I didn’t know grits were kept in the cereal aisle.
Gotta try this recipe sometime :)
Wow! I’ve never seen grits look this appetizing (in fairness, I do live in Canada). After reading your post, I think it would be fair to say, that if you treat grits like soft polenta, they’ll be delicious since I’d totally make polenta based entree using similar ingredients and techniques.
I have still never had grits, I have never seen them up in Canada. Where in the store do you buy the? Are they stored with rice and stuff?
Undeniable wrongness… sooo very much so.
MMMMM. I love grits. That looks so good.
This looks wonderful! I’m from SC, so I love grits! I’ll have to keep this in mind since I’ve got some yummy stone ground grits ready to be cooked :)
Oh, those look so good! I’m making grits this weekend with cheddar, corn and scallions. I might have to throw in some other things now.
Shrimp and grits. Grillads and Grits. And please don’t ask for a grit. It’s grits people. And they are wonderful when cooked right. Try real grits instead of instant – it’s a whole new world. Gotta try this recipe. Looks great.
That looks like a tasty way to serve grits!
I don’t need any convincing. I love them. I love any kind of ground corn. We have grits often, although I confess to often using the quick cooking.
Oh man… I do love grits. I like them with cheeses, lots of butter and salt and… mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm… I’ve never tried them with veggies and I don’t eat bacon so I won’t go there but… mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm… grits. Comfort food fo sho!
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I’m sitting here, thinking about what I could possibly make for dinner that won’t require a trip to the grocery store, and “grits” and “ezra pound cake” popped into my head. I finally found this, which I made at one point last summer and was so good. I’ve got zuchinni and grits (from south carolina, no less) handy, so I’m good to go!