Grits
Instructions:
- What’s the difference between grits, cornmeal mush, and
polenta? Not much in terms of how you cook them. But
grits are made from ground dried hominy ,
while cornmeal - the key ingredient in Polenta -is ground from simply dried corn. The flavor difference
is subtle. But grits are a southern favorite, mostly
served at breakfast, with butter.
- 21/2 cups water or half milk and half water
- 1 cup grits, preferably stone-ground
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter, or more to taste
- Put the water or milk and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Turn the heat down to low and slowly stir or whisk in the grits. Beat with a wire whisk to eliminate lumps.
- Turn the heat down to a minimum and cover the saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all the water is absorbed and the grits are creamy, 10 to 15 minutes. If the mixture becomes too thick, simply whisk in a bit more water. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, stir in some butter, and serve.
- Scrapple.
- Cook a double recipe of grits as directed (you can use cornmeal if you like). When the grits are just about done, stir in 1 to 2 cups chopped cooked bacon or sausage meat, along with 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried sage.
- Continue to cook until the mixture is thick. Pack it into a greased small loaf pan, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. At breakfast time, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices and panfry the slices in butter, oil, or bacon fat over medium heat until browned and crisp on both sides, about 3 minutes per side.