What is grit? What are grits? Do you have true grit?
What in the hell are grits?
Grits have been a part of America before it was America. Natives here ate corn and its byproducts before we ever came along and decided to take over and change and in a lot of way screw up things. As time passed, what once was called mush or “rockahominy” by natives was converted to what we now call grits. Hominy is dried corn that is soaked in lye to remove the outer hull yielding a swollen white corn kernel. To make this more complicated, back in the day towns had grist mills where dried corn was ground and the larger pieces were turned into the porridge that we know as grits. Confusing right?
Lets get more confused! As this country became involved in slavery, West Africans and Natives of the West Indies were brought to the American South and they brought with them the desire for porridges made from other grains but since corn was the most prevalent, they used what they had around them and refined the form of grits that is still a Southern staple to this day.
And even more confusing is the argument that there are “vast” differences between: grits, polenta, farina and corn meal. The differences are very minute in the grand scheme of things and the argument basically comes down to pride and the age old argument of what and who is better at something and/or whose preperation is better.
I personally prefer stone ground course yellow grits.
Now some folks say that grits should only be grits and water with maybe some pork fat and salt…
I am not one of them. I think grits are a platform of which to build upon. Let me share with you the first time my wife had grits my way.
I made very creamy grits and then finished them with copious amounts of cheddar cheese.
Her reaction: “Delicious!!! MMMMM I Love it!”
Fast-forward a few weeks and I decided to put a little chipotle in the grits and didn’t tell her…. “These Suck! What did you do?? I hate it!!!”
This proves that:
1. I took it too far for her taste.
2. Everyone takes their grits personally. Even folks from Jersey.
Anson Mills www.ansonmills.com in Columbia SC has fantastic course stone ground grits if you are so inclined.
BASIC GRITS
1 cup grits (course ground)
4 cups good water
2 Tb cold butter
Salt
Fresh cracked pepper
Bring water and grits to a simmer and stir about 5 minutes, then cook on low for an additional 20 minutes or until the grits are creamy and tender. Finish with butter and season with salt and pepper. **Add some salt about half way through the cooking process.
MY RECIPE – it may not be traditional but oh well…
1 cup grits
2 cups good water
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup grated cheese – cheddar is cool but you can experiment
1 Tb chipotle “adobo” (the juice in a chipotle can)
Salt and pepper
Bring water/cream and grits to a simmer and stir about 5 minutes, then cook on low for an additional 20 minutes or until the grits are creamy and tender. Finish with cheese, chipotle and season with salt and pepper. **Add some salt about half way through the cooking process.
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