Real Grits

Update 4/1/05 — The grits were a big hit at breakfast. A creamy texture but with some bite left in them, and they actually taste like corn. Everybody who tasted them was struck by the flavor. To say they taste better than supermarket grits would miss the point; they are an entirely different product. The only shame is these grits, now considered an "artisan" or speciality item, were once commonplace. Makes me wonder what else those of us raised on modern, industrialized foodstuffs have been missing.

One of the common complaints at Tuesday breakfast is that nobody gets the grits right. So I ordered some stone ground grits from Anson Mills in South Carolina. I'm going to try them out this Tuesday.

So what are grits? Ground corn. Like corn meal, but with a coarser texture. But unlike most grits sold these days, Anson Mills grits are made with organically-grown corn, and are made from the whole kernal, including the germ. That makes them highly perishable (the germ doesn't last), which is why the man on the phone told me he would ship my order on the day it was ground. (But not until they got around to grinding some more, which he said would be a few days. I didn't mind waiting.) Their antebellum-style grits are stone ground, much coarser than supermarket grits, and may need up to 2 hours to cook. I may soak them overnight to speed things up.

I'm writing all this like I know it, but truth be told, I just read it. I'm a white boy from the north. I don't have a classic family recipe or story of how my Grandma used to make them. I plan to keep it simple, using the basic recipe that came in the package from Anson Mills, which can be paraphrased as follows:

2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup Anson grits
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and black pepper to taste

Scald the milk in a medium saucepan (I'll probably use a stainless steel bain set in a double-boiler), add the grits, stir three minutes, cook 1-2 hours until tender but not mushy, and add the butter.

I'd be tempted to stir in a bit of bacon fat (or better yet, fatback) but if so I'll reserve a few portions beforehand so I can offer a vegetarian option as well.

And cheese. White cheddar and parmesan grated and melted right into the grits (rather than on top). Now that I think about it, I think I'll offer three types: plain grits(vegetarian), bacon grits, and cheese grits.

For toppings, I'll offer sauteed greens (collards, kale, chard), and more cheese. I'll also offer bacon and sausage or country ham, which can be served on the side or cut up and stirred right into the grits if desired.

There's also shrimp and grits, of course, but that's a separate dish to be tried on a different day. And it might be a bit complicated for a breakfast, though I doubt anybody would complain. But for now I'll keep it simple.

Comments

[Elizabeth]

That sounds unbelievably delicious. Do you have to do anything to them while they're cooking or can you just let them sit?