Cooking & Baking
Related: About this forumInstant Pot Grits with ?
I like grits, just plain old fashioned stoneground, coarse grits. I usually only make them for a hearty breakfast of eggs and bacon, then I add a bit of butter and some cheese to the grits, but nothing else.
Since the kitchen has become my chief outlet for entertainment these days, I've decided to expand my grits recipe to include some new additions to my standard minimalist fare.
For those of you who enjoy this Southern comfort food, would you please share how you dress up your grits to make it a main dish suitable for dinner?
This is my usual grits recipe for the instant pot, before that I cooked grits in a stovetop pressure cook just like my grandma taught me.
Instant Pot Grits
2 T bacon grease
1 C stone ground grits
3 C water
1 1/2 C milk
1 1/2 t salt
insane amount of freshly ground black pepper
2 T butter, cut into pieces
1/2 C shredded Sharp cheddar cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
Add bacon grease to inner pot of Instant Pot. Turn "Saute" mode on. Once hot, add grits and cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add water, milk, salt, pepper and butter. Turn Instant Pot off, place lid on with valve in "sealing" position. Set to Pressure Cook on HIGH for 10 minutes. Wait 15 minutes then manually release the remaining pressure. Stir in cheese. Serve immediately.
ret5hd
(20,433 posts)cayugafalls
(5,629 posts)Classic line...
As for grits;
Shrimp and grits with fresh grated corn is good. Play around with how you saute the shrimp. You can do it spicy or mild, with different spices.
Sausage and bacon with jalapeno and cheese.
Smoked Gouda is a great cheese with grits.
Sounds great.
Sausage is my go-to meat for grits. Lately I buy cheap ground pork and add spices to make my own.
Best regards,
Crow
cayugafalls
(5,629 posts)See post 3 for my pick for topping options.
I like smoked Gouda in grits as a change from the standard cheddar.
3Hotdogs
(12,201 posts)I use slow cooked grits from Carolina Plantation.
procon
(15,805 posts)they were very smooth and creamy as I recall. I'm not partial to any particular brand so I'll try whatever looks interesting.
My brother in law brought me back a sack of blue grits, can't remember the brand, and I'm too lazy to get up and go look, but they are purply blue. They are ground from heirloom corn grown on some little island off So. Carolina. I couldn't wait to get them in the pot and they cooked up very nice, creamy and mild flavored.
3Hotdogs
(12,201 posts)Post, if you find a link.
Major Nikon
(36,814 posts)Line a bread pan with plastic wrap and pour in plain prepared grits. Refrigerate until firm or keep for up to 3 days.
Dry brine pork chops by salting each side and refrigerate for 24 hours on a rack loosely covered.
In a skillet over medium high heat coat the pan with vegetable oil and sear each side of dry brined pork chops and cook until internal temperature reaches 140F. Add finish seasoning as desired and set aside to rest. Reserve all of the vegetable oil in the pan.
Remove the loaf from the pan and slice into 1" slices. Fry in skillet over medium-high heat with a couple tablespoons of butter until brown on each side.
Drain pan reserving 1 Tbs of oil/butter. Add 1 Tbs of flour and stir for 2 minutes over medium heat. Deglaze pan with 1/2 cup red wine or bourbon and reduce until thickened stirring constantly.
Plate up fried grits with pork chop on top and drizzle with pan sauce. Serve with homemade applesauce and fresh leafy greens of your choice lightly dressed with vinaigrette.
procon
(15,805 posts)Other parts of the country call it polenta and it's just made from the leftover grits (who has any leftovers?) that are packed into a greased mold and chilled until firm. My grandma used an empty can with the ends removed and covered over with layers of folded waxed paper secured with rubber bands.
Take the chilled grits out of the mold and slice about an inch thick. Fry the slices in butter and drizzle with warm maple syrup, jam, or honey. Totally delicious!
I've never tried a savory version, thanks for opening my eyes to something new!
Major Nikon
(36,814 posts)Theres no real difference between polenta and stone ground grits. In the US stone ground grits are almost always coarse and made from US corn varietals while polenta is made from European corn and comes in a variety of textures from fine to coarse.
Theres infinite variations you can do with this same method. Cook some asparagus and place the spears lengthwise in your mold as you add the grits. Or chop up some rosemary and stir into the grits before placing in mold. Sun dried tomatoes work as well.
Bayard
(21,801 posts)You can crumble up the sausage and smear it around in the grits, with lots of pepper. Fresh tomatoes sliced on the side.
procon
(15,805 posts)yellowdogintexas
(22,114 posts)Of course Hatch chiles make anything good, but in a batch of cheese grits they are to die for