A bucket of lye and some corn

as well as a spare day or two will get you some homemade grits.  Or you could just buy them at the store.

Grits are pretty common in the Southern States. I've been told the North-South disparity in grit popularity arose for climactic reasons. Grits are more heat and humidity stable and therefore kept better in the pantries of the South than did dried oats, so grits were commonly eaten as a breakfast cereal in place of oatmeal. The Northerners kept right on with the oatmeal. I've gotta say, I'd rather put brown sugar and cream on oatmeal or cream of wheat. I do, however, absolutely love love love grits for their infinite savoury possibilities.

Given the North-South disparity in grit-eating (and I'm about as far North as you can get and still have trees as opposed to tundra), I understand that my love of grits might confound some readers. Grits certainly aren't part of native Canadian cuisine and it sure can be hard to even find them in the stores here. But there you are. I love them.  And what's not to love? They are cornier-tasting than polenta. They come in an infinite variety of textures from very fine (similar to cream of wheat) to quite coarse. They cook quickly and hold up nicely. And they have a clear affinity for cheese, which practically makes them ambrosia to my mind. 

Quite often in our house we will substitute grits for polenta, or rice, or even mashed potatoes. A favourite breakfast is constructed out of a mound of cheddar-cheesy fine ground grits topped with some sauteed spinach or roasted tomatoes and a quivering poached egg. Like polenta, cooked grits firm up as they get cold so they are perfect for making little savoury cakes with (guess what will be on the menu at our upcoming Christmas cocktail party?)

I have to prevail upon friends from the States to mail me packets of Aunt Jemima's Quick Grits because you can't buy the really fine ground grits here and I'm too darn lazy to buy a grain mill attachment for my beloved lavender-coloured Kitchen Aid. So you can imagine how pleased I was to discover that the Italian  Centre Shop carries two coarsenessess of stone ground grits on a regular basis.

For this recipe, which is really just a bastardization of my standard method of making garlic mashed potatoes, I used medium coarse grits - when dry, each individual grit (?) is about 1/3 to 1/2 the size of a a grain of arborio rice.

Roasted garlic grits

This will make easily a litre of grits! - enough for at least 6 as a side.

• 1 head garlic, roasted and cooled
• 1 cup medium coarse stone-ground grits
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese  (or Philly cream cheese)
• cracked pepper
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Peel garlic and use s fork to mash the roasted cloves into a coarse paste. Place garlic paste, stock and grits into a medium saucepan, stir well and  heart, over medium high heat until bubbling. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer the grits, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, adding more liquid if necessary. Take a small spoonful to test for doneness. Once the grita are quite thick and soft, remove the pot from the heat and stir the mascarpone and parsley in until the cheese is evenly distributed.

Dollop the grits onto plates and serve with vegetables and meat over the top.

Comments

[MulattaPreta]

As one born + raised in the South, I know a thing or 2 about grits, honey. U can contact me anytime + i'll be happy 2 send u some Quaker (MUCH better than aunt jemima) Smooth & Creamy grits! If you want the BEST grit cakes for your party (say, for a creamy shrimp grit cake) they are a must. Bravo on your work. Truly inspiring.

[Lyn]

MulattaPreta
That sounds fantastic! I had bought a package of the quaker grits when I was in New Orleans last January but had an accident in the kitchen and lost them tragically! the creamy shrimp grit cake you mentioned sounds amazing too!

[Randi]

i just love grits and I cant find them here. I have to go to MI to get them or mail order them. Robin hates them even savory. Oh well, more for me.

[Ana]

I've always heard about grits, since coming to Canada, that is, but never tasted them. I hope I can replicate this recipe of yours. It looks wonderful and I love corn and polenta so...I can't wait to try this.

Hopefully I'll be able to find a coarser cornmeal???

[Lyn]

Randi & Ana: You'd be surprised about being able to find grits in Canada - go to your local Italian market and look in the polenta/cornmeal section. I found some really nice stone-ground coarse grits at an Italian deli in Edmonton. Let me know if you still can't find them and I'll ship you a bag. They last forever and reall go a long way - they REALLY expand.