Thursday, October 8, 2009

Garlic Cheese Grits, Baked

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It’s amazing that I’ve been part of this food blog since its inception and haven’t yet featured grits. Where has my brain been?I eat grits nearly every day. You’d think I’d remember to include a recipe.

Grits is basically coarsely ground corn. You could compare it to a porridge like polenta or farina. It’s been around for hundreds of years and was introduced to settlers by Native Americans.

As I child I ate salmon in my grits. If that seems very foreign-sounding, you might be able to relate better to the shrimp and grits we eat fairly regularly here. They were and are a popular staple in the South , due to the fact they’re inexpensive, filling, and have some nutritional value (iron, riboflavin, thiamine, etc.) They’re not particularly fattening (if you don’t load them down with butter or cheese…like I’m about to do!) but the sodium content would be the one thing to keep an eye on….depending again on how you’re preparing it.

Garlic Cheese Grits

4 cups water
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits 009
1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese (divided)
1 T butter
3/4 cup milk
2 t garlic powder
1 t Tabasco sauce
2 large eggs
cooking spray

1.Preheat oven to 350.
2. Boil water and salt. Gradually add grits, while stirring (they will spit at you when they get hot, so look out!) Cover and simmer the grits until they thicken—about 8 minutes. Take pot off the heat. Add one cup of the cheese and the butter, stirring to melt the cheese.

3. Combine milk, garlic powder, Tabasco sauce, and eggs and whisk. Stir milk mixture into the grits mixture. Cover a 8 inch baking dish with spray, then pour grits in. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes. Then put the rest of the cheese on top and cook fifteen minutes more. Let grits stand 10 minutes before serving.

And it’s even better the next day! :)

Riley/Elizabeth
Pretty is as Pretty Dies
Memphis BBQ series (May 2010)

http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com

9 comments:

  1. I love garlic cheese grits but never thought about baking them. I'll have to give this a try.

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  2. It's great to see a recipe for grits. I guess it's a Southern thing, but grits are good - no matter how you prepare them. But mention grits to some people and they look at you like you have suddenly grown a third eye. With your recipe maybe those who have never tried grits will and see what they've been missing.

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  3. Jane--It comes out almost like a bread in consistency (the eggs in it, I guess.)

    Canyon Son--Ha! That's SO true. And they're not even weird. Now we DO have some weird dishes down here...pigs' feet, chitlins, livermush--those deserve an eye roll. Grits are dull in comparison! :)

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  4. Bet the eggs and garlic make this dish a treat! Can't wait to try.

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  5. I was never a fan of grits until a friend made cheese grits. They were delicious! Garlic would make them even better.

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  6. Avery--It's very tasty. Hope you enjoy!

    Krista--I think they take some getting used to. Very porridgey. Glad you were a convert!

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  7. These sound great to me, but I'm not sure I can convince the rest of my Yankee family to try them. I remember eating grits for breakfast as a child.

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  8. Smiled at the mention of polenta, which was my "grits" growing up! LOL! Really like the flavors you've added here. I see grits in my future.

    ~Cleo
    Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    "Where coffee and crime are always brewing..."
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

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  9. Janel--Oh, that might be tough. You almost have to trick them into thinking they're eating something else! Call it 'corn pudding' or something. :)

    Cleo--The garlic is really yummy with them. Funny how we eat a lot of warm cereals growing up, then don't make them as much for ourselves later on...my husband is like that.

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