If you need proof that
Southern food is rising again, take a look at the region’s most iconic dish,
grits. Not only has its menu penetration doubled in the last decade, grits have
busted out of their cozy breakfast nook right on through to dinner hour,
growing a phenomenal 84% since just 2011. To channel waitress Flo from the ‘70s
hit TV show Alice, it may well be
time to not just “kiss my grits” but give them the full Southern-fried
treatment…grits sticks? You betcha!
Before you take grits from breakfast bowl to
appetizer plate, start with the
basics and learn how to cook grits like a Southerner. We’re taking a leaf from
the pages of the Heritage cookbook by
legendary Southern chef Sean Brock, who advises soaking the grits for at least
six hours, preferably overnight, skimming off any chaff and hulls, and then
cooking in a big pot (grits expand) as quickly as possible for maximum corn
flavor. Use the soaking water, not milk to cook, and stir like crazy to keep
the grits moving until the water comes to a boil. Take off the heat for 10
minutes after boiling, put a lid on top to hold in the steam, and the flavor,
and then cook for an hour over low heat. “Stir, stir, stir… the rule in my
kitchen is if you walk past grits cooking, give them a stir,” says Brock, who
also cautions chefs to make sure to scrape the bottom of the pot and keep the
sides of the pot clean so the uncooked grits that will stick there don’t find their
way into the finished product. When the grits are soft and tender, they’re done
and ready to be eaten as is with a little salt, hot sauce, lemon juice and
butter…or use as the base for a variety of dishes from classic shrimp and grits
to post-modern grits and bits pancakes.
Grits sticks, dubbed “Georgia French fries” by author Diane Pfeifer in
her Gone with the Grits gourmet
cookbook, were simple but trendsetting, made by putting firm slices of cooked
grits in the deep fryer.
As Southern
Living recognized back in 2012,
“this favorite Southern food isn't just for breakfast.” Their popular recipe
for Pepper Jack Poppers proves the point, using cooked grits, freshly shredded
pepper Jack cheese and Parmesan cheese, chopped fresh cilantro, a garlic clove
and sweet mini bell peppers broiled to a golden crisp to create a distinctly
different appetizer for the happy hour crowd. Deep South also noted grits’ higher profile among the region’s
innovative chefs, with stone-ground the new go-to grit at upscale restaurants
all along the “Grit Belt.” From Charleston, SC to Birmingham, Ala to Savannah,
GA, the new face of grits is evident, with dishes like skillet-seared yellow
grits with gravy, smothered crawfish on fried grits, grits and fried chicken
combos, fried salmon, leek and grits appetizers, stuffed and rolled grits and
spinach canapés. The movement of grits from quirky Southern breakfast to
gourmet delight couldn’t have happened without Bill Neal’s 1982 game-changing
recipe for shrimp and grits at Crook’s Corner restaurant in Chapel Hill, North
Carolina. His grits fused with cheddar and parmesan and topped off with jumbo
shrimp, mushrooms and bacon so pleased NY
Times food critic Craig Claiborne that he published the recipe in 1985,
elevating the humble dish to fine dining status.
Nowhere, however, are more grits eaten than in the
small town of St. George, SC, home to the Worlds Grits Festival since 1986. Along with fried fish and grits dinners,
grits-filled balloon tosses and the choosing of the Grits Queen, the Grits
Cook-Off yields a never-ending array of innovation each year. We leave you with
a winning recipe from the Food Network at the 2007 Festival:
Hush Puppy Grits
1-beaten
egg
½-cup
buttermilk
1-cup
grits
1/4
cup all-purpose flour
2-teaspoons
sugar
3/4
teaspoon baking powder
1/4
teaspoon baking soda
1/4
teaspoon sea salt
Shortening
or cooking oil for frying
Freshly
ground black pepper
In a bowl stir together the
egg and buttermilk. In another bowl combine the grits, flour, sugar, baking
powder, baking soda and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Add the egg mixture to the grits
mixture. Stir just until moist. Heat the shortening to 375 degrees F. Drop the
batter by tablespoon into the deep hot fat. Fry about 3 minutes or until golden
brown, turning once. Drain the hush puppies on paper towels and season with
pepper to taste.
A
Little Bite of History. Chef’s Line
Grit Stix -- Pimento Cheese and Grits; two Southern favorites.
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