Cheddar Grits
Grits are distinctly American, originating from indigenous tribes in the southern US and past on to colonists, which is why it’s seen as generally a Southern US dish.
Grits are a porridge that can be made sweet or savory. People sometimes mistakenly think they’re just like its Italian cousin, Polenta. Polenta can also be made as a porridge and is made from corn, but the similarities end there. First, it isn't called "Polenta" until you make it and secondly, polenta is made from ground whole yellow corn. Grit are “grits” regardless of their state and they are made from ground processed maize kernels that have been nixtamalized—a process to remove the tough, outer hull of the kernels. This leaves them with a distinctly different taste and texture, but just as versatile as Polenta from a culinary standpoint.
This is a great dish to prepare when the meal calls for a starch, but you don’t want potatoes or rice.
Not All Grits Are Equal
The popularity of grits in the Southern US gave rise to food manufacturers creating grits that could be cooked quicker than the typical 20-30 minutes required for grits in their raw state and created “instant” grits - essentially, cooked grits that are then dehydrated and can be reconstitutes in a minute or so with boiling water. As with instant coffee and instant rice, however, this distinctly alters the taste and instant grits were only tepidly received by grit aficionados. Food manufacturers then learned that par-cooked grits, that is partially cooked and dried grits, would cook in about five minutes with little loss in the original taste and texture of raw grits. Quaker markets this as “Quick 5-Minutes” grits, recommended for this dish.
Cheddar Grits
Grits are distinctly American, originating from indigenous tribes in the southern US and past on to colonists, which is why it’s seen as generally a Southern dish.
Ingredients
- 2-1/4 cups chicken stock (like, Swanson's or Kitchen Basics)
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 cup quick-cooking grits (like Quaker Quick 5-Minutes)
- 6 tbsp (about half of a 6-oz can) tomato paste (like, Hunt's)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, plus more for garnish
- 1 finely chopped green onion for garnish
Instructions
- Add the chicken stock and 1 tablespoon butter to a heavy saucepan on high heat. Bring the mixture to a full boil.
- Turn the heat to medium-low. Slowly add in the grits and whisk constantly for 5 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, cream, and cheddar cheese. Continue to cook and whisk for 2-3 more minutes, until grits become very creamy and thick.
- Cover, remove from the heat and set aside until ready to serve.
- Before serving, garnish with the chopped green onion and a little more shredded cheddar cheese.
Notes
- You can use "original" grits, sometimes labeled "old fashioned" grits, meaning that they have not been par-cooked, but increase the cooking time to 20 minutes and use 4 cups of liquid to 1 cup of grits.
- The use of "instant" grits, which are simply dehydrated and reconstituted with boiling water is not recommended for this dish.
