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Grits Question?

post #1 of 12
10/28/02 at 12:36pm
Thread Starter 
I found a recipe for shrimp and grits. It calls for regular grits, are those the same as quick grits?
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post #2 of 12
10/28/02 at 2:41pm
Quick grits are to grits as instant (quick cook) oatmeal is to oatmeal, if that makes sense. Basically, like parboiled rice or quick oats, the grits have been par cooked and generally amped up with salt, generally to hasten the drying process.
So, ultimately, the question could be, can you use the quick grits in place of the regular grits? Yes. Maybe. Depending on your audience. If you used instant/quick grits in the south, you might possibly get smacked. However, if you are serving them to a bunch of urban-dwellers in the north, for instance, you might be safe.
Hope this helps.

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post #3 of 12
10/28/02 at 2:48pm
"No self-respecting Southerner eats instant grits" ;)

-Andrew
Il faut toujours faire l'amour avant, parce qu'apres, c'est pendant
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post #4 of 12
10/28/02 at 6:21pm
Okay, who's got a good grits recipe?
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post #5 of 12
10/28/02 at 6:37pm
hominy grits to water ratio, 5:1
bring your water (salted) to a boil and *slowly* add grits. Simmer grits for about 30 minutes.
Serve in bowls with a nice pat of softened butter.

You can also take these grits (prepared, sans butter) and cool them in a greased baking dish. Once cooled, cut them into small squares (couple inches) and dip them in a simple batter of egg & milk. Dredge in flour, shaking off excess, and fry them in bacon grease.
Drain on kitchen paper and serve.

Grits are, in many ways, interchangeable with polenta. As the original poster mentioned, they can be pared with shrimp or other savories, such as cheese (fontina or gorgonzola is a fave), mushrooms or fried green tomatoes.

Dessert versions use sugar and berries w/ a simple syrup.

I like maple syrup in mine as well (Gen Lee is spinning in his grave!).

I also have a recipe for cheese grits souflee, but have never tried it.

Enjoy!
Andrew
Il faut toujours faire l'amour avant, parce qu'apres, c'est pendant
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post #6 of 12
10/28/02 at 8:17pm
My Alabama-born, Auburn-graduate brother-in-law has been caught eating ---- :eek: instant grits! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: And he cooks recipes from Gourmet magazine. But, yeah, I couldn't believe it!!!!!

Remeber the courtroom scene in the movie "My Cousin Vinnie" where Vinnie proves the timing of what happened according to how long the witness took to cook grits?
:D :D
"Notorious stickler" -- The New York Times, January 4, 2004
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post #7 of 12
10/28/02 at 8:55pm
amw5g - Thanks for that. How thick you let 'em get? Sounds like if you can let them cool and cut into pieces it's getting fairly thick.

Ole Gen. Grant might be doing some spinning himself.
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post #8 of 12
10/29/02 at 12:53am
Grits are basically polenta, I believe there was another thread about grits, in fact I think I started it wanting to know the difference between grits and polenta. I like to use yellow cornmeal, 4 parts water, 1 part cornmeal. I like 'em with milk and brown sugar. If you take your grits and spread them into a baking dish ( put a bit of water in the dish to prevent sticking), let them cool for a bit on the counter, then put in the fridge, they will solidify, then you can cut your polenta into shapes and pan fry 'em.
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post #9 of 12
10/29/02 at 5:59am
That's what I was indeed a-quotin'. "No self-respecting..." said the witness on the stand with a sneer. Unfortunately, that statement is what lead to his undoing. I myself keep some quick grits in the cupboard when I need to put food on the table faster than standard grits allow.

Nick,
People usually get their consistency down by adding/cutting back on the butter (can 'monter au beurre' and 'grits' be used in the same sentence?). But like Cool J mentions, when you cool them in the fridge for several hours, they will firm, even if originally cooked a litle runny. I suppose there is an extreme, but 4:1, 5:1 is not going to be too watery. The consistency is indeed very similar to polenta or oatmeal.

-Andrew
Il faut toujours faire l'amour avant, parce qu'apres, c'est pendant
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post #10 of 12
10/29/02 at 6:50am
Agreed - like for the kids in the morning when I've got 15 minutes total to cook breakfast. Then there are more leisurely mornings like this one where I woke up 15 minutes early and they got the good stuff.:lips:
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post #11 of 12
10/31/02 at 3:23am
Or when there is a whiny 2 year old hanging onto you saying "im hungy!" Why is it they start up just when you've added the grits to the water?? :rolleyes:
Jodi


I don't know about you but I think I need a nap.
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post #12 of 12
11/1/02 at 5:03am
I think I've posted this before, but here it is again:

CHEESE GRITS SOUFFLÉ

Serves 4

3/4 cup grits
1 cup grated sharp cheddar
3 eggs, separated
2T butter
1 ½ tsp. cream of tartar
¼ - ½ tsp. cayenne
salt/pepper

Preheat oven to 400; Grease a 1 ½ quart soufflé dish.
Cook grits according to package directions. When grits are cooked, remove from heat and cool slightly; beat in cheese, egg yolks, salt/pepper, and butter. Whisk egg whites til foamy. Add cream tartar and whisk til the whites form stiff peaks. Fold the whites into the grits and cheese mixture, and pour into the soufflé dish. Bake for 30 minutes, or til the soufflé has risen and is light to golden brown on top. Serve immediately.

You could also add some shrimp, or small pieces of smoked sausage to the grits mixture before you fold in the whites.
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