Anyone into grits?

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You mean the old world, ie, Europe. This happened in northern Italy.

Grits and polenta are similar enough to me that they can be used interchangeably, so if you like polenta, chances are you will like grits. Imo, they're best served with a tasty gravy or sauce, or cheesed up or with a lot of seasoning.
I really don't like polenta! However, most things can be improved by the addition of cheese and seasoning! Lol
 
Grits and polenta are related - similar but not the same. Polenta is made from yellow corn; grits from white corn. Grits are usually finer in texture. Instant is evil in either case.

I grew up on grits. Never had polenta until about 10 years ago. Both are best as vehicles for toppings and other flavors.
 
Love grits. I like them simply with butter and salt and maybe a little milk once they're finished cooking. I eat Cream of Wheat (a favorite of mine since I was a kid) the same way.

I made shrimp and grits once from a nice looking recipe I found online. It wasn't bad, but not something I'd make again. I love shrimp and I love grits, but I just didn't like the combination. They're two different worlds to me. Shrimp belongs on 'this side' of the spectrum and grits belong on the other.
 
Stone ground grits only for me. I'm a snob about grits and happily admit it.

I always add butter and usually a little more S and P to plain breakfast grits, especially when out. I've even been known to stir in some half-n-half when out if they are too thick.

I cook them with water, sometimes with a little chicken broth mixed in for breakfast, finished with butter. Dinner grits, like for shrimp and grits, is half and half water and shrimp broth made from shells or chicken broth, with a little heavy cream, about 1/4 cup, mixed in along the way, again finished with butter. You have to make sure to season well while cooking and afterward to get a good flavor. I usually cook my grits for around an hour on very, very low.

If I'm making a grit casserole for breakfast, it gets cheese, as well as the other stuff like sausage, peppers, onions. Grits for shrimp and grits get some cheddar and Parm R.

If I have leftover grits of any kind, I pour them into a greased baking dish, refrigerate overnight, then slice and fry them to make grit cakes and eggs for breakfast the next morning.

I've been wanting to make shrimp and grits for the last few weeks, just haven't felt like cooking much. I found a low country shrimp and grits recipe long ago that looked good and have tweaked it over the years to our tastes.
 
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I love shrimp and grits! But 2 things I don't like.

One is bland. Some places just shrimp on top of grits and think they've done the dish justice. I do mine with a little Cajun twist- a bit of heat, spice, smoke, salt, and some well seasoned sauce or 'gravy'.

The second is runny, watery grits. You have to be patient and COOK them. Cook the water out. Make the grits creamy, not sandy. I also put cheese in the grits when making shrimp and grits.
 
...I usually cook my grits for around an hour on very, very low...
Mine are cooked for nearly an hour, too. And over that length of time they get more water than the initial 4/1 ratio. By the time I'm ready to serve them I've probably incorporated five cups of liquid to that one cup of grits - and they are never watery.
 
I make three different batch sizes, but the most common - for two:
65g grits in 443g water

done at low heat on a copper diffuser plate. covered once it comes to a gentle simmer - takes 15-20 minutes to cook the grits proper.
after that, remove the cover - stir right regular - and thicken to desired consistency....
add butter / cheese / pixie dust / etc....

there is no grainy-ness, no sandy stuff . . .
 
Grits and polenta are related - similar but not the same. Polenta is made from yellow corn; grits from white corn. Grits are usually finer in texture. Instant is evil in either case.
We only buy yellow stone ground grits. There are as many yellow options as white.
I love shrimp and grits! But 2 things I don't like.

One is bland. Some places just shrimp on top of grits and think they've done the dish justice. I do mine with a little Cajun twist- a bit of heat, spice, smoke, salt, and some well seasoned sauce or 'gravy'.

The second is runny, watery grits. You have to be patient and COOK them. Cook the water out. Make the grits creamy, not sandy. I also put cheese in the grits when making shrimp and grits.
Our breakfast grits are cooked in plain water and salt. You can use all kinds of liquids, seasoning and herbs to prepare grits. You can treat it like rice. The sky is the limit as far as fortifying grits with plenty flavor.
 
I saw this video from my hero Jacques Pepin the other day and am wondering if anyone has tried this method of making Grits/Polenta.

I think I'll give it a try with a smaller quantity.

 
Both cheese grits and grits with butter and fried egg are common breakfast fare for me. Neither works with oatmeal which works better when sweet.
 
Used to be a thread or subforum about breakfast. Looking for that, I found this.
Made breakfast this morning from grits, leftover Chicken Stoup, American cheese, and a fried egg. Darn good breakfast bowl, if I do say so. :D
 
I used to make my own polenta, it was very good. Then someone told me I was doing it wrong. After that it came out horrid - even my chickens would not eat it.
Since then I just buy it... in a tube. Matter of fact have some now - I see breakfast coming up on the weekend!
 
I used to make my own polenta, it was very good. Then someone told me I was doing it wrong. After that it came out horrid - even my chickens would not eat it.
Since then I just buy it... in a tube. Matter of fact have some now - I see breakfast coming up on the weekend!

Go back to making it the way you like it. I make it from fine cornmeal because I like the texture more than using coarse. Fine will require more liquid than coarse. I use a combo of stock and some kind of dairy. I always add either cream or mascarpone cheese when the polenta is done, stir it in until it melts, then add a hard cheese like ParmR or Romano. Lots of S&P.

You don't have to buy dried polenta, cornmeal is the same thing for all intents and purposes.

Plus, you can let leftovers set up in fridge overnight, slice them into manageable pieces, then brown in butter or bacon grease for breakfast next morning.
 
My wife was not feeling well so the Italian sausage subs were not on her menu. So I made her some fine yellow grits made with milk instead of water and a little butter and salt.
I tasted them before plating and they were so good. The milk really made them creamy in a good way. She ruined them because she puts sugar on them!

For me it's coarse stone-ground yellow grits. But even here in SC no grocery store in our area sells them. Only minute grits or instant grits.
At Christmas my sister always gives me a basket that has country ham and the stone ground yellow grits. These are the absolute best.
I bought some online once and they were bad or something. I had to throw them out.
 
In my limited and poorly educated experience, the Carolinas are the home of stone ground yellow grits so it's a shame your stores don't carry them. In my neck of the woods "grits" are more commonly made from white corn and very often lye-soaked (nixtamalized), in other words, dried ground hominy. Bob's Red Mill Grits/Polenta is the only brand of stone-ground yellow corn grits I see around here.

But I'm not smart enough to quibble over words so call it grits, polenta, corn porridge, mush, or even gruel. They've all got their place and I don't turn up my nose at any of it.
 
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