Grits
I don’t know any chef who travels with his own grits except Scott Peacock. And you can understand why. Once you have tasted those Southern stone-ground grits, it is hard to settle for less. But I hope he will forgive me for offering here a recipe for ordinary supermarket grits. They cook in 20 minutes, and I have borrowed Scott’s method of cooking them partially in milk, which makes them so much creamier. This way, at least you may get so hooked on grits that you’ll send away for the grittier stone- ground variety and give over part of a Sunday afternoon to stirring them as they cook slowly for a long time, the longer the better. Either way, grits are good with so many things—shrimp, chicken, game, pork, ham. I always make extra so that I can have some fried grits for breakfast the next day. Avoid instant grits and look for the old-fashioned ones.
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Bring the milk and water to a boil in a 4-cup heavy pot. Lower the heat, and sprinkle the grits into the simmering liquid, stirring all the time until the liquid is absorbed. Cook slowly over low heat, stirring frequently, scraping the grits up from the bottom of the pan and adding a little water if they are sticking. After 20 minutes, they should be done. Salt to taste, stir in a tablespoon or more of the cream, and spoon up the portion you plan to eat right away, reserving the rest. Float a little butter on top.
Second Round: Fried Grits
Step 2
First fry up two strips of bacon in a medium skillet. When it is evenly browned, remove the bacon to drain on a paper towel, leaving the fat in the pan. Scoop up the leftover grits, and form them into 2 hamburgerlike patties. Spread some flour on wax paper, season with a little salt and pepper, and dredge the grits cakes on both sides. Meanwhile, heat up the reserved bacon fat with about 2 teaspoons butter. When it is sizzling, lay in the grits cakes and cook until brown on both sides. Enjoy with warm maple syrup poured on top, and the bacon alongside.
