The Nitty, Gritty

The Nitty, Gritty

I’ve heard all about them, but still haven’t had the nerve to taste them. Grits that is. They are described as small broken grains of corn. But menus throughout the South, offer various culinary variations to the grit.

They have shrimp and grits, cheddar grits, bacon and artichoke grits, grits and cheese casserole, friend grits, fried grits and ham, southwestern grits, garlic cheese grits, baked grits, corn-grits fritters, chicken medallions and grits, stone ground grits, wild mushroom grits, spring chicken and grits, tomato grits, and chile grits.

The list goes on and on. Emeril, Paul Deen, Bobby Flay, Tyler Florence – they all have their own recipes for grits – these small broken grains of corn, that I guess can taste like just about anything.

But, my interest also lies in the other type of grits. The capital G, capital R, capital I, capital T, capital S – Girls Raised In The South, G.R.I.T.S.

My first encounter with a G.R.I.T.S. was right after I accepted my job here in Bluffton. I was handling all of my human resources paperwork via email and FedEx packages and received the sweetest email from the human resources representative at my new company. She asked about my husband, my family, our new home, our new neighborhood, and what she could do to help me settle. Then, she shared news about Bluffton to prepare me for my arrival - the azaleas were blooming, Church of the Cross was expanding, the weather was warming. She was everything that I expected from a Southern woman and more.

So, to help my fellow newbies acclimate to the land of grits and G.R.I.T.S., check out these recipes for both.

Cheesy Grits (Courtesy of www.foodnetwork.com and the easy version that I am going to try):
1 cup coarse-ground white grits
2 cups water or more, if needed
2 cups milk
1 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 cup sharp white Cheddar
Set a sauté pan over medium heat and grease (bacon grease is a great start). Add the water, milk and grits to the pan. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the grits, covered, stirring often, until soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours depending on the grits. Add more water a half cup at a time), if necessary. Once the grits are cooked to the desired degree of tenderness, season with salt and pepper. Add the cheese and stir well to combine

G.R.I.T.S. (the version I’ll never be, but will continue to aspire to)
• Must be born south of the Mason-Dixon Line (No chance of that happening for me.)
• Well versed in the Southern dialect. Prone to sayings such as, “dahlin’” she takes her time speaking and enunciates. (I’m what you’d call a fast-talker.)
• Can make sweet tea with her eyes closed and hands tied behind her back. (Damn if I can’t figure out how to add the right amount of sugar!)
• She is gracious and warm and always makes you feel at home in her home. (There are a few exceptions who have tried to curse the Yankees - me included - back to the North, but for the most part this holds true.)
• She makes her grits from scratch!

For more, you may want to visit www.gritsinc.com a website dedicated to the art of the G.R.I.T.S. I learned a lot and I think you will too!