grits & gravy

I love grits. I've always had an affinity for them, but lately it's turning into an obsession. Last night, I served them as a side dish with dinner. Zack was perplexed but, like a good yankee, he stoically endured. Actually, I think he kinda liked them.

For those who are unfamiliar with grits let me give you a little history. Grits are stone-ground hominy. Hominy is a weird derivative of corn. Dried corn get soaked in an alkaline substance (like lye-water from wood ash) which dissolves the hard-to-digest outer skin of the kernel. What's left behind is the fluffy inner-goodness that is hominy. Big hominy is soaked to make pasole (glorious Mexican stew), if not it's ground into grits, or it's ground even finer to make dough for tamales tortillas.

Most often, grits are served straight-up with butter. I prefer them with a little cheddar cheese mixed-in, but then again, I like cheese on everything. Some people like grits & gravy or grits & ketchup. Grits provide an excellent bed for spicy shrimp or other saucy seafood. Lately, I've grown accustomed to adding a little brown sugar and butter to my grits in the morning.

I can't say enough about grits really. If you haven't tried them, I sincerely hope you will. They are quick, easy, healthy, and so good!