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Grits on the brain

By Mary Jane Holt
Contributing Writer

One would think, in the middle of February -- Valentine’s Month no less -- that I would be thinking chocolate. But I’m not thinking chocolate. I’ve been worried about Robin, my baby sister, and I’m thinking grits. I’m craving grits. I’m eating grits!

Yeah, grits. Got grits on the brain and in the tummy this week.  It blows my mind, almost breaks my heart, to know that Yankees don’t know grits. Don’t understand grits. Don’t eat grits.

Can you imagine all the things folks have done with grits? It truly is mind-boggling to think there are enough grit recipes to fill books like:

•Gone with the Grits Cookbook

•True Grits: Tall Tales and Recipes from the New South

•The Grit Cookbook: World-Wise, Down-Home Recipes

• Good Old Grits Cookbook

•Gone With the Grits: Gourmet Cookbook

• Grit Cookbook

• The Grits R Us Cookbook

•Beyond Grits and Gravy: The South's All-Time Favorite Recipes (Best of the Best Cookbook Series)

Of course, any true southerner knows this Southern staple isn't just for breakfast. Grits are after all an institution here in the South.

For those who do not know, grits come from hominy and hominy is made from flint or dent corn. This is a variety with hard kernels that are dried on the cob then removed and soaked in a solution of baking soda, lime, or wood ash. This process causes the hulls to soften and swell. The kernels are then hulled and degermed using friction, then dried. Then grits, coarse whitish grains, are ground from hominy.

The word grits comes from the Old English "grytt" for "bran", but the Old English "greot" also meant something ground. Americans have been using the term "grits" since at least the end of the 18th century. In some parts of the country hominy and grits mean the same thing.

Countless recipes now abound, but my favorite remains basic boiled grits. Most recipes suggest that you bring four to five cups of water seasoned with 1 teaspoon of salt to a boil then slowly stir in one cup of regular grits (not instant - never instant!).

I prefer to put my salt and grits in the cold water at the same time and then stand by the stove until they come to a boil. I think this method makes them creamier.

I then reduce the heat to low and cook for at least 30 minutes. I stir frequently. Now after 30 minutes you can stir in a little butter, pour a plateful (yeah, full!), crumble a hot biscuit over those grits, dig in, and with the first bite you are halfway to Southern Comfort Heaven.

OR, you could, at the end of the first 30 minutes stir in a little cream, two or three slices of American cheese, a cup or so of sharp cheddar, a generous sprinkling of black pepper and simmer your creation a few minutes longer.

My hubby likes chopped ham or crumbled bacon on top with a biscuit on the side. I just want my biscuit. Don’t feel like you have to have the biscuit (grits are good alone!) but if you are going for comfort, oh well, crumble that thing and dig in! That’s what I did one night this week.

It was the first night in ten days that I slept well. Thanks to The Mayo Clinic and St. Luke’s Hospital in Jacksonville my baby sister is going to live again. Good doctors and good grits - you can’t beat ‘em!

And so, as I embrace all the thoughts, memories, tastes, aromas… that Valentine’s Day always bring, this year grits rule. I am remembering my large family and growing up “poor” and mornings when all we had was plain buttered grits and hot biscuits for breakfast. Today I can say with assurance and thanksgiving that it has never gotten better than that!  Never has. Never will…

With gratitude for all the family memories yet to be embraced, I dedicate this column to Dr. Heidi Chua and the extraordinarily competent and compassionate staff at Mayo and St. Luke’s.

Visit me at www.maryjaneholt.com. I look forward to hearing from you.