YESTERDAY’S GRITS FOR BREAKFAST

TAMMY ALGOOD (Nashville, Tennessee) called her grandmother Mama, and together they’d sit in aluminum-framed woven plastic chairs on the back porch, where they would talk while shelling peas or snapping beans. Mama, LUCILLE WINDHAM CUMMINGS (Ecru, Mississippi), always had homemade sugar cookies in her cookie jar that looked like a ceramic woven basket with lemons as the lid. Tammy has that cookie jar today, and it makes her smile just seeing it. “Mama’s calm attitude and grounded spirit helped show me how Southern women behaved. Love oozed from her, and I always knew she adored me no matter what. Spending the night with her on a Saturday was always such a treat—our ritual included watching The Lawrence Welk Show. I thought life couldn’t get better than that,” says Tammy. “This recipe was how my mama used leftover grits, because no food was ever thrown away. We enjoyed them for breakfast, usually after a big feast the day prior.”

Vegetable oil or lard for frying

2 cups leftover grits, cold

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 In a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat, heat the grease to a depth of ¼ inch.

2 Meanwhile, press the cold grits down and cut into ½-inch slices. Coat both sides with flour. Test the grease to see if it is hot enough by dropping a drop of water into the grease—it will sizzle when hot enough. Fry the coated slices on one side until golden brown, around 2 minutes. Turn and fry the other side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and serve warm.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS.