3 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
3/4 cup quick grits1
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or 3 ounces cubed) ground black pepper (optional)
Bring the water, and salt if you are using it, to a boil in a medium saucepan. When the water boils, slowly stir in the grits. Lower the heat to medium, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the grits are soft and thickened. Add the cheese and continue to stir until it melts. Add the pepper. Serve immediately, or keep warm on low heat using a heat diffuser or a double boiler.
PER 8-OZ SERVING: 266 CALORIES, 12.2 G PROTEIN, 12.7 G FAT, 24.9 G CARBOHYDRATE, 707 MG SODIUM, 40 MG CHOLESTEROL.
TOTAL TIME
10 minutes
SERVINGS
4
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Try Cheese Grits with Black-Eyed Peas with Spinach (see page 166) and fried green tomatoes.
Those of us who were raised in the South still experience periodic, but strong, craving for grits. It’s not the bland corn taste we get a yen for, but the texture—not quite creamy smooth, just a bit nubbly . . . gritty.
1. This recipe calls for “quick” grits, because they are quick and because they seem to be the most readily available around the country. Do not confuse “quick” grits with “instant” grits, however, which often contain a host of chemical additives. If you live in a part of the country where grits come in different speeds, you’ll know what to do with them already or can easily find somebody to tell you all about it.