…& Grits

I’ve been suffering from a cold for a couple of days and haven’t made much time for the kitchen. However, last night (Friday) I decided I needed some comfort food.

We have a restaurant here in town called Harry’s Seafood and they have some of the best grits I’ve ever eaten. I’m not really a grit person–my dad’s family is Southern and I remember many times as a kid being at my cousins’ houses where they’d make big country breakfasts with grits, which I’d load up with sugar to make edible. However, when I recently ate at Harry’s the waiter sold me on the grits, which turned out to be SO GOOD.

So yesterday, being sick and busy at work, I started craving Harry’s grits, but didn’t want to go out to eat. Naturally, I decided to go home and figure out how to make my own. I don’t know what Harry’s puts in their grits or how they cook them, but what I came up with last night definitely lived up to my own hype.

I pulled some spices out of the cabinet (garlic & onion powder, cayenne pepper) then went out to my mini garden and picked some garlic chives. I got together the other ingredients for my grits (milk, cream, chicken stock, butter and cheese), then realized I needed something to go with it. Shrimp and grits is a solid choice, but I didn’t want to deal with prepping shrimp, so scallops it was.

I cooked the grits per the instructions on the container (but substituted some of the water with milk, cream and chicken stock) added the spices, some creamed corn and cheddar cheese. I then seared my scallops in pancetta fat and butter–I wish I had used bacon instead, but the pancetta fat was a decent alternative (next time it’ll be bacon). Plated my dish, and the end result sent my taste buds to heaven. The grits were creamy, flavorful and just a hint of heat, and the scallops were sweet and soft. Dinner last night certainly hit the spot. Not bad for being sick, if I do say so myself.

Seared Scallops and Grits

Cheesy, Creamy, Grits

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup Old Fashioned Grits

• 1 1/2 cups Water

• 1/2 cup Chicken Stock

• 1 cup Heavy Cream

• 1 cup Milk

• 2 tbs Butter

• 1 can Creamed Corn

• 1 tsp Garlic Powder

• 1 tsp Onion Powder

• 2 tsp Chives

• 2+ tsp each: Salt, Pepper, Cayenne Pepper

• 2 tsp Honey

• 3/4 cup shaved Sharp Cheddar Cheese

PREPARATION

1. In a pot over medium high heat, bring the water, chicken stock, milk and cream to a boil.

2. Add the butter, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic and onion powder and stir until butter melts.

3. Add the grits, stirring occasionally as they begin to thicken. Bring the heat down to medium low.

4. Add creamed corn and mix well. Let cook over low heat for 5 minutes.

5. Once grits have thickened completely, add chives and cheddar cheese, stirring until the cheese has fully melted.

6. Let sit over very low heat until ready to serve.

7. Plate & enjoy!