There’s an old hayseed saying, “nothin’s gooder’n grits”. I’ve always loved grits with breakfast—except you pretty much never want to order them at your favorite breakfast joint because they’ll probably be instant grits. But real grits–with egg yolk running into them that you can scoop up on your toast with a bite of egg–that’s good stuff.
A while back I discovered that there’s “nothin’ gooder’n grits” with dinner too. Especially leftovers. And, especially “true grits” that you simmer for a half hour or 40 minutes to get just the right texture and flavor. But—is that grits or polenta?
Well, I agree with “The Duke”. They’re grits. “True Grits”.
Ground yellow corn. That’s grits. Or is that polenta? Apparently the technical difference is what’s known as “dent” vs. “flint” corn. Dent is most often used in grits and has a soft, starchy center. Flint has a hard, starchy center and is preferred for polenta.
There’s not much difference. I did a bit of research on basic recipes for each and guess what? The recipes are virtually identical. And yes, there are different ways of doing them. The basic recipe for grits found on the Bob’s Red Mill Bag is virtually the same as the basic polenta recipe by Food Network’s Giada di Laurentiss.
And the clincher to the argument is this observation from Bobby Flay: “You can’t charge a lot of money for grits, but you can charge a lot for polenta.”
One of our favorite dinners is leftovers from roast beef or roast pork or even roast chicken or turkey shredded up in a skillet with some tomato and vegetables and a bit of sauce and then glopped on top of a mound of cheesy, yellow grits. We call it “Grish” for “grits and hash” and pronounce it “greesh”.
I posted a recipe for it here a while back. Here’s the link: http://www.cheap-bastid-cooks.com/shredded-pork-with-stone-ground-grits-grisgrish-or-stone-ground-grits-with-shredded-meat/
And here’s the recipe for basic “Grits or Polenta”
Recipe: Is it Polenta? Or, Is it Grits?
Summary: There’s virtually no difference between grits and polenta. Easy to make and really tasty.
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups stone ground grits or polenta (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
- 6 total cups liquid (3 cups water, 3 cups broth)
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp margarine or butter
- ¾ cup shredded cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Put a large saucepan on the stove set to high.
- Add water/broth and bring to a boil.
- When liquid boils, turn burner as low as it will go.
- Slowly add the grits stirring all the time. Then add the butter.
- Cover and let it simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.
- When done, add the shredded cheese and stir well.
- Serve as a side or as a base for breakfast or leftovers.
Preparation time: 2 minute(s)
Cooking time: 40 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 6
Culinary tradition: USA (Southern)
My rating 5 stars: ★★★★★ 1 review(s)
This can even be poured into a 9 x 9 or 9 x 13 inch pan and put in the refrigerator to cool. Then it can be cut into squares and fried creating a really nice crust as a dinner side.
It doesn’t matter what you call it–grits or polenta–what matters is that it’s good, it’s easy and it’s cheap. “True Grits” will add a lot to your meals and cooking. Keep some on hand and cook ’em. You’ll be glad you did. Bobby Flay said “you can’t charge a lot of money for grits” and Cheap Bastid says “they taste like a million bucks”.
The Cheap Bastid Test: A bag of Bob’s Red Mill Grits costs $2.39. This recipe uses about ¼ of a bag for a cost of $.60. The broth and cheese add about another $.50. So at $1.10 and making 6 servings, this is a very reasonably price dish. If you call it “polenta” a restaurant can charge twice as much and it doesn’t cost a penny more to make!
That’s the Cheap Bastid Way: Eat Good. Eat Cheap. Be Grateful!
That picture of “The Duke” is too funny! We make polenta…. er, grits, all the time. It’s fast, inexpensive and good. Only, I add a little mascarpone and Parm to guss it up a bit. Thanks for visiting my blog.