Thursday, January 21, 2010

Recycled Grits and Cane Syrup

Another beautiful morning and time to fry up some leftover grits!

I did a post on fried grits last year but I can't resist talking about these grits. These were a gift from Claui's folks and they may be the Platonic ideal of grits. One catch -- you have to cook them forty-five minutes -- not ideal for breakfast.

So I made shrimp and grits for supper -- and when making shrimp and grits, one embellishes and enriches the cooking grits with butter, light cream, and as much cheese as one dares. I used a particularly tasty extra-sharp Vermont white cheddar.

But I'm not here to talk about shrimp and grits. It's the leftover grits I'm here to praise. Poured in a pan and refrigerated overnight, they congeal nicely so that they can be lifted from the pan in tidy squares to be floured, egged, and fried.

Sausage is a nice accompaniment. And I dump in the leftover egg (which contains Tobasco and seasoned salt --Jane's Krazy Salt, to be precise.)



The presentation isn't elegant but, oh my, it's tasty. And in a nod to John's and my Florida Cracker heritage, I've got a bottle of cane syrup on the table.

















Our grandparents would have poured syrup over the whole mess -- too sweet for our tastes. But I do save my last bite of grits and douse it with the delicious cane syrup -- a mini-dessert at breakfast.

















The cane syrup was a gift from my brother and I am enchanted by the label he put on it: "Claimed to be pure cane syrup squeezed by a man and mule operation in Two Egg, Florida."


The perfect way to start a day!

UPDATE!!! Follow this link for some great recipes and to find out the difference between hominy grits and stone-ground.

UPDATED UPDATE_
(Vagabonde has pointed out that these recipes are full of typos -- here's ANOTHER LINK
to the place the grits came from and some more recipes -- maybe more usable.)





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19 comments:

Pat in east TN said...

Ooooh, that looks, and sounds, absolutely delicious! WOW!

estaminet said...

I've never fried grits that way! I'll have to try it. My Mom's family (from central PA) always fries their leftover cornmeal mush and eats with with cane syrup. Yummy... (Looking balefully at my yogurt and granola)

KarenB said...

Yum! Whenever I come down South to visit my folks I try to remember to pick up some stone-ground grits. While instant (yuck!) and regular grits are available, I've never found stone-ground up here. I've introduced a number of people to grits here, either as a side dish of garlic cheese grits or through shrimp and grits and they have all been initially hesitant and then find them delicious.

Carol Murdock said...

I like grits several different ways and this way appeals to me too! :)

Unknown said...

Vicki, you're killing me! I checked my refrigerator.....no left over grits anywhere, I'm bummed!

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

You had me when you mentioned grits. I love grits and the stone ground ones that have to cook a while are the best and worth the wait. I love how you recycled them and the cane syrup sounds divine.
Sam

Tess Kincaid said...

Oh my-my-my! You are making this grit-lovin' girl slobber over here at the manor! I think I'm gonna have to make some grits today, just so I can have leftovers to fry in the morning.

Vicki Lane said...

Got to say the cheese in the leftover grits is a big factor in how good they are.

Yep, estaminet, one can't do this too often -- though one might like to.

Garlic cheese grits are a great side dish for most anything, Karen! Good on you for spreading the grits gospel!

Time to make the grits, ladies!

And you all should check out the hot link for Two Egg, Florida -- it sounds like a nifty little place!

Martin said...

Vicki

With that recipe and that outlook, you're right, what better way to start any day?

Tipper said...

Looks so good. Me and Pap are talking about making cane syrup this coming year-he hasn't done it since he was a child. But oh wouldn't it be fun to try : )

Glenda Council Beall said...

I love grits almost any way you cook them and I love cane syrup. I've never put syrup on grits however. My mother ate turnip greens with cane syrup and declared them delicious. I know where Two Egg Florida is and I've driven close to it on my way down to Spring Creek below Tallahassee.
I need to try your grits dish, Vicki. I love your blog.

Vicki Lane said...

Martin -We have the view everyday but can't eat like this everyday, alas!

Tipper -We've helped friends with grinding and cooking the sorghum but never done it ourselves. It would be a nice project.

Glenda - There are (or used to be) people who would put syrup on everything. Takes a real sweet tooth, which I don't have. It was very good though with the fried grits and sausage -- just that last little bite!

Vagabonde said...

I do enjoy grits a lot. I never had them in France – don’t know if you can get them there. When we were at the Windsor Hotel in Americus they had garlic cheese grits for breakfast and we loved them. I’ll try making your fried grits – that sounds quite tasty.

Vicki Lane said...

These stone-ground grits are very similar to polenta, Vagabonde. In fact, Claui made them this evening -- baked with cheese in a pan and a wonderful sauce of roasted tomatoes, pesto, and Kalamata olives as a topping. I thought it was polenta till she told me it was the same grits (her mother gave her some too.)

Victoria said...

Now you've made me hungry! I usually wind up making polenta though, since they only carry the instant grits up here. I don't care for syrup over them, but my Mama would put syrup over almost anything; grits, polenta, hash browns, even pork chops!

Vicki Lane said...

Yeah, Victoria, I'm not a big syrup person either -- on the rare occasions we have pancakes, I prefer just butter.

Wow, those are some temp swings you mentioned in your comment on the other post. Bummer. But it's probably the shade that's the deal-breaker for sedum.

Tammy said...

No Grits here...I've had them a few times, but it's not really a common food in this area. However I love a good potato cake when there are left over mashed potatoes--looks like they are basically fixed the same way--only hold the syrup! It looked like a mighty fine breakfast to me, right down to your tiny dessert bite.:-) And the label on the syrup is a hoot.
Tammy

Merisi said...

Oh, that beats even a "Full English Breakfast"! :-)

Vicki Lane said...

Tammy - I love a good potato cake too -- and no way would I put syrup on one.

Merisi -- hmm, maybe. But I'm right fond of a full English breakfast. Both are wonderfully bad for you!