Grits

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Mid- to late fall, after the corn harvest dries

Tuck your grits into the freezer for best results.

Sausage & Cheese Grits Casserole

One of the many joys of working at a farmers market is getting to know your customers and watching their kids grow up. Long-time market customer Lisa Hughes shared this recipe with us, explaining how her kids love it. It’s become one of our favorites, too. The casserole is perfect for brunch, a special breakfast for out-of-town guests, or even dinner.

Chef Virginia Willis’ Funeral Grits

This simple casserole is a familiar dish in the South. It is an absolute standard at potlucks, brunches, weddings, and funerals. Casseroles are the salve that heals a Southerner’s wounded soul. I always call this dish “funeral grits” because it’s the perfect dish to take to the bereaved after the funeral. It can be treated as a side dish, held for hours in a low oven with few ill effects, and the leftovers reheat wonderfully. Funeral food in the South is a category all to itself. The food should be comforting, not too fancy, and even in this day and age, is best if homemade (not a platter of sliced deli meats from the grocery store). When my godfather, Uncle Raymond, died many years ago, I remember the women swarming in the kitchen, each and every one of them taking on a specific chore. Even though I was a professional cook by this time, I was designated for phone duty. I didn’t mind; I may have been a professional cook, but I was still the youngest and lowest on the totem pole.

Lord knows, a dish serving less people won’t go far at a Southern funeral. Use this recipe as a guide and make it your own. Add more jalapeño to give it some real heat, or switch up the cheeses and try adding freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, Gruyère,or white Cheddar.

(2022) Grits and Greens

I’m cooking for a friend who is unable to cook for himself right now. I want to make something a bit more stick-to-your-ribs and so I’m going to make the Grits and Greens (again, recipe below) adapted from the New York Times. Their original recipe called for quick-cooking grits but I have Riverview grits in the freezer, and for collards and Swiss chard. I’ll be using the kale and Swiss chard from this week’s box.

(2018) Autumn Vegetable Potage

I’ve shared this recipe before but it’s worth repeating. Save it for when next week’s box when there will surely be a bundle of greens of some sort.

Demonstrated by Virginia Willis at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. As she says, feel free to substitute with what’s in season and in your box. And she recommends the two pots specified here to keep the greens crisp..

(2018) Grits and Shrimp

Grits and shrimp. Shrimp and grits. It’s a Southern classic. But here’s one from Manhattan.

It appeared in the New York Times a dozen years ago with this note: This recipe, adapted from the chefs David Chang and Joaquin Baca of Momofuku Noodle Bar, came to The Times in 2006. Here, the yolk from soft egg bleeds into a bed of grits. A bit of chopped bacon adds smokiness, while the chopped scallion lends brightness. You’ll want to use good quality grits here over cornmeal or polenta, as both Mr. Chang and Mr. Baca suggest. The result is luxurious and creamy, without any cream.

(2018) Grits with Cheese and Peppers

This is an adaptation of a recipe that came from Southern Living and used okra. But it could have some from any community cookbook – a sort of grits souffle with vegetables. You can prepare it ahead and refrigerate. Then bake it for breakfast or use it as a side dish at dinner.

Savory Grits with Slow Cooked Greens

Adapted from a recipe in “Afro-Vega: Farm-Fresh African, Caribbean, and Southern Flavors Remixed” by Bryant Terry. Use a little bit of one of the Scotch bonnets in place of the jalapeno, if you like.

Grits, Cheese and Chile Casserole

Sometimes we forget that grits are a great vehicle for lots of flavors. Cheese is a natural – but how about adding chiles? If you have fresh peppers, use those. Or use those delicious canned chopped green chiles as the recipe calls for. It’s from Prevention.

Cornbread and Grits Dressing

This recipe comes courtesy of Moore Farms and Friends. Add a half pound of cooked crumbled sausage for a real treat (for the meat lovers in your crowd).

Grilled Shrimp and Smoky Grilled Corn Grits

Shrimp and grits is the most requested dish I get for the AJC’s “From the menu of” column. This recipe was printed in Southern Living. I just happen to have a few ears of fresh corn in my vegetable bin – but maybe you have some you froze from the bounty this summer?

Local Republic’s Shrimp and “Grits”

Let me share the simplest, best way to fix cornmeal polenta, courtesy of Scott Simon chef at Local Republic in Lawrenceville. He uses cooked cornmeal as a substitute for grits in what is otherwise a pretty traditional shrimp and grits recipe. I’ve used this idea now a half dozen times as a bed for fresh fish (while at the beach), sautéed vegetables, you name it. Love it.

After you try this, if you like the texture of the cooked cornmeal, remember the proportion of 4 cups liquid to 1 1/4 cups cornmeal. And of course, if you want yours thicker or thinner, just adjust the amount of liquid. Now you can make this any time you need a quick carb. Really – a side dish in 3 minutes? What’s not to love?

Eggs Baked on Grits with Bacon and Tomatoes

Veering away from a focus on onions and garlic, just a reminder that those veggies make great breakfast food. This recipe from seriouseats.com calls for quick cooking grits, but you can (and should!) substitute long cooking grits like those from Riverview. Grits are another one of those things that you can cook up in a slow cooker – start them the night before and let them cook on slow overnight. Season to taste in the morning.

Grits-and-Greens Breakfast Bake

A great make-ahead dish from the pages of Southern Living. Use your collards, or your kale, or your beet greens, or a combination of all three. Make up a big batch of greens and then reserve some for this dish.

Highland Bakery’s Shrimp and Grits

When grits appear in our boxes, my first thought is “shrimp and grits.” This is the dish most often requested by AJC readers for our “From the menu of” column. We publish a shrimp and grits recipe at least four time a year. This is from my early days with the column, published back in 2009.

Ma Ethel’s Mixed Bread

I thought this week I’d share a batch of recipes I’ve been collecting from Atlanta chefs and various chef demos at farmers markets this year. Just extending the “eating local” theme.

Our first “chef” is Annie Peterle. Annie does a wonderful thing – she bakes every week and brings her treats to the Riverview pickup spot on a Grant Park porch. Pick up your box and sample one of Annie’s home baked surprises. This recipe uses the grits you got in last week’s box.

One of the great things about grits is that they’re good freshly cooked, but any leftovers can be used in many different ways. Of course you can just reheat them, but you can add eggs and bake them. Voila – spoonbread! Or take your leftover grits and try them in this recipe. This is the recipe as it appears in “101 Things To Do With Grits” by Harris Cottingham. Annie said it makes a pretty wet batter so she’s been known to add more flour to make the dough kneadable.