Grits are one of the most iconic Southern foods around—so, being a red-blooded Northern boy, I thought I'd mess with them. I'm not totally unqualified, since grits aren't all that different from Italian dishes like risotto and polenta—but when I started thinking about how to brighten them up and make them a little more lively, I ended up over in the American Southwest. Go figure.
Cooking time and liquid-to-grits ratios will be different depending on the type of grits you use, so make sure you check the directions on the box for that. These amounts are for Anson Mills Carolina Whole Hominy Quick Grits, which I like a lot.
Ingredients
Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish
Step 1
Combine the milk and 2 1/2 cups of water in a medium-sized pot, and bring the mixture up to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Step 2
Mix in the salt and pepper. Then whisk in the grits, pouring them in slowly and whisking continuously until they're smooth, with no lumps. The grits should look a little like oatmeal, only finer.
Step 3
Turn the heat down to medium-low and keep cooking, whisking regularly so nothing sticks.
Step 4
Meanwhile, combine the cilantro leaves, diced green chiles, and green onions in a food processor and pulse for 30 seconds or so, until everything is finely chopped.
Step 5
When the grits have cooked through and thickened, pull the pot off the heat and add the cilantro mixture. Whisk everything together so the grits turn green. Then add the butter and whisk again, so the butter melts in.
Step 6
Whisk in the grated cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Serve it up hot.
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Reviews (4)
Back to TopLoved this recipe. I used whole cream instead of milk. Also roasted my chilies before pureed them. It tasted decadent. Will definitely make this again - probably without the cheese, though.
heir16
Atlanta, GA
9/1/2015
We liked this a lot. Agree with the other reviewers that the cilantro is strong, but the green chiles also come through nicely, and we thought it was pretty well balanced. I followed the quantities listed and didn't get quite as vivid of a green as shown in the picture, but that was fine. Served under pork tenderloin.
lschmidt
Portland, OR
3/18/2014
So, we cut down a bit on the cilantro, even though we like cilantro pretty well. We loved it. We're making it for the second time in a matter of days.
FrenchglenMike
Oregon
3/20/2013
You need to be a fan of cilantro. The taste is rather strong since the grits don't compete. Some people liked this, others not so much.
will4567
Ellicott City, MD
4/14/2012
