Grits with Corn and Vidalia Onion

The corn from the farmer's market has been so sweet lately, we've been eating it on the cob at least once a week. I wanted to take advantage of all that fresh corn while it's still available, so I joined it up with more corn (in the form of grits) and made this creamy side dish. I just love the technique of grating the onions. It's perfect for when you have a kid who doesn't (or at least thinks she doesn't) like onions. They kind of dissolve into the dish and you get all the flavor without the oniony texture. The perfect crime.

GRITS WITH CORN AND VIDALIA ONION

Yield: 6 to 8 (side dish) servings

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 onion, preferably Vidalia, grated

1 cup kernels scraped from 2 ears fresh sweet corn

2 cups whole milk

2 cups water

coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup stone-ground or coarse-ground grits

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 3 oz.)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

1.      In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until transparent, about 2 minutes. Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kernels become soft, about 5 minutes.

2.      Add the milk, water, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Whisk in the grits, decrease the heat to low, and simmer, whisking occasionally, until the grits are creamy and thick, 45 to 60 minutes. Stir in the butter, cheese, parsley, and chives. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.

from Bon Appétit, Y'all: Recipes and Stories from Three Generations of Southern Cooking by Ellen Silverman and Virginia Willis

grated onion

shucking corn

corn kernels

onions cooking

onions and corn kernels

milk, water and salt added

adding the grits

whisking

thickened

Mine took more like 30 minutes to thicken.

parsley and chives

whisking in butter, herbs and cheese

grits with corn and vidalia onion

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