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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Parmesan Polenta

I served this to my dad recently and he acted like I'd presented him with foie gras on a silver platter. I think he said "What's this?...you're always cooking up something newfangled and fancy around here." Actually, I think he just said new and fancy, but I added the fangled because I love the word newfangled and don't use it nearly enough. Anyway, I never dreamed this would be his perception of polenta. I thought it was pretty basic stuff. I guess I should have learned from that time I served him salsa with corn chips and he called me an innovator. I tried to explain that salsa is probably the most popular condiment in the world, but he was already too busy dipping and crunching.

   

PARMESAN POLENTA

Serves 8

9 1/2 cups chicken stock (or low-salt chicken broth)

2 cups yellow cornmeal

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.      Bring chicken stock to boil in heavy large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium.

2.      Gradually whisk in cornmeal. Cook until cornmeal is very soft and mixture is thick and creamy, whisking occasionally, about 20 minutes.

3.      Remove from heat. Stir in parmesan cheese and butter. Season polenta to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.

from Bon Appétit, September 1998

chicken stock

cornmeal

adding cornmeal to the stock

whisked

thick and creamy, 20 minutes later

adding parmesan and butter

parmesan polenta

It seemed a little too soft at first, but then...

after cooling off for about 5 minutes, it was just right.

FYI: The photo at the very top is leftover polenta
the next day. That's why it looks a little clumpier.

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Grilled Chicken with Creamy Grits & Shiitake Sauce

mmm, just the right amount of char

Yesterday I officially kicked off grilling season at our house. My husband knew I was making chicken (he saw it marinating in the fridge), but I loved the surprised look on his face when he came home and I said "Dinner's almost ready, I just have to go outside and get it off the grill." He was one happy camper.

This recipe is terrific. The grits are creamy. The shiitake sauce is rich and so flavorful. The chicken is juicy and the grilling makes the skin a bit charred and wonderfully crispy.

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH CREAMY GRITS 
& SHIITAKE MUSHROOM SAUCE

Serves 2 to 3

Chicken:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

2 to 3 lbs. bone-in chicken pieces (breasts, thighs or legs)

Sauce:  

1 cup beef stock or canned beef broth

1 cup chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth

1/2 cup dry white wine

3 oz. thinly sliced pancetta, chopped (about 3/4 cup)

8 oz. fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced (about 3 cups)

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon roughly chopped sage leaves

Creamy Grits:

1 1/2 cups chicken stock (or canned low-salt chicken broth)

1/2 cup heavy cream or half-n-half

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup quick-cooking grits

Marinate chicken:

Mix oil, garlic and rosemary in a glass baking dish (large enough to hold all the chicken in a single layer). Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add to oil mixture; turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate chicken at least 4 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

Make sauce:

1.     Boil both stocks and wine in heavy medium saucepan until reduced to 1 cup, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.

2.     Cook pancetta in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and golden, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to bowl. Add mushrooms to same skillet and saute until golden, about 4 minutes. Add stock mixture and cream to skillet and simmer until reduced to sauce consistency, about 5 minutes. Mix in pancetta and sage.

Grill chicken:

Meanwhile, preheat the grill (medium-high heat). Remove chicken from marinade. Grill until cooked through, turning occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Make grits:

Bring stock, cream and butter to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Gradually whisk in grits. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook until grits are creamy and tender, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve:

Spoon grits onto plates. Place chicken atop grits. Spoon sauce over and serve.

slightly adapted from Café Thirty-A (Seagrove Beach, FL)

chopped rosemary

chicken marinating

I probably would have preferred chicken thighs or breasts
(or a mix), but the only organic chicken at the store was legs.

stocks and wine reducing (for the sauce)

pancetta cooking

shiitake mushrooms cooking

stock mixture and cream added to mushrooms

sage

shiitake sauce reduced and ready

chicken just placed on the grill

I brushed off some of the garlic and rosemary, but left some
behind (because I kind of like the taste of them charred).
If you don't want that, just brush it all off before you grill the chicken.

grits

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