Recipe: G is for grits in Shenandoah Valley

If you eat out while vacationing in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, chances are the menu is going to include grits. On a recent trip there that included a drive on Skyline Drive, we got the dish of coarsely ground corn kernels boiled with water and/or cream not just as a side with breakfast at Cranberry’s Grocery & Eatery in Staunton, but also at lunch at Clementine Cafe in Harrisonburg.

Not that I’m complaining. When this quintessential Southern side dish also includes grated extra-sharp cheddar and is cooked just so, it’s hard to imagine anything more satisfying. Creamy and cheesy, with a rich and nutty corn flavor, it’s the ultimate comfort food.

There’s a saying that if you don’t like grits, you’re not from the South. That’s because they’re ubiquitous here, says Elizabeth Wiegand, author of “The New Blue Ridge Cookbook: Authentic Recipes from Virginia’s Highlands to North Carolina’s Mountains” (Globe Pequot Press, 2015, $21.95).

Whereas Northern farmers had no problem growing hard wheat for hearty breads, only soft wheat varieties good for making biscuits could withstand the South’s heat and humidity. Southern farmers, however, could produce corn.

As a result, Wiegand says, “grist mills were everywhere to grind corn for grits,” which is a coarser grind of dried corn than cornmeal.

The most famous grits dish is the traditional Low Country meal of shrimp and grits. But as our trip demonstrated, grits can be quite delicious on their own, with a more simple preparation.

When choosing grits, be sure to go with a stone-ground variety, which includes the inner germ and outside of the kernel it adds tremendously to the taste, says Wiegand. The best are milled by Anson Mills, Freeman’s Mill or Geechie Boy.

Instant grits, she notes, are “an abomination.”

WADE’S MILL CHEESE GRITS

(Post-Gazette tested)

The key to making amazing, creamy grits is to stir, stir, stir (whisking releases starch). For quicker cooking, let the grits soak in water in the refrigerator overnight. Just as good as a side dish with lunch or dinner as it is for breakfast.

3 cups water, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup stoneground grits

4 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 cup heavy cream

1 to 3 drops Tabasco

Freshly ground nutmeg

White pepper

Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil and add salt.

Combine another 1 1/2 cups cold water and the grits in a bowl. Slowly add the grits mixture to the boiling water, stirring. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring every 3 to 4 minutes.

Beat in butter, cheese and heavy cream.

Season lightly with Tabasco. Add nutmeg and white pepper to taste.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

“The New Blue Ridge Cookbook: Authentic Recipes From Virginia’s Highlands to North Carolina’s Mountains,” by Elizabeth Wiegand (Globe Pequot Press, $21.95)

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