To win over non-believers, call them polenta.
While grit is a sign of strength, add an “s” and you’ve got grits—a fightin’ word. No other food inspires greater divisions. Peanut butter has its creamy vs. crunchy debate, but when it comes to grits, it’s love or hate—there’s no in between.
Grits cut a path through my own bloodlines when my father, a Virginian through and through, married my mother, an Irish-Catholic Bostonian. So, while I grew up in Richmond, my New England cousins teased me for my accent (what accent?) and my love of grits.
Southerners, of course, love grits: shrimp and grits, cheese grits, grits with sausage—we’ll have them from breakfast to dinner. But Yankee foodies, even those with fancy cooking school pedigrees, look down their noses at the grits we Southerners swoon over.
I like mine on the thick side with butter and salt. Soupy grits are the culinary equivalent of a limp handshake; and don’t get me started on instant. Quaker Old-Fashioned were my go-to until I was born again on a grits-awakening trip to Charleston.
Now it’s Geechie Boy grits—also known as Marsh Hen. Both toothsome and silky, there’s simply no comparison. A waiter at Anson’s in Charleston confessed that while the Geechie name is snappier, his personal favorite is Luquire. Either will do me just fine. I was late to the artisan grits party, but at least I’ve arrived.
In my 30s, when most of my grits-maligning cousins had fled New England winters and migrated South, we decided to convene our crowd of 40 for an Easter Sunday dinner. “Everybody’s bringing a dish,” my cousin Mary Ellen explained when she extended the invitation.
I knew exactly what to make.
I dusted off an old binder and resurrected a cheese grits recipe courtesy of a dearly departed friend, one of the best Southern cooks I’ve ever known. An intuitive genius in the kitchen, Mimi never cracked a cookbook or rummaged for a measuring spoon. Her grits casserole, usually made with whatever cheese she had on hand, was sublime. “I once saw a British author take a bite of them at a book party,” a friend told me. “He looked heavenward, said ‘oh my gawd,’ and stepped into a corner to devour the whole plate.”
So I measured, mixed, grated, and baked my way through Mimi’s cheese grits for the Easter soirée. Both oversized baking dishes were still warm when I loaded them into insulated carriers I’d bought for the occasion. Mary Ellen greeted me at the door. “What smells so delicious?”
I couldn’t help myself. “I got the recipe from a European chef who became a dear friend,” I told her. (Mimi’s ancestors were Vikings. Close enough.) “She called it .… Polenta a la Campagna.”
I placed my casseroles on the dining room table and topped them with a dusting of grated cheese and a few snipped chives. Continental flourish. Next, I added little place cards clearly labeled, Polenta a la Campagna, just the way Martha Stewart might have coached me to do. My work done, I set about mingling and visiting.
About 20 minutes passed, and I found my way from the deck with its beautiful view of the river back to the dining room. I scanned the table. Where were my grits? Both giant dishes were empty. Licked clean.
Grits, indeed.
RECIPE: Mimi’s Cheese Grits Casserole
- 2 cups Geechie Boy or Luquire grits, cooked according to package directions and using whole milk
- (note: don’t try to get away with 2 percent or skim)
- 2 cups grated cheese
- (note: try Cheddar, Gouda, Gruyère, and/or Fontina)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 tablespoons butter (note: Plugra or Lurpak provide a richer flavor, but Land ‘O Lakes will do, too.)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 beaten eggs
- Whole milk as needed
- Grated white sharp cheddar cheese, optional for topping
- Chives, chopped, for garnish
Butter a 9×12 casserole dish and preheat oven to 350°. Cook grits according to package directions in a good size Dutch oven or large saucepan. Stir frequently to avoid scalding. Don’t leave unattended—creamy grits take time. Once cooked, remove grits from heat and stir in grated cheese, garlic powder, butter, pepper, and salt. Cool grits slightly before gradually folding in beaten eggs to be sure they don’t scramble. Stir gently to incorporate ingredients. Spread evenly in casserole dish. If the mixture is too thick to spread, stir in whole milk by the quarter cup to reach the right consistency. Top with grated white sharp cheddar. Bake for 40 minutes until the top just starts to turn golden brown and sides are bubbling. Top with more grated cheese and chopped chives for garnish.
This article originally appeared in the October 2022 issue.