So, I watched Guy’s Big Bite on TV yesterday.
For those of you who don’t know Guy Fieri, he’s an American cook/chef/TV personality who won season two of the Food Network’s The Next Food Network Star back in 2006. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fieri
Anyhoo, yesterday, he cooked something that I’ve always been curious to try. Grilled polenta or, as he also called it, grilled grits.
If you don’t know your grits from your grandma (like I didn’t), I learned that they’re just cornmeal cooked in boiling water, with seasoning and anything else you want to add, until they form a thick, porridge-like consistency.
Guy added butter, roast garlic, chargrilled peppers, and pecorino cheese (or it might have been parmesan), then baked it in his wood oven.
I didn’t have any pecorino or parmesan, so I used cheddar, and I couldn’t remember the water to cornmeal ratio, so I just eyeballed it until it looked similar and cooked it in my regular oven.
After I’d baked it, it came out looking very impressive, if I do say so myself. All puffed up and crispy on top, and it made the whole house smell of cheese. Yum!
Straight from the oven, it was like very thick bread sauce with a crispy crust. This morning, the leftovers are thick and solid, and kind of rubbery, like blancmange. Not quite so appetising.
Not to worry, though, GF said it could be sliced and fried until brown, so I did that, and had it with bacon and an egg for breakfast. Not bad.
Not your authentic Southern grits, I know, but they definitely tasted better than they sound.