The corn is dried and processed with lye. Whole corn is often referred to as hominy, ground hominy as grits. Instant grits, available everywhere, have had the germ removed to speed up cooking time. Expect stone-ground grits, available at small mills, health food stores and some supermarkets, to simmer about 40 minutes. Beyond breakfast Lundy recommends using grits in place of pasta, rice, risotto or polenta.
Partner grits with tomato gravy, a pasta sauce or vegetables for grits primavera.
To convert skeptics, Lundy says pair grits with something to make it more interesting such as cheese grits or garlic grits. At South City Kitchen in Atlanta, grits from a small Georgia mountain mill are cooked in milk and butter and finished with cream. Grits alone, spooned up and garnished with chopped chives, are available anytime as a side dish, listed along with mustard greens and horseradish slaw. To cook, bring salt and water to boil over high heat. Stir in grits slowly to prevent clumping, and lower heat to a simmer.