Southern Table: Jalapeño Grits

For my first post on The Love List, I wanted to share a recipe that was Southern... even Southern! if you will. And for me, there are not many things more Southern! than grits. I have seen people use grits in every way imaginable, and one of the things I love about grits is that they are a blank palate for your culinary genius. I also have a long history with grits, and thought that this would be a good food to help introduce myself to you.


Growing up, my grandmother would shower me with shirts, hats, and key chains all emblazoned with the letters G.R.I.T.S. in bright, flashy colors. Naturally, this stands for Girl Raised In The South. Giggle all you want to, but don’t underestimate the G.R.I.T.S. movement. My best friend, Megan (a debutante) has the G.R.I.T.S. guide to etiquette in the glove box of her car. For quick reference, of course. Those sticky situations where you’re just not sure if it’s appropriate to have another piece of banana cream pie. Or whether or not the guide would condone smiling back at those handsome fellahs in the next car. It would, obviously because the number one goal of a G.R.I.T.S. is catching a husband.

When I left the south to go to college, conversations always seemed to come back to grits once I mentioned where I was from. It turns out that people in the North have one common burning question- what is a grit? I ended up explaining time and time again that grits are the coarser half of what’s left after corn is stone ground. The finer half being cornmeal. Their next question was always why grits were appealing, which is a silly question because we put butter in grits and what doesn’t taste good with butter and a little salt & pepper? Huh?

My sophomore year in college I was talking on the phone while trying to eat a bowl of grits, all sitting in a lazy boy. I am not the most graceful or coordinated of people, and that phone slipped right out from under my chin and plopped into my steaming hot grits. I dried it off and scraped most of the grits out, but a few days later I found myself walking into the Cingular store in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. I tried to be elusive about why my phone was broken, but when they took it apart and grits started sprinkling onto the counter I knew I was done. And boy was I right because I got laughed right out of that store.

Nevertheless, grits are still one of my favorite foods. My fiancé and I eat them on a regular basis. Our favorite way to dress them up is with some spice, and I think jalapeño grits may be the first southern meal I ever cooked for him. These grits are bold and cheesy and spicy and creamy and just everything you want in a dish in every single way. In a lot of ways this dish represents how I think of the south. It’s over the top and loud but at the same time it’s comforting and makes you feel blissfully happy.

Jalapeño Grits Serves 4

1 cup dried grits
6 cups water
1 jalapeño
2 cups fresh mushrooms
1 white onion
½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
¼ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1 lemon, juiced
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup milk
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt & pepper
Red pepper flakes

Dice your onions, mushrooms, garlic, and jalapeño. Sauté them with olive oil.

While your vegetables are cooking, bring your water and grits to a boil together. Grits take between 10-15 minutes to thicken, but it is important to stir them every few minutes to make sure they aren’t sticking.

When your vegetables are tender, reduce heat to a simmer. When your grits are thick, stir in milk, cream, cheese, seasoning, and lemon juice. Stir until cheese has melted and is fully incorporated. Finally stir in the vegetables and serve.

["Southern Table" appears every week on The Love List. Elena Rosemond is a Carolina-born cook who has made it her mission to bring traditional and southern recipes to the grits and biscuit-loving set. Visit Elena on her blog, Biscuits and Such, her southern food blog, for more recipes.]