My niece Fiona is in graduate school here in Boston studying teaching English as a Second Language. She came up with the idea of doing a cooking demonstration to help someone trying to learn English to understand better the use of prepositions (in, on, under, beneath, against, beside, etc.)

Since she is from South Carolina, cooking grits seemed the obvious choice! My post today will focus on “how to make grits”, not “the use of prepositions” – for that, you’ll have to ask Fiona!

Grits are a grain made from ground corn or “hominy.” When cooked, they have a porridge-like consistency. They are a common food in the Southern portion of the United States. Depending on how they are prepared, grits can be eaten as part of breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Plain grits take 2 minutes to prepare and about 40 minutes to cook. Instant grits are available but (quote) “no true Southerner would serve instant grits”. (Does anyone remember the movie “My Cousin Vinny”?)

To make two servings of grits, measure out 1/2 cup of grits….

…and 2 and 1/4 cups of water.

Measure out one Tablespoon of butter and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

(I personally felt that this was too much salt, but that was what the recipe called for.)

Put the grits, butter and salt in a sauce pan and add the water.

Stir everything together.

Set the stove to high and bring the grits to a boil.

Cover the pot and lower the temperature to simmer.

Simmer the grits until all the water is absorbed and the grits develop a smooth and creamy texture - about 40-45 minutes.

There are numerous variations to this basic recipe. Perhaps Fiona (or any of you who wish to join in) will share some with us.

Thanks Fiona!

You can view and print this recipe here.

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