Bacon And Mushroom Stone Ground Grits Food

GRITS & BACON CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large saucepan, bring water, salt and pepper to a boil. Slowly stir in grits. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, about 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Pour grits into a greased 2-1/2-qt. souffle dish; cool completely., In a large bowl, whisk eggs; pour over grits. Sprinkle with bacon and cheese., Place casserole in a larger baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan. Bake, covered, 45 minutes. Uncover; bake 30-40 minutes longer or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. , Make-Ahead: Refrigerate unbaked casserole, covered, several hours or overnight. To use, preheat oven to 350°. Remove casserole from refrigerator while oven heats. Place casserole in a larger baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan. Bake, as directed, increasing time as necessary for a knife inserted in the center to come out clean. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving., ,

CHEDDAR BACON GRITS

Steps:

• In a 6-qt. stockpot, bring water to a boil. Slowly stir in grits, salt and paprika. Reduce heat; cook, covered, 15-20 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally., Reduce heat to low. Stir in cheese, bacon and chiles until cheese is melted. If desired, sprinkle with green onions.

MUSHROOM BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and line a third baking sheet or pan with paper towels. Brush each parchment-lined baking sheet with about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Place the mushroom slices in a single layer, very close together, on the parchment and brush lightly with the remaining vegetable oil.
• Bake the mushrooms until slightly softened and brown, 25 to 30 minutes, then flip the mushrooms over, rotate the pans in the oven and bake until the mushrooms are well-browned and the edges are crispy, another 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to the paper-towel lined baking sheet to dry for a few minutes. (Leave the oven on.)
• In a large bowl, whisk together the molasses, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder and paprika. Carefully toss the baked mushrooms in the marinade until evenly coated. Place half the marinated mushroom strips in a single layer (it's ok of they overlap) into a large metal steamer basket or colander that fits snugly into a large, heavy metal pot.
• Prepare a stovetop smoker: Line the bottom of a large, heavy metal pot with foil. Place two large handfuls of applewood chips in the bottom of the pot. Place the pot over medium heat and use a lighter to light a few of the wood chips. Once the chips are smoking, place the mushroom-filled steamer basket or colander inside the pot, then place a tight-fitting lid on top. Allow the mushrooms to smoke for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how strong of a smoky flavor you want. Repeat with the second batch.
• After the mushrooms are smoked, return them to the baking sheets in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and a few grinds of pepper and return to the oven until crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in a low oven before serving.

MUSHROOM GRITS QUICHE

Steps:

• For the quiche: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put a 10-inch square baking dish on a baking sheet, brush the bottom and sides with the butter and sprinkle with the toasted cornmeal.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the canola oil in a large skillet over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, about 1 minute, then add the garlic and cook, stirring, another minute. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally and adding up to 1 tablespoon more of oil if necessary, until lightly golden brown and their liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add the parsley and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Add the wine and cook until almost all of the liquid is gone, about 1 minute. Remove to a plate and cool.
• Bring the milk and 3 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Slowly whisk in the grits and bring to a boil, stirring. Cook the grits, stirring occasionally, until thickened and slightly soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the Asiago and half the Cheddar and some salt and pepper.
• Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in a small amount of the grits mixture to warm the eggs, Whisk in the rest of the grits mixture and then fold in the mushrooms. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining Cheddar. Bake the quiche until it is just set and the cheese is bubbling, about 50 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.
• For the pesto: Combine the kale, Parmesan, walnuts, garlic, salt and pepper and a splash of the olive oil in a food processor and pulse several times to coarsely chop. With the motor running, add the remaining oil until the pesto is thick and creamy. Stir in the lemon zest and season with some salt and pepper. If too thick, add a few tablespoons of cold water.
• To serve: Spoon the quiche into shallow bowls. Spoon some of the kale pesto on top and drizzle with olive oil. Serve warm with the hot sauce.

BACON AND MUSHROOM STONE GROUND GRITS

Steps:

• In a large saute pan cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels. When cool roughly chop and set aside. Remove all rendered fat except 2 tablespoons in the saute pan and add butter and garlic. Saute garlic for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue to cook until mushrooms are tender. Salt and pepper. Stir in chopped parsley. Keep warm until grits are finished cooking.
• In a medium saucepan, over high heat, bring water, cream, butter, salt and pepper to a boil. Stir in the grits and bring back to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently for about 20 minutes.
• Fold cheese, mushroom mixture and bacon into grits and serve.

CREAMY STONE-GROUND GRITS WITH MUSHROOMS AND COUNTRY HAM

Steps:

• In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring the water and milk to a gentle boil over medium high heat. Slowly add the grits, whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper. Decrease the heat to low, and simmer, stirring often, until the grits are creamy and thick, 45 to 60 minutes.
• Line a plate with paper towels. While the grits are cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ham and cook until lightly browned and some of the fat has rendered, about 3 minutes. Remove the ham from the skillet to the prepared plate and tent loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm.
• In the same skillet, using the oil left in the pan, add the mushrooms, season with freshly ground pepper, and saute, stirring, until barely tender, about 2 minutes. (No salt is needed, as the salt from the ham has flavored the cooking oil.) Add the wine and cook, stirring, until the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are tender, about 5 more minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Remove the grits from the heat; whisk in the cheese, parsley, and butter. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper. To serve, place a dollop of grits on individual serving plates. Spoon over the sauteed mushrooms and top with the country ham. Serve immediately.

CREAMY GRITS WITH MUSHROOMS AND CHARD

Steps:

• Make the grits: Cook the grits with water according to the package instructions in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, stirring occasionally and adding more water if needed to ensure no grits stick to the pot. The cook time can range from 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the age and quality of the grits. When the grits are tender, remove from the hot burner and pour in the oat cream, oil and salt, stir well, and cover. (If you cooked the grits with salt, then start with 1 teaspoon and add more to taste.) Set aside.
• Meanwhile, make the sauce: Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium. Once heated, add the onion quarter, jalapeño and garlic cloves. Char and slightly cook the vegetables, turning occasionally. The garlic will likely be done first, after 4 or 6 minutes. Place each item in a bowl when charred and cover with a lid.
• When the charred vegetables are cool to the touch, remove the outer skin of the onion, the jalapeño stem and the garlic peels. If you are very sensitive to spice, slice the jalapeño in half lengthwise and remove one half's seeds and white veins to make it much milder.
• In a blender or mini food processor, blend the onion, jalapeño and garlic with the lemon juice, olive oil and cilantro until smooth. Add more olive oil if needed to blend, 1 tablespoon at a time. Clean the mushrooms with a damp towel and break apart or cut at the stem into 2-inch pieces. Place the mushrooms in a bowl and pour the jalapeño sauce on top; let sit for at least 15 minutes.
• Make the chard: Place the chard shiny side down on a cutting board and slice the stems and ribs away from the green leaves. Stack the leaves in a pile and cut crosswise into thin strips. Transfer to a bowl, toss with 2 tablespoons oil, and season with salt and pepper.
• Cut the chard stems into 2-inch-long matchsticks. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup water with the jalapeño, vinegar, garlic, onion and sugar, and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chard stems and let sit, uncovered, for at least 10 minutes.
• Heat a medium cast-iron skillet over medium, add the chard leaves and cook, using tongs to move them around quickly in order to keep their bright green color, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• In the same skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Set over medium-high heat. Shake excess sauce off the mushrooms back into the bowl; too much sauce will cause them to steam instead of sear. Add the mushrooms to the hot oil, and cook until tender and caramelized, 2 to 5 minutes per side.
• To serve, spoon the grits onto a large platter and top with the chard, mushrooms and pickled stems.