Grits And Eggs With Piperade Food

SOUTHERN GRITS AND EGGS

Steps:

• Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the grits, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and black pepper; cover to keep warm.
• Crack the eggs into a large bowl. Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the okra, scallion whites, bell pepper, cayenne, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and black pepper to taste; cook, stirring, until the vegetables start to soften, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Carefully slide the eggs on top of the okra mixture, keeping the yolks intact. Reduce the heat to medium; cover and cook, rotating the skillet occasionally, until the eggs are just set, about 6 minutes.
• Serve the grits with the vegetables and eggs. Top with the scallion greens.

GRIDDLED ASPARAGUS, PIPERADE, POACHED EGGS, AND GRITS

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine the chicken stock, butter, and sea salt to taste, and bring to a boil over high heat. Whisk in the grits and stir for 1 minute with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to low and cook the grits, stirring often, for 20 minutes or until they are tender. Finish the grits with the cream, add more sea salt to taste, and stir well. Cover to keep warm. (I use the waxed paper from a stick of butter for this, placed butter side down over the grits so they don't develop an unseemly crust.)
• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the garlic. Slowly cook the garlic over medium-low heat, making sure not to allow any color to develop, for about 5 minutes. Add the shallots, bell peppers, and a few pinches of sea salt. Cook for 12 minutes or until tender. Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, and Espelette pepper. Continue to cook for 15 more minutes or until the consistency is much like a thick soup. Finish with the sherry vinegar and sea salt to taste, and cover and set aside to keep warm. Remove the bay leaves prior to serving.
• Place a large cast-iron sauté pan over medium-high heat. In a mixing bowl, toss the asparagus, the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and a few pinches of sea salt. When the pan is giving off a light smoke, place the asparagus in the hot pan and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the asparagus over and cook for an additional 2 minutes. The asparagus should have good, even char marks all around and be crisp-tender. Remove from the heat.
• Spoon the grits evenly onto 4 plates. Place a poached egg on each plate, and arrange the griddled asparagus and pipérade over the top.

GRITS AND EGGS WITH PIPERADE

Steps:

• For the grits: In a medium saucepan, combine the chicken stock, grits, sea salt, and butter and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to low and cook the grits, stirring often, for 30 minutes or until tender.
• For the tomato concasse: To peel the tomato, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Prep the tomatoes by making an X at one end and trimming the other. Drop the tomatoes in boiling water for 10-60 seconds, depending on ripeness, then immediately place in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Peel the tomato skin away; then slice around the seeds and dice to make a traditional concasse.
• Make the piperade: In a medium saucepan, combine the olive oil, garlic, and shallots. Slowly cook over medium-low heat, making sure not to allow any color to develop, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, peppers, a pinch of sea salt, the bay leaves, and Espelette pepper. Continue to cook for 20 more minutes or until the consistency is much like a thick soup. While the piperade is cooking, finish the grits with heavy cream, stir, and then cover with a butter wrapper to prevent a film from forming on top. Set aside. Finish the piperade with a pinch of salt, Espelette pepper, and sherry vinegar. Cover and set aside to keep warm. (Remove the bay leaves prior to serving.)
• Poach the eggs: Pour 2 quarts of cold water into your poaching pot and bring to a simmer, until the temperature on a thermometer reads around 180 degrees F. Add distilled white vinegar and a pinch of salt to the water. Find 4 ramekins or teacups in your cupboard. Crack 1 egg into each ramekin. Swirl the water a few times with a large spoon. While the water is still swirling around, gently pour an egg into the water. Start the timer. We are going for 4 minutes for a soft yolk, but if you like firm yolks, go longer. When it's done, spoon the egg onto paper towels to drain; then season with a pinch of salt. Note: Poaching can be done with up to 4 eggs at a time.
• Plate the dish: Spoon grits onto plate and nestle a spoonful of piperade off to the side. Gently place the poached egg on top of the piperade. Finish with a sprinkle of Espelette pepper over the egg. Serve immediately.

EGGS BAKED WITH GRITS AND HAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan with butter, oil, or cooking spray.
• In a medium saucepan, cook the grits according to package directions.
• Once the grits are cooked, stir in 3/4 cup of Cheddar cheese, the ham, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and the garlic powder and continue stirring until the cheese melts.
• Scrape the grits mixture into the prepared pan.
• Using a spoon, make four egg-size indents in the grits mixture.
• Crack 1 egg into each nest.
• Season the eggs lightly with salt and pepper.
• Top with the remaining 1/2 cup Cheddar.
• Bake until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny and the cheese is melted, 15-20 minutes.
• Serve sprinkled with the scallions.

FRIED GRIT CAKES WITH EGGS AND TOMATO GRAVY

Steps:

• Take the grits after they have cooled and mix in the Parmesan Cheese and garlic powder. Add some cayenne pepper if you like things hot! Spread the mixture on a large baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator to cool for 30 minutes.
• Take a large biscuit or cookie cutter (you can use shaped ones for the holidays!) and cut out the grit mix.
• Place 1 tbsp salt, 1 tbsp pepper, and 1/2 cup all purpose flour in a small bowl and mix well. Pour onto a plate and press the grit cakes into the flour to coat both sides.
• In a skillet over medium heat add the oil to cover the bottom. When the oil is hot but not smoking, drop in the grit cakes, browning both sides. Remove and reserve.
• Cook the country ham or Canadian bacon in another skillet, just until browned. Remove and place on a paper towel to absorb the grease.
• Leave 1/2 cup grease in the skillet for the tomato gravy. (You can use bacon grease instead). Heat the ham or bacon grease over medium high heat. Add 2 tbsp all purpose flour and stir until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add 1 cup milk and stir until it boils. Add the tomatoes and return to a boil. Add the salt and pepper to taste. If it is too thick, add some water and stir.
• Meanwhile, fry your eggs in the skillet you cooked the grit cakes inches
• To assemble, place two cooked grit cakes on a plate. Place a slice of ham or canadian bacon on top of each grit cake. Place a gried egg on top of the ham or canadian bacon. Ladle the tomato gravy over the top and enjoy.

CHEDDAR AND EGG GRITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 3-quart saucepan, bring water to a boil; add coarse salt. Stir in quick-cooking grits; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thick and creamy, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Stir in unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, and 1 3/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese until melted.
• In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Slowly whisk eggs into grits mixture, being careful not to let them scramble. Season with salt and ground pepper. Add hot sauce to taste.
• Pour mixture into a buttered 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup coarsely grated cheddar cheese. Bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

BAKED EGGS AND GRITS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush four 8-ounce ramekins or other small ovenproof dishes with oil. Prepare grits according to package instructions. Stir in arugula and 2 tablespoons cheddar, and cook until cheddar melts, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and pepper.
• Divide grits among dishes. Make a well in each, then crack an egg into each well; season. Bake on a rimmed baking sheet, until whites are set but yolks are still runny, about 20 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. To serve, top grits with remaining 2 tablespoons cheddar and a sprinkle of pepper.

SAUSAGE AND EGGS OVER CHEDDAR-PARMESAN GRITS

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, onion, yellow pepper and red pepper over medium heat until sausage is no longer pink and vegetables are tender, 6-8 minutes, breaking up sausage into crumbles; drain., Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Slowly stir in grits. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, until thickened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in cheeses, cream, salt and pepper; keep warm., In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Break eggs, 1 at a time, into pan; reduce heat to low. Cook until whites are set and yolks begin to thicken, turning once if desired. Divide grits among 6 serving bowls; top with sausage mixture and eggs. If desired, serve with pepper sauce.