Southern Style Birds In A Nest With Butter Grits Greens With Bacon Over Easy Quail Eggs And Green Tomato And Green Apple Chutney Food

GRITS AND GREENS CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine the half-and-half and 6 cups of the chicken stock and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once up to a boil, stir in the grits. Bring it back up to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture has slightly thickened (it should resemble cooked oatmeal in thickness), 10 to 15 minutes. Use a whisk to break up any lumps that have formed.
• Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook the bacon over medium-high heat until just turning crispy, about 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon and place it on a paper towel, patting it to remove any excess fat. Using the same saucepan, add the onions to the leftover bacon drippings and saute until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Then add the collard greens and the remaining 2 cups chicken stock and cook until tender, another 10 minutes. Drain the collards and onions in a colander.
• Once the grits are done, add the Parmesan, butter, salt, pepper and 1/2 cup of the Monterey jack. Stir until the butter has melted and all the ingredients are well combined. Then add the drained collards mixture and stir.
• Transfer the grits mixture to the prepared baking dish and top with the crumbled bacon and the remaining 1/2 cup Monterey jack. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 15 minutes.

BIRDS IN A NEST

Steps:

• Place a very large nonstick skillet over low heat. Add the oil and garlic clove into the skillet and gently infuse the garlic flavor into the oil. In the meantime, using a round cookie cutter or an empty can, cut out the center of all 6 slices of bread. Add the prepared bread slices to the garlic infused oil. Crack the eggs 1 at a time and drop them into their "nests" or, the center of each slice of bread. Drain and slice red pepper. Add a strip or 2 of red pepper to each nest. Season the birds in their nests with salt and pepper and sprinkle a little cheese into each nest. Gently turn the birds in their nests and turn off the heat. Let the eggs sit in their nests 5 minutes more, then transfer to a platter and serve.

EGGS IN A NEST

Steps:

• Use a 3-inch cookie cutter to cut a shape out of the bread. Melt the butter in a griddle or frying pan. Place the bread in the pan and break an egg into the hole. Lay the cutout shape in the pan wherever it will fit and toast until golden brown. Sprinkle the egg with salt and pepper.
• When the egg is cooked on the bottom and before the bread becomes too brown, flip the egg nest to toast the other side and finish cooking the egg, about 1 minute. Serve with toasted shape.

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.