Grits and...

Phillip Lammonds Shrimp and Grits

Grits are to southerners what mashed potatoes are to midwesterners--a foil for most anything. Holding spicy shrimp is of course the most classic of grit dishes with shrimp and grits being a classic in the low country, where shrimp are prevalent as well as corn. In Nashville you can find shrimp and grits on most menus, with each varying wildly from the next.  One of our favorites is not a version you get at a restaurant, although we had one to die for at The Yellow Porch a couple years back and The Urban Grub, but the one featured in our May/June 2019 issue from song writer Phillip Lammonds. You can find it here along with step by steps to making it. 

With the abundance of greens grown in the south, we also love to pile  kale, collards, arugula and herbs seasoned with sausage or ham onto a fluffy bed of cheesey grits. But grits can also be a stellar side dish as a switch from potatoes or rice or pasta. We love this Baked Cheese Grits recipe from cookbook author, Matt Moore that is a fabulous accompaniement to his Beef Kebabs with Tzaziki Sauce. 

And lets not forget where grits are most comfortable, at the breakfast table, so we have the Stoned Grits with Eggs recipe from the wildly popular and now defunct Family Wash Cafe. 

We love the stone ground grits from Beaverdam Creek Mill and now, Smokin' Oaks Organics Farm, which you find at the Franklin Farmers Market and other farmers markets around town.