Southern Grits Sausage Chili Bake

Grits glorious grits!  I sing and smile whenever I make or eat grits!  This recipe is easily doubled for a 9x13 inch dish if you want to feed a crowd.  I love stoneground grits because of the texture; but this recipe would work well with quick 5-minute grits.  Just don't use instant grits!  Feel free to use your favorite cheese.  If you want a meatless version, omit the sausage.  You can substitute bacon for sausage easily with a great result. I used frozen pre-cooked sausage patties (which I browned) for convenience.  (I love the frozen sausage patties from Walmart)! Have fun and smile! 

 Servings: 6

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups water

¼ cup milk

1 cup stoneground grits (quick 5 minute grits would work too; NOT instant).

¼ cup butter

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided (or your favorite cheese)

3 pre-cooked sausage patties (or 1 pound ground pork sausage, cooked)

1 4-ounce can chopped green chilis (optional) 

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3 large eggs

¼ cup milk

DIRECTIONS:

·         Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a square 8x8 inch baking dish.

·         Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan, whisk in grits. 

·         Add butter, salt, pepper and garlic powder, and ¼ cup milk, whisking to combine.

·         Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until liquid is absorbed and grits are thick and creamy, about 15 minutes for stoneground grits

·         Mix in 1 ½ cups cheese and stir well. Remove from heat.

·         Sausage:  if using pre-cooked patties, break them into crumbles. If cooking ground pork sausage, cook the sausage over medium-high heat until well browned. Drain well.  Stir the sausage into the grits mixture.

·         Add the chopped green chilis to the mixture, stirring to combine.

·         Stir in the Worcestershire sauce.

·         Beat together the eggs and 1/4 cup milk in a bowl and add to the grits mixture, stirring well to combine.

·         Pour the grits mixture into the prepared baking dish.  Top with remaining cheese.

·         Bake 30 to 40 minutes in preheated oven until set and lightly browned.

Cut into squares and serve. 

  

Boston Baked Scrod

(recipe adapted from ASquared)

Servings: 3-4
 

Oh wow!  Was this ever delicious!  When I first sampled Boston baked scrod in Boston a number of years ago, I was smitten.  I tried it in every seafood restaurant that I visited on that first trip and on every subsequent visit to the city, including the iconic Legal Seafoods.  What is scrod? It was a term coined by the Parker House in Boston; basically it's a young cod fish; but cod, haddock, pollock, or any other flaky white fish can be used when preparing "scrod".   After researching the internet for the perfect baked scrod, Boston style, I settled on one that I have adapted slightly.  The result?  It's a keeper!  It makes a perfect night dinner as well as a dish for dinner guests!  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

·         1 1/2 lbs. cod fillets

·         3 tablespoons butter, divided

·         2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

·         Juice of 1 lemon

·         1 tsp. lemon zest

·         1 medium onion, halved and sliced thin

·         1 garlic clove, crushed

·         1 cup crushed Ritz crackers

·         1/4 cup dry white wine

·         1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

·         salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

·         Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

·         Heat 1 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Saute the onion in oil and butter mixture until soft, but not browned.

·         In a medium sized bowl, combine the Ritz cracker crumbs with lemon zest, parsley, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and the juice of half the lemon.

·         Once the onions are soft, add salt and pepper.

·         Add to the onions, the remaining lemon juice, and the white wine, and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, until liquid is reduced a bit.

·         Spread the onion and lemon mixture over the bottom of a small baking dish (just large enough to hold all the fish snugly).

·         Place the fish on top of the onions and season the fish with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

·         Divide the crumb topping evenly over the fish, patting it down so that it sticks to the fish.

·         Bake for about 25 minutes until fish is cooked through, flaky, and opaque in the center and the crumb topping is browned. Cover with foil half way through baking if the top is browning too quickly.