Kudzu Inspired

One of the several delightful people I have met through this blog is a lady who calls herself Kudzu when she comments here. Pat Fusco doesn't write a blog; she is a writer for the Pacific Sun newspaper, one of those talented journalists whose prose I admire and wish I could emulate, and her regular columns are full of information for local food lovers.

The other day, while I was trying to think up something fun to do with the crisp, tubular stems of my Egyptian Walking Onion, she happened to leave a comment saying she remembered them from her girlhood in Georgia.

I had been thinking to stuff them, as they are hollow inside, with brown rice and something tasty but the ideas had not really jelled as yet . When I thought of Kudzu and walking onions together, I had my inspiration.

Kudzu is from the South as are grits, and I just happened to have a big bag of water ground grits in my cupboard. Plus, her last name is Italian, so I used Italian sausage, chopped walking onion and creamy grits as filling for my green "cannelloni." I added a generous amount of Parmesan cheese and bits of (precooked) Italian sausage to the grits once they were cooked, stuffed the mixture into the onion tubes using a plastic bag with the corner snipped off like a pastry bag, and topping the stuffed onion with provolone cheese before sliding them into a 325 degree oven for long enough to heat them through and to melt the cheese.

It was a very nice combination, rather like Kudzu, of sweet and creamy grits, salty sausage and savory cheese wrapped in onion that is mild to the nose but has a surprisingly spirited bite.

It was good but I have to admit I'd make a change next time. I'd blanch or parboil the walking onion stems before stuffing next time. They are sturdy and crisp, as you might expect from an onion top that stands two or three feet tall: starting with raw stems made them just a tad too chewy for our taste.

Still, I think it's a fitting tribute to a food writer from Georgia who married an Italian-American guy. She's an inspiration in more ways than one.

To Wenirs, With Love

Last fall, when I was in North Carolina, I was introduced to grits. Oh, I had tasted grits before, but they were the sort of industrial grits that are the corn equivalent to those nasty, ubiquitous frozen hash brown potatoes that don't even taste like potatoes that you get in so many diners and Denny's.

In North Carolina, however, you can get real grits - grits with body and flavor, grits mixed with cheese or topped with rapidly-melting butter, a side dish that actually adds something to the plate. I hadn't found grits like that here in NOCA until My Beloved and I went for breakfast at the Brown Sugar Kitchen in Sweet West Oakland.

West Oakland might not strike most people as "sweet." On our way there from Summit Medical Center, we drove through some pretty dilapidated and mean residential neighborhoods to find the Brown Sugar Kitchen in a solidly industrial area. When we arrived around 9:30am, there were a few seats; by the time we left, there was a line out the door. On a Tuesday, no less. Apparently, the food is worth the lack of ambiance in the 'hood.

Once inside, the tenor was actually pretty nice. Cheerful music, the clatter of dishes from the open kitchen and the buzz of conversation in the room combined to heighten our anticipation. We don't usually like noisy restaurants but at the Brown Sugar Kitchen, it's a cheerful vibe. The tables are small and close together but it feels cosy rather than crowded. In the sugar bowl on the table, only packets of brown sugar and on the long counter with seats all filled were pretty sophisticated small fresh flower arrangements, nice touches that signaled this was going to be a good meal.

There on the menu were grits with cheddar cheese; of course, I had to order it. When it arrived, I was pleased to note that the cheese is not dyed orange - it's the color of milk. You'd think that was a given, but so many places use the orange stuff. Cheese was sprinkled on top but it was also in the main body of the grits, as it was cheesy all the way through. A little drift of fresh herbs on top was a nice touch, too. The grits themselves were the creamy kind with very little in the way of texture. I have a preference for the hearty grind that gives a little chewing exercise but these were tasty enough to make up for it.

My Beloved ordered the Brown Sugar Kitchen's signature dish, waffles and fried chicken with apple cider syrup. We both swooned over the waffle, which is made with cornmeal and is as light and crisp as a new dollar bill. Buttered with their cinnamon butter, it was crazy-good. The chicken was fried exactly right - very juicy on the inside, crisp on the outside, and the syrup was quite good, too, but we agreed - either waffles or fried chicken next time, not both, and syrup on chicken is just wrong.

My friend Wenirs hates my posts about grits - she'd rather eat a bug than a bowl of grits. So, I just had to give her a little razzmatazz with my latest post about them. Hi, Wenirs! When you next come for a visit, I'll take you to the Brown Sugar Kitchen, but you can stick to the waffles, which you will love. I promise, no grits.

Southern Newbie

The daughter to two Yankees, a mother who was born in New York City and a father who was born at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, I'm a newbie to Southern cooking. After my trip to North Carolina and Virginia, however, I am inspired to try some Southern specialties.

To that end, I bought a bag of water stone ground grits from a little shop in Elkin, a tiny hill town in northwestern North Carolina where my nephew has settled. It's a lovely town, a slice of America a few decades ago - and that's a good thing. There is only one elementary, one middle and one high school (the football team is called the Bucking Elks - you can imagine what more jaded kids would make of that) and all the kids pile into the local soda shop on Friday afternoons after school for some ice cream and socializing. Lots of giggling and flirting, pranks and laughter. Their parents stand around chatting, too, but the true supervision is provided by the owners of the soda shop who love the kids but tolerate no nonsense on their premises. It takes a village.

My mother had a Southern friend, Maria Hart, who made cheesy grits that Mom, who never loved grits in any other form, heartily approved of. That recipe came to me via my sister, who has lived in the South all her adult life and used this recipe successfully at many a dinner party. After forty years of living in Virginia, she may still be "Tom's Yankee wife" to the folks down there but she can cook like she was born south of the Mason-Dixon line. Now you know the pedigree of this particular recipe for Cheesy Grits.

This dish is insanely rich, no two ways about it. I think the dairy industry must have invented it. If you ate this frequently, you would be a serious candidate for bypass surgery; nevertheless, it is so delicious that it will have you singing "Dixie."

1 quart milk
1/2 cup butter (This seems excessive but I have it on good authority that it is necessary)
1 cup grits (I used fairly coarsely ground grits) (Quick grits will work but don't use instant grits)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup shredded gruyere or Swiss cheese (I used gruyere)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used Parmesano Reggiano)
1 additional Tablespoon of butter for the top

Boil milk, add 1/2 cup butter. When butter has melted, stir in 1 cup grits and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Add salt to taste (I omit this step as the cheeses are both salty and we liked it without additional salt) and pepper. Off the heat, beat with a hand mixer for five full minutes until creamy (don't fret, it will still have texture). Mix in the two cheeses while beating. Pour into casserole and top with the additional tablespoon or two of butter. Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

It emerges from the oven hotter than a nuclear meltdown; it stayed very warm in my Corning ware casserole for 45 minutes after removal from the oven. That can be a bonus if you are making other dishes to go with it - keeping it warm is not a problem.

Serves 8.