Pretty Corny!

Leftover Grits Cakes

A lot of my Southern friends would claim that there's no such thing as leftover grits. Be that as it may, I always end up with some-to-a-lot uneaten when I make a batch. Usually I'll portion it out for Sally to have as go-to-work breakfast. But then I got to thinking..... (dangerous, I know). Cold grits are essentially the same as Italian Polenta. I've had fried polenta before and liked it. What happens if you fry leftover grits? Wonderful bites of tastiness!!

Of course you can make a batch of grits, just to make this recipe, if you want lots of grits cakes for a party appetizer, or half-time snack.

First make a batch of creamy cheesy grits. I use slow-cooked grits, not the five minute kind. For the liquid I use half water and half half&half. Then there's white pepper to taste for seasoning (black pepper looks like bug specks!). At the end I melt in a good sized handful of white cheese (mozzarella and/or Parmesan, and/or provolone).

When the grits are pretty thick, but not stiff, spread them out onto a baking sheet or some other kind of tray, making the layer about 1/2” thick. Set this in the fridge to stiffen and chill for a hour or so.

Use a 2.5” or 3” biscuit cutter to punch out as many disks as you can. Although I didn't, you may be able to heat and re-hydrate the leftovers, and spread them out a second time.

Get a 1/4” of oil heating in a medium hot (350) skillet. Dredge the individual cakes in flour, then slide them into the oil. Cook about 4 minutes per side until GB&D – Golden, Brown, and Delicious. Sprinkle with a bit of Kosher or your favorite sea salt, and serve hot.

Elote

Elote literally means “corn cob” but en la cuchina it means roasted or boiled corn on the cob, a classic Mexican street food, slathered with a mixture of mayonnaise, chile powder, lime and cheese. Take note – the plural of elote is elote, not elotes!!!

As a kid growing up in northern Ohio, I remember lots of summer dinners where the five people in my family would each eat 3 ears of corn, and a pork chop for some protein. If Mom had known how to make Elote, we'd have really pigged out!

For two ears of corn, mix together 2-3 Tbsp of Mayo, “some” chile powder, and the zest of a lime. A little lime juice doesn't hurt either, but not enough to make the mixture runny.

Grill or boil your corn. I used the oven broiler – it's an upside down grill -- and broiled my corn 6-8 minutes until some of the kernals were blackening.

Slather the ears with the mayo mixture (use a brush), and sprinkle with grated or crumbled cheese.

Cotija is the traditional Mexican cheese for Elote. I used Auribella cheese, it has the sharp saltiness of Parmesan, which I like here, but is a bit softer. Some folks like feta.

An extra shot of chile powder does not go amiss either,

Biscuit Baked Eggs

Sally found a recipe where someone in Calif was doing something like this. I, of course, had to put my own twist on the recipe, and tested it on a willing Cabana guest. Here's what I did.

2 Eggs

2-1/4 cups Bisquick

2/3 cup Milk

2 Green onions, sliced

1/4 cup Corn kernals

1/4 Red Bell Pepper, diced

1/2 tsp each: Caraway seed, Sage, Cumin, Marjoram

Preheat oven to 450F

Mix everything the eggs into a thick batter and divide between two 4” springform pans or giant muffin cups or popover tins.

The original recipe called for you to use a flour coated egg to press a cavity in the batter. Didn't work for me!! So I used an oiled spoon to form the cavity in the center of each biscuit. If you make a big enough cavity, it will hold the yolk plus all the white of each egg. Crack two eggs and separate the yolks and white. Slide a yolk into each cavity, then top off with the yolk.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until cooked through. 

Unmold carefully and serve. A dollop of salsa would not go amiss.

The spices and fillings give the biscuit a really nice savory flavor and texture, and the egg came out perfect for those who like 'sunny side' eggs with runny yolks. Our guest really liked both the presentation and the flavor, and so did I.

Sorta Pastitsio

Not really a formal recipe here, just a process. Cook up shaped pasta (shells, mustaches, corkscrews, whatever). Make a thick meat sauce with ground pork, some tomato, mushrooms, etc., tightened with a few tablespoons of bread crumbs if needed. Layer the meat sauce between layers of pasta and cover the whole thing with Alfredo sauce before baking. I took the concept away from the original Greek, by using a Ro*Teltm tomato product.

2 boxes Shaped Pasta – I used Rotini and Penne – cooked separately to package instructions

1 can Ro*Tel Chile Fixins

1 jar Alfredo sauce

1/2c cup Half & half

4 oz sliced Mushrooms

8 oz Cottage Cheese

8 oz Mexican Cheese Blend (shredded)

Lay down a layer of pasta. I put the Penne on the bottom. Then I put down a thin layer of both cottage cheese and shredded cheese.

Lay the meat sauce on top of that. Cover with a layer of shredded cheese, followed by the rest of the pasta to fill the 9x13 pan.

I heated the Alfredo sauce in a separate pan, and thinned it a bit with the half&half. Then I poured the sauce overall. Finally I topped that with the remaining cottage and shredded cheese. Baked it at 350F for about 45 minutes, until the top was browned and bubbly.