Chef Bill Sr. recently put to use some leftover grits to create hillbilly bruschetta, which as far as we know is an original dish.
Chef Bill would be the first to tell you it is not as good as the traditional way. On the other hand, why let good grits go to waste?
And it is a fun and tasty meal.
Here’s the recipe, which — if you cook the grits just for this — makes about two dozen. Really though, it’s best to be used for leftovers:
Hillbilly Bruschetta Grits
3 cups water
1 cup uncooked stone-ground white grits
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
3/4 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped red or green sweet pepper
1/2 cup sliced green olives
1/2 cup sliced black olives
Combine water, grits, and salt in a medium, heavy saucepan. Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes or until grits are very thick, stirring often.
Remove the grits from the heat, and stir in Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and pepper. Pour out onto a flat baking sheet and spread to about 3/8-inch thickness (10-inch square). Allow to cool completely (about 1 hour in a refrigerator) so that the mixture is firm to the touch.
Cut the grits into 2-inch squares. Place them on a skillet coated with cooking spray; brush with a tablespoon olive oil and grill at medium heat until golden brown, which should be about 15 minutes. Flip the squares over, and brush other sides with remaining olive oil and put on the tomatoes, olives and bell pepper slices. Fry for about 10 more minutes. Remove, cool and eat.