What are grits and gumbo exactly?!


Question: What are grits and gumbo exactly!?
Bonjour!. :] So my it's my friend and her boyfriends anniversary, and I said I'd make them dinner!. I love to cook, and her boyfriend is from Texas, and he wants gumbo and grits, can some body tell me waht these are!?!?Www@FoodAQ@Com


Answers:
Miss Lynda is apparently a Yankee and only knows part of the goodness of grits!.

Grits are made from hominy!. Hominy is corn kernels that have been soaked in a lye solution to remove the hard shell of the kernel, the part that gets stuck between your teeth when you eat corn on the cob!. After the shell is removed, the hominy is dried and then ground into a very coarse meal!. If you can't find grits in your local market, use polenta!. Polenta is little more than Italian grits!.

Most true Southerners would be horrified to see some one eating grits with milk and sugar as if they were oatmeal!. Quite shocking!

We Southerners do lots of different things with grits!. Garlic Cheese Grits, Shrimp and grits, and hundreds more grits recipes!. Some almost sweet, and plenty spicy!. But the favorite way for most Southerners to eat grits is as a side dish with eggs and bacon at breakfast time!. Just cook them plain, and add a pat of butter or a little cheese, mix in your scrambled eggs and get ready for a great breakfast experience!.

For your grits and gumbo feast, I suggest you go to foodnetwork!.com and search for Garlic Cheese Grits!. Those will be a near perfect accompaniment for Seafood Gumbo!.

Now there are several types of gumbo, one of the more popular is seafood gumbo!. Unfortunately, my gumbo recipe is not on my computer, and it's too late to type it tonight!. But below is a recipe from Chef Emeril Lagasse for his Seafood Gumbo, his recipe is very similar to the recipe I use!.

http://www!.foodnetwork!.com/recipes/emeri!.!.!.

Seafood Gumbo

Prep Time:
30 min
Inactive Prep Time:
0 min
Cook Time:
40 min

Level:
0

Serves:
8 to 10 servings

1 batch of light roux, recipe follows
3 quarts of seafood stock
1 pound - 35 count shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound lump crabmeat
2 dozen shucked oysters , liquid reserved
1 pound crab claw meat
2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green peppers
1 cup chopped green onions
1 /2 cup chopped parsley
Salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
2 cups steamed rice
File powder to taste

In a large cast iron pot, heat the light roux!. Season onions, celery, and green peppers with 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, and 2 teaspoons salt!. Add to the roux and cook for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are wilted!. Add the crab claw meat and the seafood stock and bring to a boil!. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes!. Add shrimp, oysters, green onions, and parsley!. Cook for 5 minutes!. Add lump crabmeat and season the gumbo to taste!. Add the file powder to your liking and thickness!. Serve over steamed rice!.

ROUX
Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse
1 cup flour
1 cup vegetable oil

In a black iron skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat until it registers approximately 300 degrees on a deep fat fryer thermometer, approximately 300 degrees!. Using a wire whisk , slowly add the flour, stirring constantly until the roux is nutty colored!. At this point, the roux is ideal for thickening a light seafood gumbo!. (Recipe Below) Continue to cook this roux over medium heat and you will begin to see it change in color, getting darker and more aromatic!. Make sure you constantly stir it so it doesn't burn!.
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Hominy grits is made from corn!. People eat it like a hot cereal with butter!. It's yummy!. In the morning, you can have a bowl for breakfast and for other meals, it can be a side dish!. That's Southern food!.

Gumbo is like a soup!. It's the type of food you'd find in Louisiana or in the South, where there is a fishing industry!. The soup starts with making a rue and it has chicken, ham, shell fish, and vegetables in it!. That's Cajun food!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Grits are that little white colored "seed" that pops out of a kernel of sweet corn!. Gumbo is a stew, usually found in Louisiana, or "Cajun" cooking!.

To make them, just go to a good grocery store and see if they have grits that you can make similar to making oatmeal!.

For Gumbo - just go to the grocery store and get anything by Zatarain's!. They make a GREAT boxed rice mixture but you add the meat!. For example, you can make Shrimp or Chicken Gumbo!. Check it out!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Grits:
http://www!.meals!.com/Recipes/RecipeDetai!.!.!.

gumbo:
http://www!.meals!.com/Recipes/RecipeDetai!.!.!.

When you go to their web site, a lot of different recipes come up so you can customize the menu!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Grits is HominyWww@FoodAQ@Com





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