Creamy Rice Grits With Tomato Relish

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (read recipe intro)
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 2 1/4 cups carolina gold rice grits
• 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese (i think you could make a reasonable substitution-asiago, fontina, romano, etc.)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter (*real* butter!)
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• olive oil
• fresh herb (i minced fresh basil and italian flat leaf parsley together)

Recipe

• 1 how to make your own rice grits: although you can order carolina gold rice grits online you can also make your own. "to do so, freeze your favorite good-quality long-grain rice (i bought organic standard long grain rice) for 30 minutes to make it brittle. then, working in batches, grind it a few times in a spice mill until the grains are very coarsely ground into rough, uneven pieces about a third of the original grain's size. transfer the mixture to a medium strainer set over a bowl to sift out the "dust," then use the remaining pieces in any recipe that calls for rice grits." cg says ^^this step was easier said than done. my version was much easier: after removing the rice from the freezer i ground the rice to the same consistency as regular (corn) grits that they were virtually identical in appearance except for those little black specks in corn grits. if you don't know what traditional grits look like, go to google and search for an image to guide you. i skipped the strainer part, too. (uh, cg -- i must ask -- isn't this in essence cream of rice™? yes, but it's glorified cream of rice™, i answer!).
• 2 mix tomatoes and shallot in a small bowl. season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
• 3 bring 12 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan.
• 4 stir in grits and season with salt. reduce heat to medium; simmer grits until almost tender, about 15 minutes.
• 5 drain, reserving 2 cups cooking liquid; return liquid and grits to saucepan. another note: because of the manner in which i ground the rice there was no liquid left to drain. i cooked the rice as indicated in step # above, then another 5-6 minutes as directed in the following step.
• 6 stir over medium heat until creamy, 5–6 minutes.
• 7 add cheese and butter; stir to melt. stir in lemon juice; season with salt and pepper.
• 8 transfer to a large wide bowl, forming a well in center.
• 9 stir olive oil into tomato mixture; pour into well.