Grits ala Carol's Cookery

This should actually read - "MANGO Grits"...
See the little bits of Mango sauce melting into the grits???

But wait... there's more!

Click the photo to see the
PEACHbonero Coffee cake
Recipe

It's not just Mango, it's actually MANGOnero - A sauce combining the creamy sweetness of the tropical fruit with the heat and subtle SNAP of a Habanero Pepper!  I found this sauce during a trip I made through the largest most prestigious BBQ contest in the world, the American Royal (which happens to be held in my home town).

Just yesterday morning I used a bit of their PEACHbanero sauce to make a delicious Coffee Cake (click HERE for that recipe, easily made with whatever jam you happen to have around your pantry)..



Grits is (Grits are???) one of those dishes that when done right are absolutely delicious.  Filled with great taste and texture on their own, yet easily absorbs different flavors.  I like mine with a little pepper and honey.  Well, I used to like mine with a little pepper and honey, now I like em with a little MANGOnero sauce!

Click this photo Carol posted
On her blog to see the
Original recipe she posted

But first, let me tell you about the recipe.  I saw this a few weeks ago and wanted to give it a try.  It comes from Carol of the CAROL's COOKERY blog.  Carol is my kind of cook!  Home Cook, with a passion for cooking and serving restaurant quality at home (for a fraction of the cost!).

Best of all, in her Bio, she encourages what I do... take a great recipe and add my twist...

"The true purpose of a recipe is to inspire and motivate you to create your own personal masterpieces.  My cooking is inspired by many sources: Food Network, Cooks Illustrated, Cuisine Tonight, Williams-Sonoma, Martha Stewart and the list goes on and on.  So come and join me and be inspired to look around this site and cook your way into creating “your” own personal food creations."

And I was inspired.  I saw her recipe for shrimp and grits (with bacon and scallions) and knew I wanted to give it a try.  I was drawn to the Half and Half she uses to make her grits creamier than the water grits the box calls for!  And it worked!  Before I started futsing about with her recipe by adding the mangonero, I tasted her grits.  They indeed were extra creamy and very tasty.  I also loved the extra nutty taste of Parmesan Cheese she adds!

Hands down, these are now my absolute favorite way to serve grits.  Creamy from the 1/2 and 1/2, a little sweet from the Mango and a bit of extra pop from the habanero.  I was in HEAVEN!

I did serve these as a side dish for a simple stuffed pork chop.

Very simple, just grab a thick cut pork chop (say 1 1/2 to 2 inches), slice a pocket, rub with just a bit of your favorite grilling rub.  Stuff with a flavored sausage and grill until done.

With the flavored sausage (I used an Italian Hot), I picked a fairly simple rub and added a TBS of Brown Sugar that helped to caramelize a glaze and add just a hint of sweetness.

And with this recipe, be sure to use a remote prob to measure the temperature.  Be sure the sausage inside reaches 140 degrees.

But this post is not about the chop... it's the grits.  With the help of carol's recipe and the ChiliDawg's Food and Fire MANGONERO Pepper Sauce, here's what I did...

2 cups Half and half
1 cup Water
1 cup Stone ground Grits
1tsp Sea Salt
4 TBS Butter
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup ChiliDawg's Food and Fire MANGONERO Pepper Sauce

• Heat 1/2&1/2 and water in a heavy bottomed sauce pan (nonstick) to a slow boil
• Whisk in the grits slowly so they do not clump.  Add salt and 1 TBS of butter
• Cook, stirring often until grits are tender and have thickened.
• Add the remaining butter, Parmesan Cheese and the ChiliDawg's Food and Fire MANGONERO Pepper Sauce.
• Add additional 1/2&1/2 if needed to thin out the grits

Serve HOT and enjoy!

OK, the legal stuff...

I met the good folks at ChiliDawg's Food and Stuff at a vendor's booth at the American Royal BBQ contest.  I paid cash money for the products I used in this recipe.  No money, products or promises were exchanged.

I just honestly and sincerely LOVE the stuff!

Much like I honestly and sincerely enjoy reading Carol's recipes.  She is fairly new as a blogger, with about 25 posts, but each are excellent!  I love watching a great cook evolve as a blogger.  I have added her to my sidebar and will be back to see what she comes up with whenever she posts something new.