So I made the call, got the menu and returned to chat with Ray. He would always ask the same question, “Gravy?”. See Ray would not eat dinner without gravy. Cream gravy, brown gravy, red-eye gravy, mystery gravy, whatever. So a second call would usually produce the required answer from Lois, “Yes I will make gravy, start walking this way”. (they lived 100 yards from the Cantina).
Now Lois was a southern belle who lived to cook. If you were ever within eyeball range of Lois she made sure you had something from her kitchen. And I am here to tell you that this woman could make angel biscuits that floated on air, fried chicken (and I have shared that recipe with you on the forum)to die for and gravy that would make you swoon. Her food was what we now call comfort food. Good, abundant, hot, flavorful, spicy and mostly southern. Lois was a big as a 48 inch Viking range and most of that was heart, which she put into every dish she ever served. When she served you dinner she used to stand back and wait to see your reaction. Some of her dishes were so good you wanted not to swallow. So Lois taught me this simple recipe for grits and according to her this is THE WAY to serve morning grits. They were good friends.
Morning creamy grits with cheese and/or sausage (1 portion)
1/3 heaping cup of dry white grits
Toast these white grits in a clean dry sauté pan until they turn slightly golden brown.
Add 1 cup of water stirring to prevent lumps and cover. Reduce heat to maintain a slow simmer for 20 minutes. Stir often to prevent lumps. Add water to maintain a creamy consistency.
At the 15 minute mark add 2 tablespoons of butter or bacon drippins. Add a handful of grated cheese of your choice, a handful of cooked pork sausage, a pinch of salt (depending on the salt in the cheese) and at least 3 grinds of fresh black pepper. Serve in a warm bowl with a large cup of strong coffee laced with….
Grits:
Adams Old Fashioned Whole Heart Grits
Adams Milling Company Route 1 Midland City Alabama 36350 800 239-4233
