Hot Grits at LL Dent

Forget the grits scene in “My Cousin Vinny” — Leisa Dent is a self-respecting southerner and her grits take at least five minutes less time to prepare. Grits are a typical starch in Southern cooking, at the breakfast table playing the role that home fried potatoes take in the North.

The Dish: Leisa Dent’s Grits

What’s in It: Traditionally grits were made with hominy, a coarsely ground white corn, that takes at least 20 minutes to cook, thus the scene in “My Cousin Vinny” where a prosecution witness’ statement is ripped to shreds by Joe Pesci’s knowledge of how long it takes to make grits.

But you don’t have to use hominy to make great grits, says Leisa Dent, the co-owner of LL Dent whose family hails from Georgia. At LL Dent, Chef Leisa Dent uses hominy that has been ground to a finer consistency, enabling her to cook it faster than the coarser hominy.

Here’s how Leisa makes her grits. She says that the secret ingredient is the milk, a trick she learned from “Miss Rose” in Atlanta. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups water
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup of grits

Place all in a pot all ingredients except grits; bring to a boil tasting the boiling ingredients because that is what your grits will taste like so this is the time to add more salt or not. Add grits stir in boiling until creamy; it will lump in the beginning as you cook it (if necessary, add more water). Takes 10-15 minutes.

How’s it Taste: You can serve it with a pat of salted butter or some cheese. Leisa says that in the south they like sharp cheddar, northerners seem to prefer American cheese. When she was a kid she loved having it with salmon croquettes and at LL Dent offers it with pan-seared salmon, Kielbasa sausage, spinach, onions and peppers.

There’s nothing like a bowl of hot grits on a cold day to warm body and soul, says Leisa. But she does have two grit-eating rules:

1. Never eat grits with a fork.
2. Don’t let me see you adding sugar – this is a savory dish.

Cost: $3.50 a bowl.